Samsung Galaxy A16 review: Great battery life, but at what cost?

Samsung’s Galaxy A16 is a minor improve over final 12 months’s A15, providing a bigger 6.7-inch AMOLED show, primary IP54 water and mud resistance, and a strong battery life.

Nevertheless, regardless of these small refinements, the core {hardware} stays largely unchanged. It nonetheless runs on the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, which struggles when in comparison with newer price range processors. The cameras stay primary, with a weak 5Mp ultrawide and an pointless 2Mp macro sensor.

The dearth of stereo audio system, 4K video recording, and correct video stabilisation places it at an obstacle towards rivals just like the Redmi Be aware 13, Poco X6, and even Samsung’s barely greater specced Galaxy A16 5G, that are among the many finest price range telephones.

In the end, whereas the A16 provides a cultured software program expertise and nice battery life, it appears like a telephone from final 12 months that hasn’t saved up with the competitors.

Design & Construct

• Bigger design with IP54-rated splash resistance
• Matt plastic again feels sturdy and resists fingerprints
• No stereo audio system or premium supplies

Samsung hasn’t dramatically modified the design from final 12 months’s A15, however the Galaxy A16 is barely greater because of its bigger 6.7-inch display. The matt plastic again feels well-built and resists fingerprints higher than shiny finishes. I notably favored the Gentle Inexperienced colourway my unit got here in. It seems nearly like mint, and there’s a slight shimmer while you maintain the gadget below sure lights. There are additionally darker blue and gray color choices to choose from.

The telephone retains Samsung’s signature floating digicam design, the place the three rear lenses are stacked vertically with no digicam island. The body is flat and minimalistic, with the facility and quantity buttons raised for straightforward entry. I don’t notably look after this aspect notch for the buttons. There’s no actual purposeful purpose for it, and it doesn’t look nice.

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The most important new addition is IP54 splash resistance, which implies the A16 can deal with mild rain and mud publicity. Nevertheless, this doesn’t imply it’s waterproof – so don’t anticipate it to outlive a dunk in water.

At 200g, the telephone is fairly heavy, however its weight distribution is well-balanced, making it comfy to carry for prolonged durations.

Nevertheless, there’s no stereo speaker set-up – a significant omission in 2025. Telephones just like the Redmi Be aware 13 and Poco X6 provide twin audio system, making them higher for media consumption.

Display & Sound

• 6.7-inch Tremendous AMOLED show delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks
• 800-nit peak brightness ensures good outside visibility
• No HDR help and solely a single bottom-firing speaker

The A16’s show is its second strongest function, behind the superb battery life. The 6.7-inch Tremendous AMOLED panel provides nice color replica, deep blacks, and glorious distinction. With a Full HD+ (1080 x 2340) decision, the show is crisp and sharp – good for streaming, gaming, and studying.

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The 90Hz refresh charge makes scrolling really feel easy, however not like some rivals, there’s no adaptive refresh charge, which means it stays at 90Hz on a regular basis, barely impacting battery effectivity.

Brightness is spectacular for a price range telephone, with a measured 808-nit peak brightness, making it usable open air even in shiny daylight. Nevertheless, HDR help is lacking, which means companies like Netflix and YouTube gained’t provide the highest-quality playback.

The most important letdown is audio. With solely a single bottom-firing speaker, the sound lacks depth, bass, and stereo separation. In distinction, equally priced Xiaomi and Poco rivals provide twin audio system, making them higher for watching movies and gaming.

Specs & Efficiency

• Chipsets are power-efficient and deal with primary duties nicely, however are outdated
• Expandable storage through microSD card
• Slower than equally priced telephones just like the Poco X6

Samsung has taken an uncommon strategy with the Galaxy A16, equipping the telephone with two totally different chipsets, relying on the area. Some fashions include the MediaTek Helio G99, whereas others function Samsung’s in-house Exynos 1280. Whereas each are mid-range processors, their efficiency varies considerably in real-world use.

The Helio G99 is a 6nm chip with an octa-core CPU (2x Cortex-A76 at 2.2GHz and 6x Cortex-A55 at 2.0GHz), paired with a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. It performs nicely for on a regular basis duties like messaging, net searching, and social media, however it struggles below heavy multitasking.

The Exynos 1280, however, is a 5nm processor with a extra power-efficient design and a barely stronger Mali-G68 MP4 GPU, giving it a modest edge in graphics efficiency and battery effectivity.

