Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Some improvements, but one red flag remains
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Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Intro
Samsung's Galaxy A1X phones have long been a go-to in the $200 price range, and the new A16 5G seems poised to continue that tradition. Boasting a beautiful AMOLED screen, 90Hz refresh rate, generous storage, and a faster chipset, it even throws in an impressive six years of software updates.
It sounds like a slam dunk, right?
However, my time with the A16 5G revealed a glaring red flag that lingers stubbornly. This single issue, despite the phone's many strengths, might just be enough to make you reconsider. Let's unpack the details and see what's really going on.
Table of Contents:
Galaxy A16 5G Specs
Let's first start with an overview of the Galaxy A16 5G specs:
| Galaxy A16 5G | Galaxy A15 5G |
|---|---|
| 6 years of software updates | 4 years of software updates |
| Larger, 6.7-inch screen | 6.5-inch screen |
| Same 1080p resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 800 nit brightness | 1080p resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 800 nits brightness |
| Slightly wider, but also a bit thinner: 164.4 x 77.9 x 7.9 mm | 160.1 x 76.8 x 8.4 mm |
| Slightly faster processor: Exynos 1330 OR MediaTek Dimensity 6300 (in some countries) | Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ |
| Same 4GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
| Same 128GB base storage, option for 256GB | 128GB base storage, option for 256GB |
| Identical camera system | 50MP main camera, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro |
| Same size, 5000mAh battery | 5000mAh battery |
Galaxy A16 5G Design and Display
The Galaxy A16 5G is now a bigger phone, with a 6.7-inch screen
The Galaxy A16 5G uses cheaper materials like plastic for the frame (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A16 5G evolves to a bigger size than its predecessors. It's now a bigger phone, with a 6.7-inch screen, and since it has extra big bezels, the sheer size of it has grown noticeably too.
The rails are still made of plastic, so it feels a bit cheap, but thanks to that, it also weighs a bit less than you might expect.
Buttons are on the right hand side, raised slightly from the sides of the phone in an island. The power key doubles as a fingerprint reader, which we found has decent accuracy, but takes an extra beat to respond.
It's not too thick (Image by PhoneArena)
In the box, you get just the phone and a charging cable, no charging brick, in case you were wondering.
You get a fine looking AMOLED screen (Image by PhoneArena)
The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen is definitely a highlight. It has beautiful colors and a typical brightness of around 750 nits, which is definitely decent enough and more than we expect at this price range.
The big bezels are certainly a bit of a distraction, but at least the screen quality is good.
Above, you can see our in-house display measurements for the Galaxy A16 5G, there are only slight changes from the A15 5G when it comes to colors and brightness.
Galaxy A16 5G Camera
Photo quality has surprisingly dropped a bit, but video quality is better in a few ways
There is no zoom camera here (Image by PhoneArena)
On our PhoneArena Camera Score, the Galaxy A16 5G scored slightly better overall than its predecessor, but surprisingly, the changes to photo quality were for the worse as we noticed more issues with white balance and colors. Video quality, however, has improved noticeably.
So what cameras do we have on the Galaxy A16 5G?
On the back, this might look like a triple camera system, but the third lens is a quite useless 2MP macro snapper, so effectively you only have a usable 50MP main camera and a 5MP ultra-wide one.
Main Camera
The main camera is the one that does most of the heavy lifting on the A16 5G, and you can clearly see a change in the colors from the previous model. Pictures now look cooler, which in our view makes them less pleasing. You still get a good amount of details and dynamic range, but the warmer tone of the A15 5G is more flattering to the image above.
You can see something similar in the way this portrait photo looks on the Galaxy A16 5G compared to the A15 5G.
Zoom Quality
Since there is no dedicated telephoto camera on board, the Galaxy A16 5G does not make any giant leaps when it comes to zoom quality. Still, the processing is a bit nicer, so there is some improvement, it's just not a big one.
Ultra-wide Camera
The 5MP ultra-wide camera is not the most detailed out there, but it can get some use during the day. It captures decent photos, but nothing extraordinary at all. The colors again appear cooler and we see bigger issue with resolving detail toward the edges of these photos.
Selfies
All of those cool colors now also arrive to the selfie camera as well.
Video Quality
The Galaxy A16 5G can record 4K video, which is great to see and you even have decent video stabilization, a common issue in this price class.
One important video issue is resolved on the A16 5G too – you can now switch back and forth between the main and ultra-wide cameras, something you could not do before.
We do notice the same trend towards cooler colors, but maybe just a bit less pronounced in video.
Galaxy A16 5G Performance & Benchmarks
Stutter king
Despite the slight upgrade, the A16 5G is still way too slow (Image by PhoneArena)
Our biggest complaint against the Galaxy A15 5G last year was about its slow performance, so have things changed with the A16 5G?
Not really.
Technically, the A16 5G does come with a slightly faster chipset, but the increase is definitely not big enough to get rid of the almost constant stutter when using this phone. This quickly gets extremely annoying. You notice stutter when you unlock the phone, when you use apps, when you scroll around and it's just not a good experience.
The A16 5G also only packs 4GB of RAM, not merely enough for Android's multitasking requirements.
Performance Benchmarks:
As you can see, we have a nearly 50% improvement in single-core CPU performance, which is a noticeably change over the A15 5G and brings the A16 5G on par with the costlier A2x series.
But there is almost no improvement in multi-core CPU performance, and overall, what matters most is that real-world performance of the A16 5G is just still a stuttery experience (even if slightly improved).
As for graphics, there is practically zero improvement and we cannot recommend this phone for gamers. In that regard, the A2x series from Samsung offers nearly double the performance speeds.
At least you get a decent amount of storage on board at 128GB, but that is kind of the norm these days, so no reason to celebrate here either.
Galaxy A16 5G Software
No Galaxy AI and even some common features like screen recording are missing
The Galaxy A16 5G arrives with Android 14 with Samsung's One UI 6.1 custom layer on top.
Samsung promises six years of software updates, a big commitment for such a cheap phone. We of course can only applaud that, but we would much rather see Samsung optimize the actual performance of this phone as that would be a much better investment of resources.
With merely 4GB of RAM on board, there is NO Galaxy AI magic happening here.
We were also surprised to see some very common features like screen recording are not available on the Galaxy A16 5G, likely because of that slow chipset. Bummer.
Galaxy A16 5G Battery
Decent numbers
Despite a larger 6.7-inch size, the Galaxy A16 5G sticks with the same 5,000 mAh battery size as its predecessors.
Nothing too bad about that, it puts out solid numbers and will last you a bit over a day easily.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
In our in-house battery testing, we found the phone lasted a bit less than its predecessor. On our lightest battery test, web browsing, the A16 5G scored less than 10 hours, which is one of the worst scores for the year.
It put out decent numbers on YouTube video streaming test and for 3D gaming, though, so overall, it gets a PhoneArena Battery Score of 6 hours and 11 minutes of expected screen time, half an hour less than last year's model.
Forget about fast charging and there is also no wireless charging (Image by PhoneArena)
When it comes to charging, you get 25W speeds, which are not fast by any means, but not terribly slow either. A half an hour charge gives you nearly 40% back, while a full top up from 1% to 100% takes 1 hour and 43 minutes.
There is no wireless charging on board, but that is a rarity at this price point.
Galaxy A16 5G Audio Quality and Haptics
We were disappointed with audio quality on the Galaxy A15 5G last year, and we are happy to see some slight improvement this year.
The A16 5G still has a single bottom-firing speaker, but sound quality is a bit better. The speaker still distorts at close to maximum volume, though, so it's best to listen to music a few steps below that.
The haptic feedback on the A16 5G is, unsurprisingly, not a highlight. Vibrations feel somewhat weak and imprecise, lacking the crispness and definition found on more premium devices. While we weren't expecting top-tier haptics at this price point, the experience is decidedly budget-feeling.
Should you buy it?
It's hard to criticize dirt cheap phones like the A16 5G, but it's just too slow and stuttery (Image by PhoneArena)
The Galaxy A16 5G comes in around $200, so realistic expectations are key.
And in many ways, it surpasses those expectations. The display is gorgeous and now larger, battery life is solid, and the camera boasts improved video recording. Plus, Samsung promises six years of software updates—an exceptional commitment for a budget-friendly device.
However, performance remains a sticking point. The A16 5G still feels sluggish and stuttery at times, a significant drawback that quickly becomes frustrating when scrolling through social media or attempting any gaming. While it might suffice for users who prioritize other features, those who value a fast and smooth experience may find themselves looking elsewhere.
Keep an eye on our best budget phones lineup for the latest in that space.
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