After several leaks, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is finally official. The company’s latest affordable smartphone stands out for its flagship-level software support with six years of updates. It also has some decent tech specs for those looking for a smartphone from an established brand but don’t want to spend too much money.
Samsung promises six years of Android updates for the Galaxy A16 5G
As is usually the case with Samsung’s low-profile devices, the company has launched the Galaxy A16 5G without much fanfare. Samsung has just started enabling the device’s product page on its official website, first in the Netherlands. The most notable aspect of the device is undoubtedly its software support, with six major Android updates guaranteed. This is quite impressive for a segment where most brands offer only three years of software support (at best).
Samsung is the Android brand with the longest software support across all its product ranges. The Galaxy A15 series already had a remarkable four years of software updates, making it an exception in the industry for low-end devices. Now, the company has taken it a step further by extending Android update support to six years on the latest Galaxy A16 5G. This is just one year less than the software support that the current flagship Galaxy and Pixel phones receive.
The technical specifications are modest, but still solvent
The Galaxy A16 5G has a comfortable, practical and striking design. The device is just 7.5mm thin, although the company had to sacrifice the audio jack for that. Still, the phone has a pretty decent 5,000mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging via USB-C. The Galaxy A16 5G’s body is IP54 rated for better durability.
You won’t find a powerhouse on the Galaxy A16 5G. There is a modest Exynos 1330 chip that works together with 4 GB of RAM. There’s also 128GB of RAM, expandable via MicroSD (up to 1.5TB). Interestingly, this is the first Galaxy phone to support MicroSD cards over 1TB. The Galaxy A16 5G is built around a 6.7″ Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen has a U-shaped notch and reduced bezels on three sides, except for the thick bottom edge.
The rear camera system is also quite basic, but it does the trick. There is a 50 MP main sensor, a 5 MP ultra-wide camera and a 2 MP macro camera. The front camera is a 13 MP sensor. Samsung’s website doesn’t list an official price for the Galaxy A16 5G, but it will likely be around $199 like its predecessor. Finally, the device will be available in black, light gray, gold, and light green.