I've tested every cheap Samsung phone: Here are the ones you should buy in 2025
Unsurprisingly, the camera hardware on the Galaxy A16 has to take a bit of a step back to thrive within its limited price, but I still came away impressed with the primary sensor. It's the same 50MP, 1/2.76-inch sensor that the Galaxy A26 uses and is pretty similar to the one Samsung has used on its last few Galaxy A1X launches, so it's had plenty of time to fine-tune the image processing. The 5MP ultrawide and 2MP dedicated macro sensors that round out the trio aren't the most flexible, but we can chalk that up to the very tight budget.
An excellent update commitment is enough to have the Galaxy A16 5G punching above its price tag.
Perhaps the perfect positioning for the Galaxy A16 5G is what I described above: It's a great phone for kids and the not-so-tech-savvy people in your life. Its combination of lower-grade Gorilla Glass and plastic means you don't have to worry too much about damaging it, and even if you do, the repair bill won't be very steep. Its IP54 rating against water and dust falls slightly behind the other options on this list, but it should still be good enough for rainy days and the occasional beach trip as long as you treat it with just enough care.
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