In the fast-paced world of telephony, it is generally customary for two products to be released about a year apart of the same range from a manufacturer. However, less than six months separate the Samsung Galaxy A15 and Samsung Galaxy A16. This rush by Samsung into its entry-level segment is surprising. Especially since the two devices seem relatively similar at first glance.
But with its larger screen, its slightly improved components and especially its new generous update policy, does the Samsung Galaxy A16 have what it takes to already make us forget its predecessor? Is it enough to face the ever-increasing competition? Here is our opinion on these questions after several days of testing.
Price and availability of the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is available at €249 in midnight blue, turquoise and gray.
Design: on ne change pas une équipe qui gagnant
Unsurprisingly, we are on familiar ground for Samsung here. We still find the classic three discreet and very thin photo sensors on the back (which does not prevent it from tilting slightly when placed flat). This back side chooses glossy plastic to give a semblance of glass rendering. Same thing on the edges, with an anodized metal finish plastic to give a little premium look to the whole, whose finish is solid. For real aluminum or glass, you will unsurprisingly have to spend a lot more, but the illusion is there.
On the right edge, we find the classic buttons for the volume and the one to turn off the mobile, which also acts as a fingerprint reader. This solution, which is quick to use, is a little less practical than a more expensive solution under the screen.
Especially since the right edge is slightly beveled under this button, which naturally makes the thumb want to go and lodge there when you want to press the button just above. A knack to get the hang of, especially for the thumb which will have to make a slight, unnatural extension upwards. In addition to a SIM card tray, a USB-C port completes the slices.
In the hands, Samsung's proposal is impressive. Yet not so thick (7.9 mm, or 0.5 mm less than the Galaxy A15) or heavy (200 g, exactly like its predecessor), the Galaxy A16 gives a slight feeling of heaviness. This is probably due to flat edges that give a slight feeling of heaviness. Nothing dramatic, however, especially since it offers a 6.7-inch screen to follow the current trend (compared to 6.5 inches for the Galaxy A15).
A real good point, however, is that Samsung has given its Galaxy A16 5G an IP54 certification to resist splashes. The Galaxy A15 does not have it. This is perhaps even the only real new feature worth highlighting for this new smartphone…
Screen: bigger, but far from better
Once again AMOLED and equipped with an FHD+ resolution (2340 x 1080 pixels, 384 ppi), the screen of the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G goes up to an appreciable refresh rate of 90 Hz. On the other hand, its body/screen ratio of 84.5% is far from perfect, especially at the bottom, where the black band is very hard to miss. In the image, its very high Delta E 2000 of 4.92 makes it a poor performer in terms of color fidelity. Even in Natural mode, which is supposed to be more neutral, and on srgb content, less demanding than DCI-P3, this figure remains at 4.1.
The observation in terms of brightness is not much brighter (oh oh). Its peak brightness of 903 cd/m² (1.9 cd/m² minimum) is not the highest we have been able to test.
The fact remains that in practice, all this should not bother ordinary mortals too much. During our daily winter use, none of these points really shocked us. However, we have to see the readability of the screen in full summer sunlight, which could cause some problems. Let us also remember that this is a terminal under the €250 mark from which we should not expect miracles. Nevertheless, we would have been entitled to expect as good, if not better, than the Galaxy A15. This is not the case.
Performance: new processor for a new life? (no)
Unsurprisingly, given its range and price, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G won't be too impressive in terms of performance either. And this is even if the manufacturer has slightly upgraded the CPU, which goes from 8 cores at 2.2 GHz to 2.4 GHz compared to the Galaxy A15. Goodbye MediaTek for the occasion, by the way, with a choice made for a home-made chip, the Exynos 1330. In reality, unfortunately, not enough to get up at night.
Especially since the RAM remains stuck at 4 GB, barely enough. As a result, you will have to make a lot of sacrifices when it comes to video games. Even using the smartphone for very simple purposes is sometimes limited. Browsing can quickly become a bit sluggish when too many applications or demanding apps are launched at the same time. The storage is 128 GB, which is the bare minimum in 2024.
The fact remains that for less than €250 you not only find a 5G chip, but also NFC and, of course, Bluetooth 5.3 and WiFi 5. The latter is a bit lacking, with WiFi 7 increasingly becoming a standard.
Photo: on prend les même et on recommence
In terms of photo sensors, Samsung has not changed a single comma compared to the Galaxy A15. We therefore find the 50 Megapixel wide-angle (f/1.8), the 5 Megapixel ultra-wide-angle (f/2.2) and the 2 Megapixel macro sensor (f/2.4).
In practice, the Samsung Galaxy A16 offers results in line with what you would expect from an entry-level product. While the main sensor performs well in good conditions, as soon as the light is lacking, its flaws are exacerbated. This is particularly the case with the loss of clearly visible details, especially on the edges. The night mode, which is appreciated for less than €250, will however only slightly improve a result that is barely passable and loaded with noise.
The ultra-wide-angle lens has the merit of existing, but the quality of its rendering leaves to be desired without even having to zoom into the shot. The loss of sharpness is obvious and the distortion effect is clearly visible.
The Macro sensor is almost there to look pretty, as it will require good lighting and a steady hand to obtain something usable.
Finally, the 13 Mpx front camera is housed in a classic notch and does what you expect of it. It can sometimes have a bit of trouble unlocking the smartphone using facial recognition if the light is poor, but nothing really dramatic. The portrait mode, selfie or not, is effective, but can be a bit aggressive with certain hair. We will agree, it is not easy to see in the example below.
Regarding the video, a classic limitation to 1080p/30 FPS is there. Being able to reach 60 would have been appreciated, but too bad.
Audio: adieu, Jack
As with the Galaxy A15 once again, you will have to be understanding on the audio side. Samsung only offers a simple non-stereo speaker here to provide additional sound. Where the problem lies, however, is that the manufacturer has abandoned the jack socket this time. For quality sound, you will therefore necessarily have to use Bluetooth.
Our opinion on the interface: the questionable argument of the long-term update
On paper, the main strong point of this Samsung Galaxy A16 5G to help you excuse some of its weaknesses is its promise to keep it up to date for a total of six generations of Android.
A good point, certainly, but one that was already questioned with the Galaxy A15 and its five-year promise: in six years and as many updates, will the smartphone still be fast enough and compatible with all applications to go the distance? Nothing is less certain as the chip is already showing its limits and the purchase of a new terminal well before these six years seems inevitable.
The fact remains that this smartphone is powered by Samsung's solid overlay, One UI, here in version 6.1 (Android 14). Despite some bloatware to uninstall after the first configuration, it is one of the most convincing proposals on Android. The experience is not too distorted compared to the basic one offered by Google, and the additions to the interface are mostly relevant and improve navigation. There are enough tools available to personalize your experience, but we will note the absence of AI features (is that really a big deal?) or an Always On system (certainly a shame).
Autonomy test: good but not great
In terms of autonomy, this Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has a 5000 mAh battery. Following our usual test protocol, this allowed the smartphone to last a little less than 18 hours. A rather unflattering raw figure, probably due to the larger screen, but which in practice allows it to last a little over a day with fairly reasonable daily use.
Its fast charge at 25W max is also not the fastest: allow 96 minutes for a full charge and 18% in 10 minutes. Again, nothing prohibitive, but we would have hoped for better.
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