Samsung’s new budget smartphone offers a surprising six years of updates

Although all eyes may be on Samsung’s upcoming release Galaxy S25 Seriesthe company is set to release its latest affordable device for consumers on a budget.

Samsung announced What Galaxy A16 5G will be available in the US starting January 9th. The phone will cost just $200 and will be the entry point into Samsung’s Galaxy series of devices for consumers on a budget. The phone features an updated design and a more powerful camera than its predecessor, the Galaxy A15.

The Galaxy A16 was already launched in some European countries last year. Samsung promises six years of OS and security updates for the device, which is an improvement over the A15, which only offered four years of software support.

The A16 is a worthy upgrade from the A15.

Its display is larger with thinner bezels.

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G features a 6.7-inch display that’s slightly larger than the A15’s 6.5-inch panel, but its specs remain the same: it’s a 90Hz AMOLED FHD+ panel with 800 nits of brightness. Overall, the A16 is thinner and has thinner bezels, giving it a more modern look. It has an IP54 water and dust resistance rating, allowing it to withstand splashes of water from any direction.

The A16 has a triple camera setup on the back of the phone, consisting of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a five-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a two-megapixel macro lens. The front camera is 13 megapixel. The A16 is powered by an Exynos 1330 processor and a 5,000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.

The Galaxy A16 5G will be available in the US starting January 9 for $200. The A16 will have 4GB of RAM and will be offered in two memory variants: 128GB and 256GB. It has a MicroSD card slot so you can expand the device’s storage capacity, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you’re waiting for Samsung’s new flagship devices, you won’t have to wait long. The company is expected to launch the Galaxy S25 series on its Galaxy Unpacked Event January 22.