Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Sticks to the Midrange Formula

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is the South Korean company’s latest addition to its Galaxy A series of smartphones, and it is a midrange handset that runs on Android 14, and the company has promised up to six major Android OS upgrades. Its direct competitors in the same price segment (under Rs. 20,000) are the Poco X6, Realme Narzo 70 Pro, Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G, Moto G85, OnePlus Nord CE Lite, as well as Samsung’s own Galaxy M35 5G model.

Pricing for the Galaxy A16 5G is set at Rs. 18,999 (8GB+128GB) and Rs. 20,999 (8GB+256GB), but how does it fare against similar smartphones in a very competitive price segment? After spending some time with the handset since it was launched in India, here are my thoughts.

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 review), Light Green

In recent years, Samsung’s midrange and premium midrange smartphones have started to resemble its flagship models. We saw this with the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 (Review), and now the Galaxy A16 is the latest phone from the company to bear a resemblance to the Galaxy S24. There are some notable differences, though — the Galaxy A16 5G has a polycarbonate back with plastic edges.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is equipped with a triple rear camera setup

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A16 5G with the Key Island on the right edge of the phone, which houses the volume rocker and power buttons. The SIM tray and memory card tray are located on the left edge, while the bottom edge includes a USB Type-C port and a speaker grille.

This handset ships without an included cover, and that’s how it was used for the duration of the review. While it’s easy to grip without using a case, the plastic edges tend to pick up scratches after a while, so you’ll definitely want to buy a third-party cover for the Galaxy A16 5G. You’ll also need to purchase a charger, as the phone only ships with a USB Type-C cable and a SIM ejector tool.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Software: Useful Features, Unnecessary Bloatware

• Software – One UI 6.1
• Version – Android 14
• Latest security patch – September 1, 2024

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G ships with One UI 6.1, based on Android 14. It is the same software that runs on the more expensive Galaxy A35 and Galaxy A55 models. This means you get support for Samsung’s SmartThings, Wallet, TV and other applications. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer support for Good Lock, which allows an even greater level of customisation and control over Samsung phones.

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G runs on One UI 6.1, which is based on Android 14 (Tap to expand)

Like other smartphones available in this price segment, the Samsung Galaxy A16 will download third-party applications after setting up the phone when the default setup options are chosen, so it’s very important to pay attention while you are setting up the phone for the first time. The phone downloaded apps and games like Paytm, CallApp, Water Sort, Adobe Photoshop Express, Snapchat, and a handful of other apps that can also be uninstalled.

In terms of software support, the Galaxy A16 5G far exceeds expectations from any handset in this price category. Samsung says it will provide up to six years of OS upgrades for the smartphone, which means it should be up to date until at least 2030. It’s actually impressive that Samsung has committed to updating the Galaxy A16 5G with six major Android OS updates, while its most expensive A-series model available today — the Samsung Galaxy A55 — will get four upgrades.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Performance: Could be Better

• Processor – Mediatek Dimensity 6300
• Memory – 8GB LPDDR4X
• Storage – 256GB UFS (Unspecified version)

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, the successor to the Dimensity 6100+ introduced in 2023. This chipset has two Cortex-A76 performance cores (2.4GHz) that are slightly faster than the ones on last year’s processor (2.2GHz), along with six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores (2GHz). It also has the same Arm Mali-G57 MC2 GPU as MediaTek’s older chip.

The Cortex-A76 cores on the Dimensity 6300 appear to be showing their age, as I noticed some lagging and stuttering in day-to-day use. Despite these visual stutters, the smartphone is usable when running apps like Chrome, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G benchmark test results (Tap to expand)

You won’t be able to use the Galaxy A16 5G to play resource-intensive games such as Call of Duty: Mobile or Free Fire Max — these titles do not feel as smooth as other games in the same price segment. On the other hand, it can run Asphalt Legends: Unite on the lowest graphics settings or casual games like Angry Birds Pop! and Bubble Witch 3 without any issues.

On synthetic benchmark tests, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G delivered lower scores than other similarly priced smartphones like Moto G85 and the Infinix Note 40 5G. These results are not surprising as the competition is equipped with more capable processors, such as the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 and the MediaTek Dimensity 7020.

In fact, Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 SoC, which powers the handset (as well as the Galaxy M35 5G) in other markets, has more powerful Cortex A78 performance cores. It would have been a much better fit for the smartphone — considering it has a six-year long software support window.

Here’s a handy table to show you how the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G fares against other smartphones in popular benchmark tests.