In benchmarks, the Exynos 1280 constantly scores greater than the Helio G99 in CPU-heavy duties however nonetheless falls behind trendy mid-range processors just like the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. The Mali-G68 GPU additionally outperforms the Mali-G57 MC2, providing smoother gameplay in some instances. Nevertheless, each chipsets are usually not preferrred for gaming, with frequent body drops in demanding titles.

Reminiscence and storage additional restrict the telephone’s potential. The bottom mannequin ships with 4GB RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which feels sluggish in comparison with UFS 3.1 present in some opponents. There’s a 6GB RAM variant, which helps with multitasking, however Samsung’s RAM Plus function (digital RAM) does little to enhance efficiency.

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Total, the Galaxy A16’s efficiency is underwhelming in 2025, particularly when in comparison with equally priced opponents just like the Redmi Be aware 13 or Poco X6, each of which supply newer and extra highly effective chipsets. With a Geekbench 6 multi-core results of 1920, the handset sits fairly a means beneath the Poco X6 which makes use of the Snapdragon 7s Gen chip and has a multi-core rating of 3480. The Galaxy A16 even scores round 100 factors decrease than its 5G counterpart.

Day-to-day efficiency is normally fantastic for duties like net searching, social media, and streaming, however in additional demanding apps, you’ll discover slowdowns. There have been some events the place simply even doing the fundamentals felt sluggish – there’s no different approach to put it. Gaming is restricted to low-to-medium settings, and the telephone struggles with heavy multitasking. Even working one thing comparatively tame like Vegetation vs. Zombies made this telephone begin to wrestle and actually warmth up.

In the event you’re in a area the place the Exynos 1280 variant is offered, it’s the higher alternative, however neither model stands out in a crowded price range market. Whereas 4GB RAM is manageable, the 6GB RAM model is the higher alternative for longevity. Storage is expandable through microSD, which is a welcome function.

Samsung Galaxy A16 benchmarks

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery simply lasts as much as two days with average use.
• Gradual 25W charging places this telephone behind opponents.
• No wi-fi or reverse charging.

Samsung continues to ship glorious battery life in its price range telephones, and the Galaxy A16 is not any exception. Its 5000mAh battery, mixed with an energy-efficient chipset, permits for at the very least two full days of utilization on a single cost. For mild to average use (social media, messaging, and video streaming), it’s potential to stretch battery life past 48 hours. Even with heavy use, together with gaming and GPS navigation, the telephone comfortably lasts a full day.

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The Exynos 1280 variant has barely higher energy effectivity than the Helio G99 model, because of its 5nm structure, which means customers in areas with this chipset would possibly see longer screen-on instances. Nevertheless, the distinction isn’t huge, and each variations of the A16 4G provide among the finest endurance on this worth vary.

The charging expertise is much less spectacular. Samsung helps 25W wired charging, however no charger is included within the field. Utilizing Samsung’s official 25W charger, the telephone reaches round 50% in half-hour and takes roughly 80 minutes for a full cost. This isn’t sluggish, however it lags opponents just like the Poco M6 Professional (67W) and OnePlus Nord CE4 (100W), which cost considerably sooner.

In contrast to some competing price range telephones, the A16 doesn’t provide wi-fi charging or reverse wired charging. Whereas wi-fi charging is uncommon at this worth, some price range Xiaomi and Motorola fashions provide reverse wired charging, permitting customers to share their telephone’s battery with equipment or different gadgets.

In the end, battery life is likely one of the A16’s greatest strengths, however Samsung’s sluggish charging speeds and lack of an included charger damage its competitiveness.

Cameras

• First rate principal digicam, however weak secondary sensors
• Poor low-light efficiency, even with a devoted evening mode
• Restricted video capabilities

The Galaxy A16 retains the identical triple-camera setup as its predecessor, that includes a 50Mp major sensor, a 5Mp ultrawide lens, and a 2Mp macro digicam. Whereas the principle sensor produces good ends in daylight, the secondary cameras really feel like afterthoughts.

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Daylight photographs from the principle digicam are sharp and vibrant, with Samsung’s normal punchy color tuning that makes blues and greens stand out. Dynamic vary is respectable, however not as robust as Samsung’s higher-end gadgets. In good lighting, particulars are well-preserved, and noise is minimal. They’re not the sharpest photographs you’ll ever see, however they’ll suffice. Zooming in, you get fairly grainy outcomes – even at simply 2x. Attempt to go additional than that, and photographs are just about unusable.

Low-light efficiency, nevertheless, is a weak level. With out optical picture stabilisation (OIS), the A16 struggles with movement blur and noise in darker environments. Samsung’s evening mode helps brighten pictures and enhance dynamic vary, however particulars stay tender, and highlights usually get blown out. Competing telephones just like the Redmi Be aware 13 and OnePlus Nord CE4 provide higher low-light efficiency because of superior picture processing and stabilisation.

