Samsung is not only known for its flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Z phones, but it also has a wide range of other cheaper devices, which are actually decent options if you’re not looking to spend a lot of money on a telephone. Now, Samsung’s first budget phone for 2025 is the Galaxy A16 5G, and there are several reasons why it’s cool.
Samsung has revealed its latest addition to the Galaxy A series, the A16 5G. This is basically the entry level that Samsung phones offer without getting into the ultra-cheap Galaxy A0x range. The device sports a large 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display, which is good for a budget phone, considering the refresh rate of up to 90Hz and a peak brightness of 800 nits.
For cameras, the phone includes a 50 MP primary sensor, a 5 MP ultra-wide lens, a 2 MP macro lens, and a 13 MP front camera. The camera is never a strong point of this particular category of smartphones, but these seem pretty decent for casual snaps. Not great, but certainly not terrible either. Under the hood, the Galaxy A16 5G is powered by an Exynos 1330 processor, one of Samsung’s entry-level SoCs. It is paired with a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.
However, what is probably the biggest selling point of this phone is the exceptional software support for a budget phone. Samsung is committing to six generations of software updates, including One UI and Android OS upgrades, as well as six years of security updates. It’s not immediately clear whether it will launch with Android 14 or Android 15, but six years of updates would mean it would be updated up to Android 20 or Android 21, and its lifespan would reach until 2031.
Many phones under $300 are lucky to receive at most two major Android updates, so Samsung is giving us six here (even though that’s one less than they commit to for their flagship phones) is pretty good. The phone starts at $199.99 and will be available at retailers and Samsung’s website starting January 9.
Source: Samsung
