Samsung Galaxy A16 4G Review – OLED display smartphone for under 180 Euros
OLED for the for the rest of us.
You can hardly get a smartphone with a colorful OLED display cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy A16 4G. The manufacturer promises long updates, but little has changed compared to its predecessor. Is the Galaxy A16 4G still worth a look?Florian Schmitt, 👁 Florian Schmitt, ✓ Sebastian Jankowski (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A16 4G offers surprisingly premium build quality for its budget price and stands out with an impressive six years of software updates, making it a solid long-term option.
It's important to note that this version lacks 5G support, but in exchange, it costs less than the Galaxy A16 5G. Despite the lower price, it features the same case design, a bright AMOLED display, and fast charging support up to 25 watts—which is quite generous for this price class. However, a charger is not included and must be purchased separately.
The inclusion of an ultra-wide-angle camera is rare at this price point, though on the Galaxy A16 4G it's better suited for casual snapshots than high-quality photography.
The fast internal storage is a welcome feature, and the AMOLED screen delivers accurate colors when configured accordingly. However, users should be aware that PWM flickering can occur at lower brightness levels.
Performance is generally solid for everyday tasks, with only occasional delays or stuttering.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A16 4G is a strong option for budget-conscious buyers who don’t need 5G connectivity.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy A16 4G has already dropped significantly in price at the time of testing and is readily available from many retailers.
For example, it is already available at amazon.de for just under 135 euros.
Table of Contents
- Verdict
- Specifications
- Case and features - Stylish plastic
- Communication and operation - WiFi 5 with problems
- Software and Sustainability – Long-Term update commitment
- Cameras - even with ultra-wide angle
- Display - 90 Hz AMOLED
- Performance, emissions, and battery life – solid power and fast charging
- Notebookcheck overall rating
- Possible alternatives compared
Specifications
Case and features - Stylish plastic
Samsung’s budget-friendly Galaxy A16 4G features a simple plastic case with a matte finish. Despite its modest materials, the design has a certain elegance, thanks to softly rounded corners and a subtle silky sheen. It’s available in black, white, and pastel green.
Compared to the Galaxy A15 4G, the design has changed slightly, and the Galaxy A16 now features a larger 6.7-inch display. Thankfully, the weight remains unchanged at 200 grams. The build quality is excellent for the price—rigid, durable, and resistant to bending or pressure.
Our test model came equipped with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. A higher configuration with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is also available for about 50 euros more.
While the phone doesn’t support eSIM, it offers dual-SIM functionality via two nano-SIM slots. One slot can be swapped out for a microSD card, allowing storage expansion of up to 1.5 TB. The microSD reader performed well in testing, delivering fast speeds with our Angelbird V60 reference card.
NFC is also included, enabling mobile payments and electronic ID functions.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 5G (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A15 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 14C (Angelbird V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 58.9, n=69, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto G15 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication and operation - WiFi 5 with problems
The Galaxy A16 4G supports WiFi 5 as its fastest wireless standard. However, during testing, we observed occasional speed drops that persisted even after restarting the test, updating the phone, and rebooting the router.
Mobile connectivity is limited to LTE, but the supported frequency bands are broad enough for reliable use throughout Central Europe.
The touchscreen is responsive and accurate, including in the corners and along the edges. A fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button — it's fast, reliable, and provides a convenient unlocking experience.
Software and Sustainability – Long-Term update commitment
It’s a bit disappointing that the Galaxy A16 4G still ships with Android 14 and OneUI 6.1, with no update to Android 15 available at the time of testing. On the upside, Samsung promises six major Android updates and six years of security patches—a rare commitment in this price segment.
The packaging is entirely plastic-free and printed using mineral oil-free inks. According to Samsung, the production of the phone results in 34.3 kilograms of CO₂ emissions, with a total of around 41 kilograms expected over the device’s average lifespan. These are strong environmental metrics, making it a solid option for eco-conscious buyers. However, Samsung has not provided any details about the materials used in the phone’s construction.
