Samsung’s Galaxy A16 5G comes to the US with a bigger screen and longer software support

What you need to know

• The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G and Galaxy Fit 3 are coming to the U.S. next week, priced at $199.99 and $59.99, respectively.
• Samsung is offering six generations of full OS upgrades on the Galaxy A16 5G, a first for a product at this price point.
• The Galaxy A16 5G also includes a new Exynos processor, an IP rating, and a larger screen.

Samsung is bringing two popular budget devices, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G and the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3, to the U.S. next week, it announced in a press release today. Both the budget smartphone and fitness tracker will be available starting Jan. 9, 2025 at retailers nationwide. As the successor to last year’s Galaxy A15 5G, the new Galaxy A16 5G provides a longer software support window and more durability at the same price point.

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G builds off the improvements made with the Galaxy A15 5G, which was the first to add an OLED screen. This time around, the 6.7″ FHD+ Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy A16 5G is larger, still offering a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits of peak brightness. The design of the handset is similar, too, but there are some hidden changes to this year’s budget smartphone.

Notably, Samsung is switching from the Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ chipset to its own Exynos 1330 system-on-a-chip. That may be why Samsung is able to offer best-in-class software support for a $199 smartphone with the Galaxy A16 5G. You’ll get six generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades. The smartphone starts with One UI 6, which is based on Android 14. Even if one of those six-generations promised cancels out since Android 15 is already here, it’s still remarkable — and Samsung gives six years of security updates, too.

The company also managed to make the Galaxy A16 5G more durable, as it’s now rated for IP54 protection against dust and water ingress. That won’t provide the same level of protection as IP68 and IP69 flagships, but it is impressive for a smartphone at this price point.

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