Samsung Galaxy A16 4G review
Display
The Galaxy A16 4G features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a U-shaped notch. The panel has a 1,080 x 2,340 px resolution and offers up to 90Hz refresh rate. There is no HDR support.
According to Samsung, the screen should be capable of up to 800 nits of maximum automatic brightness.
We have completed our display measurements, of course, and we can confirm the promised high maximum brightness - 808 nits, to be specific.
The minimum brightness at point white was just 1.8 nit.
The Galaxy A16 4G screen supports up to 90Hz refresh rate. There are two display options in the Motion Smoothness menu - High and Standard. The first locks the screen at 90Hz (excl. incompatible apps), while the other is fixed at 60Hz. There is no automatic switching.
The Super AMOLED panel does not support HDR content.
Battery life
The Galaxy A16 4G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery - the golden standard nowadays. Most of the Galaxy A series batteries have similarly large capacities.
The Galaxy A16 4G scored an Active Use Score of 14 hours and 43 minutes. It did marvelously across all battery tests, scoring nearly 11 hours of web browsing, almost 17 hours of video streaming and over 11 hours of non-stop gaming.
Charging test
The Galaxy A16 4G supports 25W fast wired charging but comes without a power adapter inside the box. We used the original 25W Samsung charger for this test, but you can use any USB-PD compatible plug.
The 25W power adapter recharges 29% of the A16 4G's dead battery in 15 mins, 53% in 30 mins and 100% in 79 mins.
Speaker - loudness and quality
The Galaxy A16 4G comes with a single bottom-firing speaker. The stereo speakers are reserved for higher-tier Galaxy models.
The speaker on the A16 4G scored a Very Good mark on our test loudness test. It also offers good audio quality with great vocals, high-frequency range and hearable bass.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Connectivity
The Galaxy A16 4G is a dual Nano-SIM model with a hybrid second slot that can take a SIM or a microSD card. There is no eSIM support.
There is GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS and QZSS support for location. Local connectivity is handled by dual-band Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE support. There is NFC, but it is market-dependent, meaning its availability will depend on where you are getting the phone, so it's best to check with your retailer if it's an important feature to you. Some markets get an FM radio receiver, but most seemingly don't. Our unit lacks one. The 3.5mm audio jack has been retired this year.
The Type-C port on the Galaxy A16 4G is backed by a simple USB 2.0 controller, which means a theoretical max data transfer speed of 480 Mbps. There is nothing fancy like video output. However, the A16 4G does support USB Host/OTG.
Finally, the Galaxy A16 4G has a virtual proximity sensor. Given its budget price, this is not entirely unexpected, but it is still not ideal. Still, it works well enough to turn off the phone's display during calls.
Reader comments
- ashrobb
- 04 Dec 2024
- LTy
You can't count on that. Galaxy A13, A14 and A15 have been consistently among the best selling phones worldwide. We're enthusiasts, we like and know tech, but most people wouldn't even spend 10 minutes here and they don't care t...
- ashrobb
- 04 Dec 2024
- LTy
I'm not able to install Androbench on Android 14. Runs fine on my tablet which still has A13. Can you replicate?
- Anonymous
- 03 Dec 2024
- vV5
The IP67 rating is moot when the back panel peels off after a year of use for most people.