We’ve known that Samsung’s next lineup of budget phones was on the way, especially after all of the information that leaked last week. Now, we have confirmation on several elements of the phone, but the most important of them all is the incredible (and unheard of) six years of security patches the Galaxy A16 5G will receive from launch. That means it will be fully up to date until October 31, 2030.
We reported on this possibility a couple of weeks ago, but now it’s confirmed — and that’s a big deal. Many budget phones only receive two years of security patches post-launch. The Galaxy A16 5G’s six years of support puts it only one year behind Samsung’s flagship models in the Galaxy S24 series. For a phone as cheap as the Galaxy A16, that’s incredible.
Look at this thing’s specs, and you’ll see why it’s so exciting. Unlike many budget phones, the A16 5G packs enough punch in terms f its internal components that it will still be viable (if somewhat dated) in six years. It has a 6.7-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 800 nits. The processor varies depending on region — the European market is expected to get the Exynos 1330, while India and Thailand are slated to receive the Dimensity 6300 — but speeds should be around 2.4GHz total.
It also comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Sure, six years of photos, games, messages, and software updates might make it a little slow once 2030 rolls around, but it should still work just fine.
Currently, the Galaxy A16 5G is set to ship with One UI 6.1, but it will hopefully be eligible for an upgrade when One UI 7 finally hits the market. As for when this budget-focused wonder will be released, we’re not sure, but the folks at Android Authority spotted the phone on the Netherlands Samsung website priced at 229 Euro. With that in mind, it probably won’t be long before you can get your hands on it.