Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Samsung launched a new midrange phone in October this year, named Samsung Galaxy A16. This is a 5G phone, in which the company has promised to provide software updates for a long time. We have used this phone for about a month and have prepared the review based on our personal experience. Let us tell you the review of this new midrange smartphone Samsung Galaxy A16. We will tell you both the good and bad things about this phone, but before that let us take a look at the specifications of this phone.
Samsung has given a 6.7 inch AMOLED display in this phone, which comes with 90Hz refresh rate. MediaTek Dimension 6300 chipset has been provided for the processor in the phone, while it works on Samsung’s latest operating system based on Android 14. It has a 50MP+5MP+2MP camera setup on its back. The phone has a 5,000mAh battery, which supports 25-watt fast charging technology.
The price of this new phone from Samsung starts from Rs 18,999, in which the variant with 8GB RAM + 128GB storage is available. The second variant of the phone comes with 8GB RAM + 256GB storage. Let us now tell you the review of this phone.
Good things about the phone (Pros)
- premium body
- Strong battery life
- 6 years of software updates
- amoled display
Cons of phone
- old design
- No adaptive refresh rate and HDR support
- no stereo speakers
- Slow charging and absence of charger
- Our Rating: 3.5/5
design review
Galaxy A16 5G has a glass type back design, which gives it a premium look and makes it a good experience to use. However, fingerprints easily fall on the glossy finish of the phone. I found the build quality of this Samsung phone strong and sturdy. The thickness of the phone is only 7.9mm, hence the phone is quite slim and it is very easy to hold in the hands, but it is difficult to use the phone with one hand, because this phone slips a lot from the hand. The power button of the phone itself works as a fingerprint scanner and this button has a very flat design in the side design of the phone, which gives a very good look.
This phone has been given IP54 rating, which protects it from dust and small drops of water. The thick bezels of the display and the U-shaped notch for the front camera on the front seem like a very old design. Nowadays, such old designs are not seen even in phones available at this price or less. This is a major shortcoming of this phone, which even common users easily catch.
display review
Samsung is famous for its excellent display technology, but Galaxy A16 5G does not live up to the expectations of the users according to its price segment. Actually, the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display panel of this phone gives great colors and viewing experience, but the refresh rate of 90Hz makes that experience useless. Nowadays, users can get display phones with 120Hz refresh rate in this price segment. Even in some phones of this range, adaptive refresh rate support from 1Hz to 120Hz is also available, but Samsung has given only 90Hz refresh rate in this new phone, the effect of which is clearly visible while using the phone. Is. This reduces the smoothness of the screen and the company should have improved it.
The brightness of the screen performs well indoors and in shaded areas, but using it in direct sunlight can be a bit challenging. Apart from this, the display of the phone also does not support HDR, due to which people watching video streaming content on Netflix etc. may face some problems. However, it has Widevine L1 support for watching videos in HD quality and I enjoyed watching HD quality content on various OTT platforms.
Performance and software review
MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset has been given for the processor in Samsung Galaxy A16 5G. This chipset is great for the daily work of the users, but if some big hard work like heavy gaming and editing etc. has to be done for a long time then it can be a little troublesome.
I have opened and used many apps simultaneously in this phone. During this period I did not face any kind of interruption or lagging issue. I played many games like BGMI, COD Mobile, Free Fire Max, Indian Bike Driving 3D, Asphalt 9: Legends, Cricket League, WCC 3, Candy Crush Saga, Ludo King in this phone and I did not face any problem in playing any of these games. Didn’t happen.
However, it was taking a little more time than usual to open games like COD Mobile, Asphalt 9: Legends and BGMI and when we played COD Mobile for about an hour on this phone, we felt that the phone was hotter than normal. However, the phone did not get that hot while playing other games for a long time.
The Galaxy A16 5G comes with Samsung’s One UI 6.1 based on Android 14, which is known for its customization options and provides a seamless experience for the user. Convenience has been increased in One UI through features like multi-window, gesture control and Samsung’s own apps.
Samsung has promised to provide 6 OS updates i.e. update up to Android 20 and security updates for 6 years in this phone. This means that users can buy this phone and use it without any worries for a long time. However, there are many unnecessary apps present in the phone, due to which many unnecessary notifications keep coming. I personally did not like this thing.
camera review
A triple camera setup has been provided on the back of this phone, whose main camera sensor is 50MP, which is supported by 5MP ultrawide lens and 2MP macro lens. The main sensor of the phone produces good photos in natural light, in which details and color balance are well maintained.
If you like photos with natural colors rather than photos with saturated colors, then you will like the main sensor of this phone. Its sensor also clicks pictures with realistic tone, but I feel that there is a little bit of saturation mixed in it.
However, in low light the camera sensor of this phone does not click very good photos. More noise is visible in photos taken in low light and details are also not very sharp. However, this is seen in most of the phones available in this range.
The second i.e. ultrawide lens of the phone also clicks very good photos in landscape modes, but there is a lack of details. By zooming up to 2X you will get a decent photo, but if you zoom more than that then the quality of the photo will go down completely.
The macro lens of the phone also clicks decent photos in good light as per the price range, but if the light is even a little low then the quality of the photo of the macro lens also reduces considerably.
The condition of videos shot by phones and selfie cameras is also similar. If the light is good then the camera will take decent videos and selfies, but if there is a slight decrease in the light or at night the quality of photos and videos is not very good.
battery review
The battery of Galaxy A16 is one of its biggest features. It has a 5,000mAh battery. We charged the phone to 85% at 7 am and used it throughout the day for general use (about 1 hour calling, 1 hour gaming, 1-2 hours video streaming, 2-3 hours social media streaming) and at 8 pm the battery was 68%. And there was 17% left in the phone. This means that the battery of the phone gives a very good backup for general use.
However, only 25W fast charging support is provided in the phone, which is quite low. Nowadays, fast charging support of up to 45, 67 and 68 watts can be seen in phones available in this price, but this is not the case with this Samsung phone. Due to this, it takes about 2 hours to charge the phone.
Apart from this, Samsung phones also do not have a charger like other Samsung phones, which is the biggest shortcoming of the phone. If you want to buy this phone by paying Rs 19,000, then consider your budget as Rs 20 or 21 thousand because even to buy a separate charger you will have to spend Rs 1500-2000.
our conclusion
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has long battery life and the company promises to provide software updates in this phone for a long time. Leaving aside the refresh rate issue, the display of the phone is also good. At the same time, the processor and camera of the phone are also fine for normal use. In such a situation, if you are a normal user who wants to buy a phone with long battery life that lasts for 6-7 years, then this phone can prove to be a good option for you. However, if you are looking for phones for hardcore gaming or excellent camera quality, then you may be disappointed with this phone. For them, you can also consider buying phones from Poco, Iku, Motorola and OnePlus available in this range.
Also read:
