Pricing for the Galaxy A16 5G is ready at Rs. 18,999 (8GB+128GB) and Rs. 20,999 (8GB+256GB), however how does it fare towards comparable smartphones in a really aggressive value section? After spending a while with the handset because it was launched in India, listed below are my ideas.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G: S-Tier Design
- Dimensions – 164.4 x 77.9 x 7.9 mm
- Weight – 192g
- Colours – Blue Black, Gold (In this overview), Light Green
In current years, Samsung’s midrange and premium midrange smartphones have began to resemble its flagship fashions. We noticed this with the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 (Review), and now the Galaxy A16 is the most recent telephone from the corporate to bear a resemblance to the Galaxy S24. There are some notable variations, although — the Galaxy A16 5G has a polycarbonate again with plastic edges.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is supplied with a triple rear digicam setup
Samsung has geared up the Galaxy A16 5G with the Key Island on the best fringe of the telephone, which homes the quantity rocker and energy buttons. The SIM tray and reminiscence card tray are positioned on the left edge, whereas the underside edge features a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille.
This handset ships with out an included cowl, and that is the way it was used at some point of the overview. While it is simple to grip with out utilizing a case, the plastic edges have a tendency to select up scratches after some time, so you will undoubtedly need to purchase a third-party cowl for the Galaxy A16 5G. You’ll additionally must buy a charger, because the telephone solely ships with a USB Type-C cable and a SIM ejector software.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Software: Useful Features, Unnecessary Bloatware
- Software – One UI 6.1
- Version – Android 14
- Latest safety patch – September 1, 2024
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G ships with One UI 6.1, based mostly on Android 14. It is identical software program that runs on the dearer Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 fashions. This means you get assist for Samsung’s SmartThings, Wallet, TV and different purposes. Unfortunately, it would not supply assist for Good Lock, which permits a fair larger degree of customisation and management over Samsung telephones.
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G runs on One UI 6.1, which is predicated on Android 14 (Tap to broaden)
Like different smartphones accessible on this value section, the Samsung Galaxy A16 will obtain third-party purposes after establishing the telephone when the default setup choices are chosen, so it is essential to concentrate when you are establishing the telephone for the primary time. The telephone downloaded apps and video games like Paytm, CallApp, Water Sort, Adobe Photoshop Express, Snapchat, and a handful of different apps that can be uninstalled.
In phrases of software program assist, the Galaxy A16 5G far exceeds expectations from any handset on this value class. Samsung says it can present as much as six years of OS upgrades for the smartphone, which suggests it needs to be updated till at the very least 2030. It’s really spectacular that Samsung has dedicated to updating the Galaxy A16 5G with six main Android OS updates, whereas its most costly A-series mannequin accessible at this time — the Samsung Galaxy A55 — will get 4 upgrades.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Performance: Could be Better
- Processor – Mediatek Dimensity 6300
- Memory – 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage – 256GB UFS (Unspecified model)
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, the successor to the Dimensity 6100+ launched in 2023. This chipset has two Cortex-A76 efficiency cores (2.4GHz) which might be barely sooner than those on final yr’s processor (2.2GHz), together with six Cortex-A55 effectivity cores (2GHz). It additionally has the identical Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU as MediaTek’s older chip.
The Cortex-A76 cores on the Dimensity 6300 seem like exhibiting their age, as I observed some lagging and stuttering in day-to-day use. Despite these visible stutters, the smartphone is usable when operating apps like Chrome, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Instagram, and X (previously Twitter).
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G benchmark take a look at outcomes (Tap to broaden)
You will not be capable of use the Galaxy A16 5G to play resource-intensive video games reminiscent of Call of Duty: Mobile or Free Fire Max — these titles don’t really feel as easy as different video games in the identical value section. On the opposite hand, it may well run Asphalt Legends: Unite on the bottom graphics settings or informal video games like Angry Birds Pop! and Bubble Witch 3 with none points.
On artificial benchmark checks, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G delivered decrease scores than different equally priced smartphones like Moto G85 and the Infinix Note 40 5G. These outcomes should not stunning because the competitors is supplied with extra succesful processors, such because the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 and the MediaTek Dimensity 7020.
In truth, Samsung’s personal Exynos 1380 SoC, which powers the handset (in addition to the Galaxy M35 5G) in different markets, has extra highly effective Cortex A78 efficiency cores. It would have been a a lot better match for the smartphone — contemplating it has a six-year lengthy software program assist window.
Here’s a helpful desk to indicate you the way the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G fares towards different smartphones in common benchmark checks.
| Benchmark | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G | Moto G85 | Infinix Note 40 5G | OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 736 | 935 | 909 | 904 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 1938 | 2102 | 2025 | 2015 |
| AnTuTu v10 | 411,056 | 450,865 | 488,954 | 448,127 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 9,382 | 11,757 | 13,309 | 9,850 |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 1351 | 1569 | Failed to run | 1508 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited | 1335 | 1578 | Failed to run | 1507 |
| 3DMark Sling Shot | 3603 | 4406 | Failed to run | 4226 |
| 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme | 2629 | 3259 | Failed to run | 3121 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 56 | 19 | 16 | 17 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 24 | 33 | 29 | 30 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 14 | 89 | 66 | 60 |
While it will get much less brilliant in the course of the day in winter, the 6.7-inch Full-HD+ (1,080×2,340 pixels) Super AMOLED show on the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G was brilliant sufficient once I took the telephone outdoor, besides when it was in direct daylight. The ambient gentle detection took a few seconds to reply once I took the telephone out of my pocket, nevertheless it cranked up the brightness to the utmost degree, and I may learn the contents of my display with none points.
