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Phone Arena
3 days ago
- Phone Arena
Galaxy A17 vs Galaxy A16: Minor upgrades but welcome to the 120Hz party
The affordable Samsung Galaxy A16 has been a go-to backup Android phone for many people out there, and for a good reason. This sub-$200 device offers a great display, a decent camera system, and six years of software support, covering the most important smartphone pillars. Now, Samsung has quietly launched the successor, the Galaxy A17, and it's very interesting to see what upgrades the new model brings to the table. And there are some pretty substantial ones, such as the 120 Hz display refresh rate, which is crazy to see on such a budget phone when the iPhone 16 is still stuck at 60 Hz. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Samsung Galaxy A17 vs Galaxy A16 differences: Table of Contents: Design Display Performance Camera Battery Specs Summary The last A-series phones took design cues from the Galaxy S lineup, offering a sleek and stylish look, with the same separate cutout for the cameras on the back pioneered by the Galaxy S Ultra some time the Galaxy A17 brings a change to the design, going back to an elongated, pill-shaped camera housing, similar to the one Sony has been using on Xperia phones for the past couple of generations. We don't find the change too appealing, as we were fond of the stylish look of the Galaxy A16, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The front of the two phones looks almost identical, with quite a substantial bezel around the screen, a hefty chin, and a teardrop cutout for the selfie camera. In terms of materials, there are some differences. The Galaxy A16 uses a plastic frame and back and Gorilla Glass Victus over the screen, while the Galaxy A17 is listed with a glass-fiber back material and the same plastic frame and Victus-protected dimensions are almost identical, but the A17 is 0.4 mm thinner and 8 grams heavier than its successor. This is almost imperceptible when holding the phone in your hand, so for all intents and purposes, these two feel almost exactly the same. The color options are pretty similar. The new Galaxy A17 is available in Black, Gray, and Blue, while the previous generation offers Light Green in place of the Blue option. Display Differences 120Hz for the masses It's crazy how a $200 phone can get you a 120 Hz refresh rate while Apple still rocks 60 Hz on its premium iPhone 16 . But that's the way it is, the Galaxy A17 comes with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display that's able to go up to 120 Hz. The resolution is FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) resulting in 358 PPI pixel density. Now, in terms of brightness, the Galaxy A17 still lists 800 nits support in HBM (high brightness mode) but we need some tests to verify this. The Galaxy A16, on the other hand, features a very similar display panel, rocking the same resolution and brightness figures and the same pixel density, and the only difference lies in the refresh rate—it can only go up to 90 Hz. In our display test, the A16 managed 733 nits maximum brightness at 100% APL and 1.6 nits minimum, which is admirable. Stay tuned for lab results soon. The one key area where we found the Galaxy A16 lacking was its chipset. The Exynos 1330 was and still is a very modest chip, and we say "still is" because the Galaxy A17 still features the same silicon. No upgrades in that department, we're afraid. This octa-core processor managed just below 1000 points in the Geekbench 6 single-core test and around 1900 points in multi-core performance. The 3DMark scores were also not very impressive—360 points. We don't expect the Galaxy A17 to perform radically better, given it uses the same chipset, but we have to run the tests to compare how this silicon performs inside the new phone. In terms of RAM, both phones mirror their respective configurations. We have a base 4GB/128GB version, and it goes up from there in 2GB steps. The highest variant features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, bringing both phones into midrange territory. No one expects wonders from a $200 phone, especially when it comes to the camera. But the Galaxy A16 took us by surprise, scoring 124 out of 158 in our composite camera benchmark. The main 50MP camera scored 71 (out of 85), which, all things considered, is a pretty decent score. The selfie camera also performed admirably, with a score of 25 out of 30. The Galaxy A17 features the same camera system with the same 50MP main camera (this time around supported by optical image stabilization), the same 5MP ultrawide, and the same almost useless 2MP macro camera. It will be interesting to see whether or not Samsung has tweaked the image processing algorithms to improve the camera quality or left everything untouched on the Galaxy A17 compared to the previous model. We're doing the review as we type this, so stay tuned for a side-by-side sample comparison soon. In the battery department, there are no changes whatsoever. For all intents and purposes, the Galaxy A17 and its predecessor should be viewed as the same phone. At least when it comes to battery and charging. Now, the 5,000 mAh battery and the Exynos 1330 aren't the best pair when it comes to efficiency; the A16 was able to get 6 h 12 m on a single charge in our composite battery test, which ranks it 101st among phones tested in the past 2 years. Given the modest power and the beefy battery, we expected more. The test will tell us if Samsung has improved the situation on the Galaxy A17. The same goes for charging—both phones cap at 25W wired and don't support any wireless charging. It's a slow charging speed by any standard, and the A16 took 1 h 43 m to fully charge, which, in a world where a midrange Motorola can charge in half an hour, is just not fast enough. Here's how the Galaxy A17 vs Galaxy A16 compare. Head to the link for a detailed specs comparison. We're planning on doing a full review of the Galaxy A17, so this comparison will soon be populated by benchmarks, display tests, and camera samples. But even at this point we can draw some Galaxy A17 is largely the same phone as its predecessor, except for a few minor updates. The 6.7-inch screen can now refresh with up to 120 Hz, while the previous model was capped at 90 Hz. There's a slight design change concerning the camera housing, and the A17 is a tad lighter and a case to be made for the software situation. Both phones offer up to six years of major Android updates, which is amazing for this budget segment, but the Galaxy A17 will outlive its predecessor by one year, being if you're looking for a budget phone or a backup phone, the Galaxy A-series and both the A17 and A16 in particular are decent options. The phone is on pre-order for 239 euros right now (we expect US availability and pricing soon), and for that kind of money, it's a no need to upgrade if you already own the Galaxy A16, as the differences are miniscule. We'll update this comparison with all the benchmark results once we finish the review of the Galaxy A17.
