My realme 14 review: Is this the new gaming king?

I’ve been putting the realme 14 5G through its paces, and I’m ready to share my detailed thoughts through this review. This was just launched on 14 April 2025, and it has been making waves especially for gamers.

Main highlights

This new device sets a benchmark in mobile technology, debuting as the world’s first to feature the powerful Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor, with a massive 6,000mAh Titan battery that is paired with rapid 45W Fast Charging capabilities.

The phone also has an expansive 6,050mm2 Bionic Cooling System for superior heat dissipation and a comprehensive IP69/68/66 dust and water resistance ratings.

Beyond the core specs, the gaming experience is significantly enhanced with a dedicated GT Mode and support for an ultra-smooth 120FPS in mainstream games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and Honor of Kings (HOK).

Adding to its appeal is a distinctive aesthetic characterized by a futuristic Mecha design, complete with an eye-catching Victory Halo lighting effect that likely accents notifications or gaming sessions.

In addition, it also comes with 120Hz AMOLED Esports display, a 50MP OIS AI Camera, the relame UI 6.0 and AI Boost.

Design, Body, and Durability

The phone comes in Warrior Pink, Storm Titanium (which I got for realme 14 5G review from realme) and Mecha Silver colours. The Mecha Silver is set apart with it’s decorative elements on the rear of the phone. The design of the realme 14 5G is striking if you get the Mecha Silver.

Storm Titanium, which I got, looks rather plain, but for me, it’s good enough as I like phones to be simple.

Despite not having any design at the back, the phone does have that ‘Victory halo’ (next to the camera) which lights up when its charged.

It’s light and this makes it good for gaming because there’s less weight to carry. However, light phones take away that ‘premium’ feel, so I do feel that slight sense of plastic due to the weight.

Other than that, durability is a major plus.

It is very interesting to note that this is the first phone that I know, has up to three IP ratings listed; IP66, IP68 and IP69.

The IP69 rating is top-tier waterproof rating, meaning it can handle high-temperature, high-pressure water, and it’s also IP68 anti-soaking, so accidental submersion isn’t a worry.

Just to note, the IP66 protection protects the phone against high-pressure water jets, which is something very unlikely for the phone to experience. However, if it’s strong flowing water flow like from a tap, you can be assured the phone will remain safe and functional.  

This was proven during my realme 14 5G review test, in which the phone could still function very well despite being soaked in water, and put under string water pressure.

The sides of the phone is largely flat, but it doesn’t cause any discomfort when in use.

Screen & Display

The 6.67-inch AMOLED display is fantastic. The colors are vibrant, and with a 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling and gameplay are incredibly smooth.

It’s an FHD+ display with a resolution of 1080×2400. The screen-to-body ratio is 92.65%, which means I get a lot of screen real estate for movies, gaming and scrolling.

I also appreciate the peak brightness of 2000 nits as it makes the display easily visible even in bright sunlight.  

Audio System

The phone comes with Dual Stereo Speakers and in my use, the speakers are clear and loud enough for gaming and videos.

Interestingly, realme decided to put a small speaker hole on the top of the phone to enable for this feature, which I think is pretty smart and should be standard for most smartphones.

Audiophiles might want to use external speakers or headphones for a richer experience.

Processor, RAM & Storage

This is where the realme 14 5G truly shines. It’s the world’s first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset, and it’s a performance beast.

Xiaomi reports that benchmark test hit 780,000 AnTuTu score, but for me (who doesn’t really get into all these test and scores, and prefer the user expericene), the phone feels incredibly responsive when used for gaming.

I only play Football Manager, EAFC and PUBG on my phone, and I have no complaints since the phone performs very good and I would say as good as premium devices I’ve tested with the games before.

There isn’t any heat when gaming and it feels comfortable for gaming despite 30 minutes of play.

The phone comes in configurations with up to 26GB of RAM (12GB+14GB Dynamic RAM) and 256GB of storage, which is plenty for multitasking and storing a ton of games and media. There is no expansion slots so you need to look up cloud storage packages if you intend to store more than the 256GB allocated.

Software

The realme 14 5G runs on realme UI 6.0, which I found to be smooth and intuitive during this review.

The UI has some nice touches, like new icons, dynamic lighting effects, and a smoother interaction experience.

It comes with popular realme AI features like AI Recording Summary and AI Smart Loop 2.0 with the “Circle to Search” feature also a handy and pretty addition. This also means the phone is Gemini ready, so there’s Google AI ready to help answer questions when I press the side button.

AI Smart Loop 2.0 in particular, allows me to eliminate multiple steps for apps I frequenly use. It speeds up task and also use of the phone.

In addition, my gaming experience is also optimized with the AI Gaming functions such as AI Ultra Touch Control and AI Motion Control.

AI Ultra Touch Control is a touch algorithm which optimizes game control zones to enhance responsiveness and reduce latency while AI Motion Control is based on a gyroscope, and it supports
customized settings for left-right motion controls and forward backward motion controls.

These functions improve my gameplay with PUBG which felt so much easier to control.

In addition, the GT Mode enhanced enables me to enjoy high refresh rate and ultra-responsive touch control as I was also able to use the Geek Power Tuning to adjust CPU and GPU frequency settings with ease.

Camera

The camera system is solid with it being one of the better ones I’ve tested for a gaming focused smartphone.

The main camera is a 50MP shooter with OIS, and it takes sharp, clear photos, even in low light.

With AI, the phone enhances photography to the next level.

I appreciate the AI Shutter function which comes close to 1/10000 secton as it enables me to capture moving objects better while AI Snap Mode allows me to capture fast-moving scenes greater clarity.

In addition, LightFusion Algorithm enhances light and shadow in photos making my photos turn out without that annoying and visable ‘shadow’ backdrop. AI noise also helpd clear out photos which have too much grain at night to produce cleaner and sharper night scenes.

What wasn’t great however was the time to take night shots as it took a few extra seconds as compared to premium smartphones to complete.

Below are some photos taken using the phone.

In addition the phone also comes with AI Eraser which allows me to and AI Clear Face for potraits and selfies, there’s a 16MP front camera.  

Below is a portrait photo myself taken with the realme 14 5G.

Battery

Battery life is exceptional, thanks to the 6,000mAh Titan battery. The 45W Super Flash Charge is a super convenient addition to get the phone full power in no time.

In addition, realme also claims the battery maintains over 80% health even after four years of use, which is reassuring.

During my test, I actually seldom had to charge the realme 14 5G battery on my daily use which includes surfing the internet, playing some games for less than an hour, and also communicating.

In fact, I could keep the phone without charge overnight and still get a about 40% left the next day, which is very good for my standards.

Final Verdict

Overall, the realme 14 5G is a fantastic mid-range gaming phone.

It offers top-tier performance, a stunning display, long-lasting battery life, and a unique design (if you get Mecha Silver).

Personally, I think this phone would be great if you are an avid gamer, but do not want to sacrifice on photo quality as well as battery life because the realme 14 5G also scores in both departments as well.

The phone can be bought with freebies like a RM100 rebate, realme Buds T01, Tempered Glass and Finger Cots, 1-year Extended Warranty, and 4-year Battery Warranty from the realme Shopee store as well as all brick and mortar realme stores before 17 April 2025.

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