Cameras - even with ultra-wide angle
Samsung has also taken the camera system from the predecessor Galaxy A15 as well: A 50-megapixel lens is used as the main camera, which takes decent pictures for the price range in good light. In detail, however, the sharpness and variety of details leave something to be desired.
The ultra-wide-angle camera is a rarity in this price range, but it only has a resolution of 5 megapixels and shows a coarse and sometimes blurred image of the surroundings.
A maximum of 1080p and 30 fps are available for moving images, and you can choose between the ultra-wide-angle lens and the main camera before starting.
The front camera has a resolution of 13 megapixels. The images appear quite sharp overall and can also be enlarged well. However, even with good lighting, there is no recognizable detail in dark areas.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Hauptkamera PflanzeHauptkamera UmgebungHauptkamera Low LightUltraweitwinkelkamera
Display - 90 Hz AMOLED
It’s uncommon to find a 90 Hz AMOLED display in a smartphone under 200 euros, but the Samsung Galaxy A16 4G delivers just that. In our tests, the screen reached a peak brightness of 733 cd/m², which is more than sufficient for outdoor visibility, even if it falls short of ideal HDR performance.
Color accuracy is generally good, though our measurements with CalMAN software and a spectrophotometer revealed a slight green tint.
One downside is the presence of PWM flickering at around 90 Hz when the screen is set to low brightness. While this matches the refresh rate, it could still pose issues for users sensitive to flickering.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 729 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.14 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 3.6 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
109.2% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.057
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | Samsung Galaxy A15 Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.5" | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | Motorola Moto G15 IPS, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi Redmi 14C IPS, 1640x720, 6.9" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 16% | 12% | -3% | -21% | |
| Brightness middle | 729 | 731 0% | 739 1% | 468 -36% | 422 -42% |
| Brightness | 716 | 711 -1% | 741 3% | 452 -37% | 401 -44% |
| Brightness Distribution | 95 | 93 -2% | 97 2% | 86 -9% | 89 -6% |
| Black Level * | 0.3 | 0.3 | |||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.14 | 2.31 26% | 2.6 17% | 2.07 34% | 3.21 -2% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.24 | 3.51 17% | 3.8 10% | 6.38 -50% | 6.29 -48% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.6 | 1.7 53% | 2.2 39% | 0.8 78% | 2.9 19% |
| Gamma | 2.057 107% | 2.091 105% | 2.04 108% | 2.202 100% | 2.382 92% |
| CCT | 6441 101% | 6424 101% | 6327 103% | 6607 98% | 6338 103% |
| Contrast | 1560 | 1407 |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 89.9 Hz Amplitude: 14 % |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 89.9 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 89.9 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8437 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
A series of measurements was taken at a fixed zoom level while adjusting brightness settings.
At minimum brightness, the amplitude curve appears flat—but this is only due to the graph’s scaling. The info box displays a magnified view of the amplitude at minimum brightness, clearly revealing the PWM flickering pattern.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 5 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.3 ms). | ||
Performance, emissions, and battery life – solid power and fast charging
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A16 4G with the MediaTek Helio G99—an older SoC, but still a capable performer for a budget device.
This choice pays off: the Galaxy A16 4G delivers solid performance for its price. While occasional stutters and short delays are still present, they occur less frequently than is typical in this price range.
Under sustained load, the case can warm noticeably, reaching temperatures of up to 44.3 °C. In our 3DMark stress tests, we observed a moderate performance drop of around 7%, indicating minor thermal throttling.
The mono speaker struggles at maximum volume, sounding harsh and unbalanced. At moderate volume levels, audio is acceptable, though still dominated by treble. As with many Samsung phones, Bluetooth codec support is limited, so it’s worth checking whether your wireless headphones or speakers are compatible for optimal sound quality.