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Phone Arena
Samsung's next best-selling Galaxy is almost ready to get in your cart
Samsung Galaxy A17 5G. | Image credit – Samsung Samsung's next budget hero, the Galaxy A17, is just about ready to drop, and honestly, at this point, there is not much left to the imagination. Multiple leaks have spilled pretty much everything already. Just like before, Samsung is going with two versions: a 4G model and a 5G model. And now, we are getting another early peek at both. The Galaxy A17 5G is expected to come in three colors: The Galaxy A17 5G is already live at Samsung's Irish store. | Image credit – Samsung Meanwhile, the 4G version will launch in Black and Light Blue, with rumors hinting at a possible third option joining the mix, too. Galaxy A17 4G leaked in two colors. | Image credit – Evan Blass The Galaxy A17 will carry the torch from a long line of Samsung's best-selling budget phones – the Galaxy A14, Galaxy A15 and Galaxy A16 – which have consistently been the top-selling Galaxy models globally. Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Some improvements, but one red flag remains And it is dropping soon. In fact, it is already live on Samsung Ireland's website, where the Galaxy A17 5G is listed with shipping scheduled for August 18. It has also popped up in other European markets, so an official announcement can drop any day now. And what is the difference between the 4G and 5G versions besides the obvious? First off, price. As always, the 4G version will be more affordable and early leaks suggest no price hike this time. So, you can expect the 5G variant to land at around $200 and the 4G one to come in at about $130. Under the hood, the 5G model is expected to pack the Exynos 1380, which is a bump up from the Exynos 1330 in the A16 5G. It is the same chip found in the Galaxy A35 5G and A54 5G, so expect decent day-to-day performance – not blazing fast, and sure, some stutters here and there, but solid for the price. The 4G variant, on the other hand, should be running the MediaTek Helio G99, a proven chipset in the budget space. Display-wise, don't expect any big changes. We are still looking at a 6.7-inch screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, just like last year's model. On the camera front, things are mostly unchanged – except for one big upgrade: the main snapper is said to now come with OIS (optical image stabilization), which should help with sharper, steadier shots. Expected rear camera setup: 50 MP main (with OIS) 5 MP ultra-wide 2 MP macro Other key features? A 5,000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging, IP54-rated dust and water resistance, and support for expandable storage via microSD card. Software-wise, the both A17 versions should ship with One UI 7 based on Android 15, and Samsung is promising an impressive 6 years of OS updates and security patches – which is kind of a big deal in the budget space. So yeah, if you are hunting for a super affordable Android phone that won't feel outdated in a year, the Galaxy A17 might be worth the short wait. After all, it is already practically live, at least in Europe. We are just waiting for Samsung to push the launch button so you can finally click, add it to your cart and call it yours. And if you are not dead set on Samsung, you might also want to check out the CMF Phone (2) Pro by Nothing. It is a bit pricier (starts at $280), but it stands out with a more unique design and feel. CMF Phone 2 Pro Review: The (almost) perfect budget phone
GSM Arena
02-08-2025
- GSM Arena
Samsung Galaxy A17 leaked promo materials reveal a chipset twist
A few days ago, renders purportedly depicting Samsung's upcoming Galaxy A17 got leaked, and earlier today we saw it in both 5G and 4G iterations listed by a European retailer, with pricing revealed. Now, even more details about the A17 have been outed, along with new official-looking renders and a ton of promo materials. According to these, the A17 5G will be powered by Samsung's Exynos 1330 SoC, not the 1380 as previously rumored. Samsung Galaxy A17 5G newly leaked renders The phone will come with 128GB of storage and 4/6/8GB of RAM, and one 256GB option with 8GB of RAM. MicroSD cards up to 2TB will be supported. The handset measures 164.4 x 77.9 x 7.5 mm and weighs 192g. It has a 6.7-inch 1080x2340 Super AMOLED screen with a waterdrop notch, 90 Hz refresh rate, 1,100-nit peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass Victus on top, a triple rear camera system (50 MP main with OIS, 5 MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro), a 13 MP selfie camera, and a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging (zero to 50% advertised to take 30 minutes). Color options will be blue, black, and gray. It's IP54 certified for dust and splash resistance, and comes with a promise of 6 major Android updates and 6 years of security patches. Keep in mind, however, that it will be launching with Android 15 on board, so the first one of those six updates will be Android 16. The back is made from glass fiber reinforced polymer, which is advertised as being stronger compared to the "Glastic" on the A16 5G. In the box will be a 25W charger, a USB Type-C cable, a SIM ejection tool, and a Quick Start Guide. Note that the presence of the charger in the box may vary depending on market. Compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy A17 5G is thinner and lighter, has a different chipset, and added OIS to the main camera. The design is changed too for the camera island, which is now one oval thing and not three separate round ones. That's about it, and this is definitely not the biggest upgrade. Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Source