While it gets less bright during the day in winter, the 6.7-inch Full-HD+ (1,080×2,340 pixels) Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G was bright enough when I took the phone outdoors, except when it was in direct sunlight. The ambient light detection took a couple of seconds to respond when I took the phone out of my pocket, but it cranked up the brightness to the maximum level, and I could read the contents of my screen without any issues.

The display on the Galaxy A16 5G is bright enough as long as long as you avoid direct sunlight

I didn’t notice any touchscreen related issues while using the Galaxy A16 5G. The refresh rate switches between 60Hz or 90Hz, but there’s no option to automatically switch between the two. The higher refresh rate is definitely the one to opt for, and it barely has a noticeable impact on battery life.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Cameras: Decent Daytime Photography

• Main camera – 50-megapixel (f/1.8), AF, up to 1080p/ 30fps video
• Ultrawide camera – 5-megapixel (f/2.2)
• Macro camera – 2-megapixel (f/2.4)
• Selfie camera – 13-megapixel

The primary camera on the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G captures decent images during the day, especially when shooting subjects with ample natural light, but some fast-moving subjects might appear blurry. Some colours appear a little more vibrant than usual, but they look great when shared on social media. 

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Camera Samples. Top to bottom – Primary, Ultrawide, Primary (Tap images to expand)

Unfortunately, the 5-megapixel ultrawide camera doesn’t produce photos that are remotely as good as the primary camera. Images lack detail, and they can appear overexposed in bright scenarios. Even when there’s enough light, zooming in on the image reveals a lot of smoothening.

Samsung has also equipped the handset with a 2-megapixel macro camera, which works reliably during the day, but colours can appear a little washed out compared to the primary camera. I had to tap on some subjects in the viewfinder to make sure they were in focus.

Once again, the 50-megapixel camera on the Galaxy A16 5G is the most reliable when clicking images in low-light scenarios. The camera app has a built-in night mode, but you’ll need to enable it manually. The mode doesn’t work on the ultrawide camera, which delivers noisy and blurry shots at night.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Camera Samples. Top to bottom – Low Light, Macro (Tap images to expand)

On the front, there’s a 13-megapixel selfie camera that is very reliable for selfies and video calls. It works well during the day, capturing clear photos and colours that are reproduced accurately. At night, the camera still takes decent pictures if there’s enough light. In very low light scenarios, the selfie camera still captures a considerable amount of detail, with a bit of softening.

The primary camera on the Galaxy A16 lacks optical image stabilisation (OIS), which is evident while capturing videos. You can capture videos in up to 1080p resolution at 30fps, and clips captured during the day are usable if you aren’t moving around too quickly. The video quality drops sharply in low-light scenarios.

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 equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that provides about two days of backup with conservative use. On days when I used the handset for longer periods (about 6 hours of screen on time), the phone delivered about a day and a half of battery life. This is on par with the course for smartphones in this price segment.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G provides over 24 hours of battery backup on a single charge

Like the company’s other smartphones, the Galaxy A16 5G doesn’t ship with a charger in the box. Using a third-party 18W charger, the phone took nearly two hours to charge — the battery level was at 35 percent after 30 minutes and 66 percent after an hour.

In our HD video battery loop test, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G lasted for 19 hours and 45 minutes, which is slightly lower than the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite (22 hours and 17 minutes) but higher than the Infinix Note 40 (17 hours and 56 minutes). It’s important to remember that this is a synthetic test for offline video playback, and the phone offers reliable battery backup for day-to-day use.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G resembles one of the company’s most expensive smartphones, and it subjectively looks more “premium” than the competition. It is easy to hold, and it has a bright display. The handset also has a large battery, which delivers ample battery backup at a single charge.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G faces a lot of competition from other phones under the Rs. 20,000 mark

You also get six years of software updates — this is good, but only if the smartphone remains snappy enough for as many years. The presence of the Dimensity 6300 chipset and the lacklustre ultrawide camera are two factors holding this smartphone back.

There are a handful of other smartphones under the Rs. 20,000 mark that offer arguably better performance than the Galaxy A16 5G, including the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite (Review), the Infinix Note 40 5G (Review), and the Moto G85 (Review).

Other similarly priced handsets that you can consider include the Poco X6 and the Realme Narzo 70 Pro. Another handset that you should consider over the Galaxy A16 5G is the Galaxy M35 5G (Review), which is equipped with better specifications (including an Exynos 1380 chipset) and is available in the same price segment.