The show on the Galaxy A16 5G is brilliant sufficient so long as lengthy as you keep away from direct daylight
I did not discover any touchscreen associated points whereas utilizing the Galaxy A16 5G. The refresh price switches between 60Hz or 90Hz, however there isn’t any choice to robotically change between the 2. The increased refresh price is unquestionably the one to go for, and it barely has a noticeable influence on battery life.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Cameras: Decent Daytime Photography
- Main digicam – 50-megapixel (f/1.8), AF, as much as 1080p/ 30fps video
- Ultrawide digicam – 5-megapixel (f/2.2)
- Macro digicam – 2-megapixel (f/2.4)
- Selfie digicam – 13-megapixel
The major digicam on the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G captures first rate pictures in the course of the day, particularly when capturing topics with ample pure gentle, however some fast-moving topics would possibly seem blurry. Some colors seem slightly extra vibrant than normal, however they appear nice when shared on social media. 
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Camera Samples. Top to backside – Primary, Ultrawide, Primary (Tap pictures to broaden)
Unfortunately, the 5-megapixel ultrawide digicam would not produce photographs which might be remotely nearly as good as the first digicam. Images lack element, they usually can seem overexposed in brilliant situations. Even when there’s sufficient gentle, zooming in on the picture reveals loads of smoothening.
Samsung has additionally geared up the handset with a 2-megapixel macro digicam, which works reliably in the course of the day, however colors can seem slightly washed out in comparison with the first digicam. I needed to faucet on some topics within the viewfinder to ensure they have been in focus.
Once once more, the 50-megapixel digicam on the Galaxy A16 5G is probably the most dependable when clicking pictures in low-light situations. The digicam app has a built-in evening mode, however you will must allow it manually. The mode would not work on the ultrawide digicam, which delivers noisy and blurry photographs at evening.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Camera Samples. Top to backside – Low Light, Macro (Tap pictures to broaden)
On the entrance, there is a 13-megapixel selfie digicam that may be very dependable for selfies and video calls. It works effectively in the course of the day, capturing clear photographs and colors which might be reproduced precisely. At evening, the digicam nonetheless takes first rate footage if there’s sufficient gentle. In very low gentle situations, the selfie digicam nonetheless captures a substantial quantity of element, with a little bit of softening.
The major digicam on the Galaxy A16 lacks optical picture stabilisation (OIS), which is obvious whereas capturing movies. You can seize movies in as much as 1080p decision at 30fps, and clips captured in the course of the day are usable if you happen to aren’t shifting round too rapidly. The video high quality drops sharply in low-light situations.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Battery: Lasts Long, Charges Slowly
- Battery Capacity – 5,000mAh
- Wired Charging: 25W (USB Type-C)
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is supplied with a 5,000mAh battery that gives about two days of backup with conservative use. On days once I used the handset for longer intervals (about 6 hours of display on time), the telephone delivered a couple of day and a half of battery life. This is on par with the course for smartphones on this value section.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G supplies over 24 hours of battery backup on a single cost
Like the corporate’s different smartphones, the Galaxy A16 5G would not ship with a charger within the field. Using a third-party 18W charger, the telephone took almost two hours to cost — the battery degree was at 35 p.c after half-hour and 66 p.c after an hour.
In our HD video battery loop take a look at, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G lasted for 19 hours and 45 minutes, which is barely decrease than the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite (22 hours and 17 minutes) however increased than the Infinix Note 40 (17 hours and 56 minutes). It’s vital to keep in mind that it is a artificial take a look at for offline video playback, and the telephone gives dependable battery backup for day-to-day use.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G resembles one of many firm’s most costly smartphones, and it subjectively appears extra “premium” than the competitors. It is straightforward to carry, and it has a brilliant show. The handset additionally has a big battery, which delivers ample battery backup at a single cost.
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G faces loads of competitors from different telephones underneath the Rs. 20,000 mark
You additionally get six years of software program updates — that is good, however provided that the smartphone stays snappy sufficient for as a few years. The presence of the Dimensity 6300 chipset and the lacklustre ultrawide digicam are two components holding this smartphone again.
There are a handful of different smartphones underneath the Rs. 20,000 mark that supply arguably higher efficiency than the Galaxy A16 5G, together with the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite (Review), the Infinix Note 40 5G (Review), and the Moto G85 (Review).
Other equally priced handsets that you may contemplate embrace the Poco X6 and the Realme Narzo 70 Pro. Another handset that it is best to contemplate over the Galaxy A16 5G is the Galaxy M35 5G (Review), which is supplied with higher specs (together with an Exynos 1380 chipset) and is out there in the identical value section.
