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The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is a budget smartphone available for 230 euros, and at that price, you get a large 6.7-inch display, a 5000mAh battery, and Samsung promises up to six years of OS and security updates. So today, we will take a look at all of its features.
First, the unboxing.
As usual with Samsung smartphones, there isn’t much in the box. You’ll find the Samsung Galaxy A16, which comes in a few different colors, including blue, black, light green, and light gray. Inside the box, you’ll also find a USB Type-C cable, the SIM pin, and some paperwork. However, there’s no case, no extra charging brick, and no special fragrance like you might get with some Motorola smartphones.
Unboxing and Initial Impressions
- Speaker 1 introduces the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G as a budget smartphone priced at 230 euros, highlighting its features such as a 6.7-inch display, a 5000 mAh battery, and up to six years of OS and security updates.
- The unboxing process is described, noting the inclusion of a USB Type-C cable, SIM tray, and paperwork, but excluding a case and extra charging brick.
- The phone’s design is discussed, mentioning its plastic build, IP54 dust and splash water resistance, and the availability of different color options.
- The triple camera setup on the back is detailed, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera, with no optical image stabilization.
Moving on to the specs and design, we have a smartphone with a 6.7-inch display, but be cautious: this phone is only IP54 dust and splash water-resistant, so avoid taking underwater snapshots. For 230 euros, you get a full plastic smartphone with a plastic frame and back. On the blue-black version, fingerprints are very visible, which might be less noticeable on the light green or gray versions. Design-wise, the A16 looks just like the A15, featuring a triple camera setup on the backside’s top left corner: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel macro camera with no optical image stabilization.
specs | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G |
Body | 164.4x77.9x7.9mm, 200g; Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame; IP54, dust and splash resistant. |
Display | 6.70" Super AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (HBM), 1080x2340px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 385ppi. |
Chipset | Exynos 1330 (5 nm) or Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) or Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G68 MP2 or Mali-G57 MC2. |
Memory | 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot). |
OS/Software | Android 14, up to 6 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1. |
Rear camera | Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, AF; Ultra wide angle: 5 MP, f/2.2; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4. |
Front camera | 13 MP, f/2.0, (wide). |
Video capture | Rear camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps. |
Battery | 5000mAh; 25W wired. |
Connectivity | 5G; Hybrid Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.3; NFC. |
Misc | Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Virtual proximity sensing. |
The A16 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is the default but can be reduced to 60Hz for longer battery life. One downside of the screen is the screen-to-body ratio. At 86%, the display’s bottom bezel is notably large, while the sides and top bezels are slimmer. The resolution is 1080 x 2340 pixels, with a peak brightness of 800 nits. Thanks to the AMOLED display, you get good contrast with dark blacks and vibrant colors, but the 800-nit brightness may be insufficient in direct sunlight. In display settings, you can adjust the screen mode (default is vivid) and white balance, plus there’s an eye comfort shield (blue light filter). The display maintains color accuracy at various viewing angles, and the small center punch-hole camera doesn’t interfere while watching videos.
In terms of audio, there’s no stereo speaker setup, but the sound is still decent, loud, and of good quality. However, sound only comes from the bottom speaker. Dolby Atmos support is available but works only with earbuds or headphones.
Battery life on the A16 is solid, thanks to the 5000mAh battery, which can last up to 15 hours on continuous video streaming—enough for an entire weekend. However, there’s no wireless or reverse wireless charging, and the 25W charging isn’t super fast. In a test, it charged from 0% to 70% in about an hour.
Display and Audio Specifications
- The 6.7-inch display has a 90 Hz refresh rate, which can be adjusted to 60 Hz for longer battery life, but the screen-to-body ratio is criticized for its large bottom bezel.
- The display resolution is 1080p by 2340 pixels with a peak brightness of 800 nits, offering good contrast and color reproduction but may struggle in direct sunlight.
- In-display settings allow for adjusting screen mode, white balance, and eye comfort, with the ability to change phone style and size.
- Audio quality is described as good, with loud volume and decent quality, but limited to the bottom of the phone, and Dolby Atmos support requires external earbuds or headphones.
As for features, Samsung promises up to six years of OS and security updates, although this may vary. This phone is available with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage and 4GB or 8GB of RAM, with around 15GB used by the system on the 128GB version. Fortunately, storage is expandable up to 1.5TB via a microSD card. There’s both a fingerprint sensor and face detection, with the fingerprint sensor being faster.
Performance and Gaming
- The phone uses the Exynos 1330 or MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset, with smooth navigation but a slight delay in opening apps, similar to the experience on an iPhone 15.
- Gaming performance is limited, with noticeable lags on high-graphic settings and no game boost feature, recommending low-graphic settings for smooth gameplay.
- The lack of optical image stabilization is highlighted as a significant drawback for the camera, affecting the quality of photos and videos.
The phone includes Samsung’s “Modes and Routines” feature, which automatically adjusts settings based on location or time (like DND mode when you’re at work). While there are only basic wallpapers, you can customize the home screen’s layout, folder apps, and grid. Standard safety features include Emergency SOS and silencing notifications while driving, along with gesture controls like one-handed mode, double-tapping to wake or sleep, and palm swipe for screenshots.
Battery Life and Storage Features
- The 5000 mAh battery lasts up to 15 hours on continuous video streaming, but lacks wireless and reverse wireless charging, with only 25 watts wired charging.
- The phone comes with 128 or 256 GB of internal storage and 4 or 8 GB of RAM, with 15 GB already used by the system, and expandable storage up to 1.5 TB via micro SD card.
- Fingerprint sensor and face detection are available, with face detection taking slightly longer than the fingerprint sensor.
- Additional features include modes and routines, standard wallpapers, customizable home screen, safety and emergency features, and gesture controls like one-handed mode and double-tap to wake.
In terms of performance and gaming, depending on your region, you’ll get either the Exynos 1330 or MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset. Both handle basic tasks well, but app loading can be slow, especially compared to faster devices like the iPhone 15. Gaming is limited to low graphics settings. High-demand games like Genshin Impact can be played but suffer from lag, particularly when there’s a lot happening on the screen. There’s also no game boost feature on this phone.
Finally, the camera. The A16 has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 2-megapixel macro camera, but no optical image stabilization, which is a major drawback. The front 13-megapixel selfie camera can shoot 1080p videos at 30 FPS, which is similar in quality to the main camera. Camera modes include macro, night, and pro modes, plus portrait shots and slow-motion videos. While colors look vivid and vibrant, the detail and sharpness, especially with the ultra-wide, are lacking. Without OIS, most shots tend to be blurry unless very still. The colors remain consistent across the main and ultra-wide cameras, but zoomed photos lack contrast and clarity. Selfies, however, have good separation and depth control with a slight zoom option for group photos.
Camera Performance and Conclusion
- The triple camera setup includes a 13-megapixel selfie camera, with different photo modes like macro, night, pro, and slow-motion video, but overall picture quality is criticized for poor detail and sharpness.
- Colors appear vivid and poppy, but the ultra-wide angle camera produces blurry images due to the lack of optical image stabilization.
- Selfie pictures are praised for good background separation and adjustable depth of field, with seven levels of adjustment and a zoom option for group photos.
- The speaker concludes by noting that other smartphones in the same price range offer better cameras and more features, encouraging viewers to check out the next video and subscribe to the channel.
In summary, the Galaxy A16 5G is a low-to-mid-range phone, and for the price, it isn’t a bad choice. Samsung aims to provide a solid experience, though it falls short in some areas. This phone has its pros and cons, but overall, it’s a good value for the price.