Samsung’s Galaxy A16 officially unveiled with one huge reason to buy

The Galaxy A16 5G has launched, but you could be forgiven for missing it.

Samsung’s new budget phone has been listed on the company’s French and Dutch sites, but without any official launch event or press release.

Given how good January’s Galaxy A15 5G and A15 (4G) were, we have high hopes for its successor, which is only available with 5G for now.

Here’s everything we know about its release date, pricing, and the specifications that could help this entry-level device stand out from the crowd.

When will the Samsung Galaxy A16 be released?

The Galaxy A16 5G is already listed on Samsung’s regional websites, including Samsung Netherlands (via SamMobile) and Samsung France (via GSMArena), suggesting that the phone is on the verge of being officially released elsewhere.

While no exact release date has been given yet, SamMobile indicates that shipments will begin by the end of October 2024. Samsung usually rolls out its devices to different markets gradually, so other regions like India and Thailand may receive the A16 5G shortly after its European launch.

However, despite previous generations being available in the UK and US, there’s no word on when the A16 5G might arrive in those markets.

As a reminder, here’s when the previous models came out:

• Samsung Galaxy A15 – January 2024
• Samsung Galaxy A15 5G – January 2024
• Samsung Galaxy A14 – January 2023
• Samsung Galaxy A14 5G – March 2023

Even if there turns out to be a 4G model, it’ll probably continue to be absent from the US market.

How much will the Samsung Galaxy A16 cost?

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has a suggested retail price of €229 (Netherlands) or €249 (France) in Europe. This marks a slight increase compared to the Galaxy A15 5G, which launched at around €190-200.

According to a previous leak from a European retailer (via SamInsider), the Galaxy A16 4G will be priced at €209.90 (around $223/£183). Both models will feature 128GB of storage.

GSMArena suggests that the 128GB model will be paired with 4GB of RAM, while the 256GB version will offer 8GB.

Here’s how much the previous models cost at launch:

• Samsung Galaxy A15 – £169
• Samsung Galaxy A15 5G – £199/$199.99
• Samsung Galaxy A14 – £179/$150
• Samsung Galaxy A14 5G – £219/$199.99

Pricing for other regions hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it should align with European prices, adjusting for local taxes and currency conversions.

What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy A16 have?

The Galaxy A16 5G brings several notable enhancements in terms of design, performance, and software support. Here’s a breakdown of what the device offers.

Design

The Galaxy A16 5G features a slim design at just 7.9mm thick, though this sleekness comes at the cost of losing the 3.5mm headphone jack.

It is available in multiple colours, including Midnight Blue, Turquoise, and Gray, offering a modern aesthetic.

The phone also has an IP54 rating, giving it protection against dust and splashes of water, though it’s not fully waterproof.

As expected, its right side features the ‘Key Island’ where the power and volume rocker buttons are, which is raised compared to the rest of the right side. It allows you to easily access these important controls through touch alone.

The power button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The back houses a vertically aligned triple-camera setup, plus an LED flash.

Display

The phone boasts a larger 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, an upgrade compared to the 6.5-inch panel on the Galaxy A15 5G.

With a Full HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate (both unchanged), the Galaxy A16 5G should deliver vibrant visuals and smooth scrolling.

The front camera is housed in a small waterdrop notch, maintaining a minimal bezel design.

Performance

Under the hood, the A16 5G varies its processor depending on the region. In Europe, it features the Exynos 1330 chipset, while GSMArena reports that markets like India and Thailand are expected to receive the Dimensity 6300 variant.

Both versions come with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable via Micro-SD card up to an impressive 1.5TB, a first for Samsung Galaxy phones.

While we don’t yet know how these processors will work in the practice, recent leaks shed some light on this.

The Geekbench listing (via MySmartPrice) revealed the performance of the Galaxy A16 5G with MediaTek’s Dimensity 6300 chipset.

The single-core and multi-core scores of 514 and 1464, respectively, suggest a performance boost over its predecessor, making it more than capable of handling everyday tasks and moderate gaming.

Cameras

The camera setup on the Galaxy A16 5G is quite versatile for a budget phone. The rear camera system includes a 50Mp main camera, a 5Mp ultrawide lens and a 2Mp macro lens.

On the front, there’s a 13MP selfie camera housed in the waterdrop notch. The Galaxy A15 5G featured exactly the same setup.

Samsung may introduce incremental improvements in image processing and software features, but that remains to be seen.

Battery & Charging

The Galaxy A16 5G comes with a robust 5,000 mAh battery and supports 25W fast charging.

According to a report from Android Headlines, it’s likely that both 4G and 5G models will come with a 25W charger included in the box.

However, as is the case for most budget phones, there’s no wireless charging.

Software

The phone will ship with Android 14 and One UI 6.1, ensuring the latest features and security right out of the box.

However, it’s unlikely to include any Galaxy AI, which is reserved for Samsung’s more expensive phones.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Galaxy A16 5G is its software support. Samsung is offering a full six years of Android updates and security patches, which is the best commitment of any budget phone.

This extended support means the Galaxy A16 5G will remain up-to-date until at least 2030, making it an attractive choice for those who don’t want to upgrade their phone frequently.

This is all we currently know about the Galaxy A16. In the meantime, be sure to check out the best budget phones currently available to see what Samsung will be against.