The 5Mp ultrawide digicam is disappointing, producing tender, low-detail pictures with poor dynamic vary. Colors don’t at all times match the principle digicam, and distortion is seen on the edges of photographs.

The 2Mp macro digicam is even weaker, requiring good lighting circumstances to seize something remotely usable. And even then, the photographs aren’t something to brag about. Portrait mode is weaker nonetheless, with edge detection so unhealthy I might have finished a greater job manually drawing across the object.

Video recording is restricted to 1080p at 30fps, with no 4K, no 60fps, and no digital stabilisation. This makes video shaky and missing intimately, placing it far behind opponents in video efficiency.

For informal customers, the principle digicam is okay for on a regular basis photographs, however the lack of robust secondary cameras, poor evening mode, and weak video capabilities make it a poor alternative for pictures lovers.

Software program & Options

• Unmatched software program help at this worth with six years of Android updates promised
• One UI 6.1 is feature-packed however sluggish
• Lacks premium Samsung options

One other large benefit of the Galaxy A16 is its software program help. Samsung is promising six main Android updates, which means it would obtain updates till Android 20, a stage of help unmatched by some other price range telephone.

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Whereas One UI 6.1 is feature-rich, it suffers from occasional lag and comes preloaded with Samsung’s bloatware. It’s lots much less egregious than from different price range telephone producers. The dearth of premium options like All the time-On Show and Samsung DeX additionally makes the software program really feel artificially restricted in comparison with pricier Samsung gadgets.

One other large absence is Galaxy AI, which you’ll or will not be fearful about. Because it’s Samsung’s large software program focus for the time being, it’s value mentioning. Which means you gained’t have entry to options like Dwell Translate, Circle to Search, and the remainder. Nevertheless, you may obtain apps like Google Gemini to get the chat expertise, when you so want.

Total, Samsung’s long-term help is improbable, however the software program expertise itself isn’t the smoothest within the price range house.

Worth & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy A16 is offered for £169/$149.99 and is available in three colors: Blue Black, Gentle Inexperienced, and Gentle Gray. It has two configurations:

• 4GB RAM + 128GB storage
• 6GB RAM + 256GB storage

You should buy it from Samsung and Amazon within the UK, however within the US, official shopping for choices seem restricted. Nevertheless, we did discover it accessible on Amazon from a third-party vendor. If it doesn’t appear to be the proper match for you, take a look at our prime suggestions from among the many finest price range telephones.

Be aware although that the Galaxy A16 shouldn’t be the identical because the Galaxy A16 5G, which contains a totally different chipset and higher connectivity choices.

Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy A16?

Connor Jewiss | Foundry

The Samsung Galaxy A16 is a strong however uninspiring price range smartphone that does little to shake up the entry-level market.

Its strongest promoting factors are its battery life and long-term software program help, each of which outshine most opponents. The 5000mAh battery ensures at the very least two days of use, and Samsung’s promise of six years of Android updates is a rarity on this worth section. Nevertheless, these positives include main compromises.

Efficiency is mediocre at finest, with each chipset fashions struggling towards newer mid-range opponents. Gaming efficiency is weak, app load instances are sluggish, and 4GB of RAM on the bottom mannequin causes frequent refreshes. The show, whereas a good AMOLED panel, lacks HDR help and automated refresh charge switching, making it really feel outdated. The cameras are one other weak spot, with solely the 50MP principal sensor delivering respectable outcomes.

Whereas it’s not a foul telephone, the Galaxy A16 fails to face out in an more and more aggressive price range section. Different telephones at this worth provide stronger efficiency, higher shows, and superior digicam methods.

In the event you prioritise software program updates and battery life above all else, the A16 4G is an inexpensive possibility. However for many customers, higher decisions exist for a similar cash.

Specs

• Display: 6.7-inch Tremendous AMOLED, 1080×2340 decision, 90Hz refresh charge
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G99 or Exynos 1280 (region-dependent)
• Reminiscence: 4GB / 6GB RAM
• Storage: 128GB / 256GB, microSD help
• Rear Cameras: 50Mp (f/1.8, PDAF) + 5Mp ultrawide (f/2.2) + 2Mp macro (f/2.4)
• Entrance Digicam: 13Mp (f/2.0)
• Battery: 5000mAh, 25W wired charging
• Software program: Android 14 with One UI 6.1, as much as 6 main OS upgrades
• Dimensions: 164.6 x 77.9 x 7.9mm, 200g