Samsung Galaxy A16 Challengers: Samsung recently launched a new device in its mid-segment A series of phones, the Samsung Galaxy A16. The phone comes with an assurance of six generations of Android updates and six years of security updates, a rarity in the segment, making it a software champ. It also comes with some very good specs. In the best Samsung tradition, it comes with a brilliant 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, although the raindrop notch on it seems a little out of date.
Running the device is the very capable MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor paired with 8 GB of RAM and storage options of 128 GB and 256 GB, which can be expanded using a microSD card. Photography is handled by a triple camera set up on the back comprising a 50-megapixel main camera (with no OIS, though), a 5-megapixel ultrawide and a 2-megapixel macro, while selfies are handled by a 13-megapixel camera in that notch.
The phone also comes with Samsung’s famous Knox security system and Samsung Wallet, which allows users to make payments by tapping the phone on a payment terminal using NFC. Keeping the phone ticking is a large 5000 mAh battery with support for 25W charging (no charger in the box though), placed within a sleek and stylish 7.9 mm thin frame, with an eye-catching glasstic (Samsungspeak for glass-like plastic) back.
All of this comes with price tags of Rs 18,999 for the 8GB + 128GB storage variant and Rs 20,999 for the 8GB + 256GB one, making the Galaxy A16 a very good option for those seeking a smartphone in the vicinity of Rs 20,000. But that does not mean the latest Galaxy in Samsung’s star-studded lineup does not face competition.
These five phones in particular are looking to crash the Galaxy A16 party and steal the limelight:
Poco X6: Spec Monster In Galaxy Zone
Price: Rs 16,999 onwards
If it is sheer spec power that you seek, then the Poco X6 is as good as it gets in the Rs 20,000. The phone comes with Gorilla Glass Victus protection (unseen at its price) and boasts a very good 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 2712 x 1220 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, both of which are superior to what the Galaxy A16 offers.
It also runs on one of the best chips in this range – the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 – and has a very good 64-megapixel main camera with OIS and an 8-megapixel ultrawide and a forgettable 2-megapixel macro camera as well as a very capable 16-megapixel selfie snapper.
It also brings stereo speakers (something the A16 lacks) and comes with a larger 5100 mAh battery with support for 67W charging and a charger in the box as well. Its design might be a little on the plain side and its software update record is not as great as Samsung’s, but this is still a spec monster in this price zone.
CMF Phone 1: Most “Different” Phone Out There
Price: Rs 14,999 onwards
The CMF Phone (1), the first smartphone from Nothing’s sub-brand CMF, will appeal to those looking for a strikingly different phone in this price segment. The phone’s USP is its removable back, which can be unscrewed by users and replaced with backs of different colours and even functionalities (like wallets), giving the phone a modular touch.
The phone also sports a very different design with visible screws on the back giving it an industrial and slightly geeky touch.
The specs are decent as well – you get a 6.67-inch AMOLED FHD display with 120 Hz refresh rate, a reasonably powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor, a 50-megapixel main sensor paired with a 2-megapixel ultrawide and a 16-megapixel selfie camera, as well as a large 5,000 mAh battery with support for 33W charging (although there is no charger in the box). The phone also comes with Nothing’s clean Nothing UI, which makes it a geek’s delight.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite: Not Letting The New Galaxy Settle
Price: Rs 16,999 onwards
OnePlus’ Nord series is one of the most successful in the mid-segment, so it is hardly surprising that there is a Nord in the path of the Galaxy A16. This is the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite, which comes with some very good specs for its price.
The phone sports a 6.67-inch FHD AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and has a huge 5500 mAh battery with support for 80W charging, with a charger in the box.
On the camera front, it has a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, with a 16-megapixel camera handling selfies. The only sore point is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor powering it, which is efficient but now seems on the old side.
All of this comes inside a sleek design and with OxygenOS, which now comes with some bloatware, but still works smoothly.
Vivo T3: Camera Muscle
Price: Rs 18,499 onwards
Vivo has been carving a niche for itself in the highly competitive mid-segment of the Indian smartphone market with phones that have eye-catching designs and good cameras, and the Vivo T3 is the latest in this line.
The phone will turn heads with its sleek Crystal Flake and Cosmic Blue designs and comes with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX 882 main camera with OIS that takes some of the best pictures in the segment, although its accompanying 2-megapixel camera is of limited use, and the 16-megapixel selfie camera takes some very good selfies as well.
The Vivo T3 also has a very good 6.67 inch AMOLED HD display with 120 Hz refresh rate and runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 processor, which is an able performer. Some might find the FunTouch UI on it a little too crowded, but it also comes with several handy features, while the 5000 mAh battery easily sees off a day of normal use and charges briskly thanks to support for 44W charging (with a charger in the box).
Redmi Note 13: Always A ‘Note’worthy Opposition
Price: Rs 15,999 onwards
The Redmi Note series redefined the mid-segment by offering surprisingly good specs at very affordable prices and the Redmi Note 13 continues that tradition. It might not carry the sort of spec muscle that the Note 13 Pro and 13 Pro Plus come with, but it packs in enough to still be a headache for the Galaxy A16.
Its shimmering Prism Gold and Arctic White shades will catch attention, and its 6.67-inch FHD AMOLED display is one of the best in the segment, and the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chip powering it is an efficient one, although not as powerful as some of the others in this list. The Note also boasts a very good 108-megapixel main sensor on the back accompanied by an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera, while on the front, a 16-megapixel camera takes some very good selfies.
The phone has been updated to Xiaomi’s new HyperOS and offers very good battery life thanks to a 5000 mAh battery, whose charging speed of 33W might seem low compared to some of its competitors but is still well ahead of the Galaxy A16 (and it comes with a charger in the box as well).
Its successor might be in sight, but the Redmi Note 13 remains a rock-solid performer even almost a year after its launch.