Samsung Galaxy A16 4G review

Introduction

The Galaxy A15 was the major upgrade of this series, bringing a high-res 90Hz AMOLED, 25W fast charging and more RAM. The Galaxy A16 continues improving the model with a larger display, ingress protection and prolonged software support.

The new Galaxy A16 4G looks and feels a lot like the Galaxy A15 4G, but it is now bigger with a 6.7-inch 1080p 90Hz Super AMOLED screen. Then there is the ingress protection rating – a first for the Galaxy A1x phones. It is IP54 for basic dust and splash resistance, which may not be excellent, but it is sure more than nothing.

The new A16 4G runs on the Helio G99 chip, the same as the one found inside the Galaxy A15 4G. There is also a Galaxy A16 5G, which has a different chip with a 5G modem.

The rest of the specs are also identical to the one of the Galaxy A15 4G – a trio of rear cameras (50MP primary + 5MP UW + 2MP macro), a 13MP selfie, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging.

The Galaxy A16 4G boots Android 14 with One UI 6.1, and Samsung promises up to 6 major Android upgrades (up from 3 major updates on the A15).

Let’s look at the specs sheet.

Samsung Galaxy A16 specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.4×77.9×7.9mm, 200g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame; IP54, dust and splash resistant.
• Display: 6.70″ Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 385ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Helio G99 (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC2.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 14, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1.
• Rear camera: Macro: 50 MP, f/1.8, AF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2; Macro: 50 MP, f/1.8, AF.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 25W wired.
• Connectivity: LTE; Hybrid Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.3; NFC; FM radio (market/region dependent).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Virtual proximity sensing.

There is one feature that has been retired since the A15, and that is the 3.5mm audio jack. Maybe this was the cost of ingress protection, or maybe it was just a cost-cutting thing, there is no way to know for sure. But it will surely be a bummer for many users.

Unboxing the Galaxy A16 4G

The Galaxy A16 4G ships inside a thin paper box, which is eco-friendly. The bundle contains a white USB-C cable and a SIM ejector.

The Galaxy A16 supports up to 25W fast charging, but no power adapter is inside the box.