Samsung Galaxy A16 4G review

The competition

At current market pricing, the Galaxy A16 4G seems to go for around £ 169/$ 185 on Amazon for the base 128GB/4GB RAM variant. That's definitely a budget-friendly price tag, but we still find ourselves wondering whether the value proposition is good.

For one, in most markets, the Galaxy A16 5G actually costs around as much. We aren't saying that's necessarily your best bet in the price segment either, but it is unquestionably a better device purely on a connectivity basis and the fact that it has 5G. Plus, it offers video stabilization, which is not something to scoff at. Otherwise, it is kind of the same phone.

For about as much as the Galaxy A16 5G, you can currently get yourself a Galaxy A25. And not the base 128GB/4GB RAM version, either. You can get the much more futureproof 128GB/6GB RAM one. Sure, Samsung isn't promising up to six major OS upgrades on the A25, just four, but we have much more faith in its longevity performance-wise. The Galaxy A25 also has a brighter display with a 120Hz refresh rate, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack and a slightly higher-resolution 8MP ultrawide camera.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G • Samsung Galaxy A25 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 • Xiaomi Poco X6

Of course, there is always the option to go cheaper and save a few bucks with last year's Galaxy A15 5G. It is a very similar phone to the A16 5G and the A16 4G. You will be getting a slightly lesser, at least theoretically, MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset and shorter software support with up to four major OS upgrades. On the plus side, the A15 5G has a 3.5mm audio jack and more memory configurations, including an interesting "middle of the road" 128GB/6GB one.

Xiaomi has at least a few interesting offers in the price range, like the ever-popular Redmi Note 13. Some of its highlights include a 6.67-inch, 120Hz, bright AMOLED panel, 6GB of RAM, even in the base variant and, up to 12GB in general and a 108MP main camera.

Better still, you could pay slightly more and get yourself a Poco X6. It comes with 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage in its base config. Also, a decently-powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. Its display is a real treat with its high brightness, Dolby Vision certification and 120Hz refresh rate. You also get stereo speakers and OIS on the main 64MP camera. Also, the 5,100 mAh battery supports fast 67W charging.

Our verdict

While there is nothing particularly disappointing about the Galaxy A16 4G, we are also struggling to find anything too impressive about it either. Last year's A15 was the major update to the series, with a 90Hz refresh rate and 25W fast charging.

This year, Samsung made the display a bit bigger and added IP54 ingress protection, both of which feel like very small improvements. The A16 4G still runs on the Helio G99 chip, which is a fine piece of kit but modest at best. The cameras are still the same and, frankly, kind of unimpressive.

The only really valuable "upgrade" comes in the shape of a promise for a whipping six major OS updates on the A16 4G. And even this value-add is kind of doubtful in our mind since we have a hard time believing the modest hardware here will provide meaningful performance down the line after so many Android updates.

Most of Samsung's competitors seem to offer better hardware at this price point. For instance, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 has a 120Hz, brighter AMOLED display, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, even in its base config and a 108MP main camera, plus an 8MP ultrawide. It just feels like a more well-rounded offer.

And even within Samsung's roster, it's hard to ignore devices like the Galaxy A25 and even A35, which are just way too close in MSRP.

All things considered, the Galaxy A16 4G, while a perfectly decent device in its own right, doesn't really have a leg to stand on and compete in the current budget space. Again, it's not an intrinsically bad product, just one that kind of falls behind on innovation and value. As the saying goes: "There are no bad products, just bad pricing," and with a good enough price tag, even the A16 4G can make sense. At the current pricing, though, it will be a tough sale.

Pros

• Attractive & sturdy design now with IP54 ingress protection.
• Latest OneUI and up to six major OS upgrades.
• Decent main camera in photos and videos.
• Great battery life.
• microSD, NFC and FM radio (in some markets).

Cons

• Not very bright display and no HDR video support.
• No automatic refresh rate switching and no Always On Display.
• No stereo speakers.
• Modest performance.
• Pretty basic 5MP ultrawide, no 4K video recording and no video stabilization.
• Virtual proximity sensor.