Despite the larger size compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy A16 4G retains the same 5,000 mAh battery found in the Galaxy A15 4G. As a result, battery life remains similar—around 15 hours in our Wi-Fi browsing test at standard brightness. Charging is supported at up to 25 watts, which is fast for this price segment. A full charge takes just under two hours.
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G | Samsung Galaxy A15 | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G | Motorola Moto G15 | Xiaomi Redmi 14C | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -2% | -44% | -66% | -65% | -17% | 86% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 942.8 | 967.8 3% | 529.46 -44% | 287.7 -69% | 300.9 -68% | 728 ? -23% | 2043 ? 117% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 710.8 | 488.5 -31% | 273.75 -61% | 228.5 -68% | 193.1 -73% | 526 ? -26% | 1659 ? 133% |
| Random Read 4KB | 208.8 | 233.2 12% | 206.73 -1% | 65.2 -69% | 88.6 -58% | 192.1 ? -8% | 285 ? 36% |
| Random Write 4KB | 208.1 | 229.6 10% | 62.47 -70% | 87.4 -58% | 78.9 -62% | 184.5 ? -11% | 327 ? 57% |
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 42.8 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.3 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.7 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Steel Nomad Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A15 | |
| Motorola Moto G15 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 14C | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G15 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 14C | |
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A15 | |
Samsung Galaxy A16 4G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 50% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 68% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 27% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Redmi 14C audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.1% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 40% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 58% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
| Samsung Galaxy A16 4G 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A15 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G 5000 mAh | Motorola Moto G15 5200 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi 14C 5160 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 1% | -9% | 0% | 8% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1630 | 1622 0% | 2072 27% | 1785 10% | |
| H.264 | 1419 | 1446 2% | 1123 -21% | 1187 -16% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 903 | 885 -2% | 745 -17% | 1018 13% | 976 8% |
| Load | 349 | 358 3% | 265 -24% | 329 -6% |
Notebookcheck overall rating
A high-quality OLED display, attractive case design, and solid performance—these are compelling features rarely found at this price point.
For a very affordable price, the Samsung Galaxy A16 4G makes a strong case as a budget-friendly all-rounder.
Samsung Galaxy A16 4G
- 04/19/2025 v8
Florian Schmitt
Total Sustainability Score: Possible alternatives compared
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 71.6%  | Samsung Galaxy A16 4G Mediatek Helio G99 ⎘ ARM Mali-G57 MP2 ⎘ 4 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: $139.99 List Price: 179€ | 200 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.70" 2340x1080 385 PPI Super AMOLED |
2. 80% v7 (old)  | Samsung Galaxy A15 Mediatek Helio G99 ⎘ ARM Mali-G57 MP2 ⎘ 4 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $3.99 Bencuku (2 Pack) Designed fo... 2. $19.98 ZTOOYO for Samsung Galaxy A1... 3. $9.99 Lokyoo 3 Pack Privacy Screen... List Price: 190€ | 200 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.50" 2340x1080 396 PPI Super AMOLED |
3. 73.1%  | Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Samsung Exynos 1330 ⎘ ARM Mali-G68 MP2 ⎘ 4 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: $197.00 List Price: 200€ | 200 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.70" 2340x1080 385 PPI Super AMOLED |
4. 72.3%  | Motorola Moto G15 Mediatek Helio G81 ⎘ ARM Mali-G52 MP2 ⎘ 4 GB Memory, 128 GB eMMC | Amazon: $159.99 List Price: 150€ | 190 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.72" 2400x1080 392 PPI IPS |
5. 70.7%  | Xiaomi Redmi 14C Mediatek Helio G81 Ultra ⎘ ARM Mali-G52 MP2 ⎘ 4 GB Memory, 128 GB eMMC | Amazon: $119.87 List Price: 150€ | 211 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.88" 1640x720 260 PPI IPS |
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The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was freely purchased by the author at his/her own expense. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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