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Smartphone comparison

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G vs Nothing Phone 3a

Compare cameras, battery, screen and everyday features.

Compared products
01Selected
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

  • 200 g.
  • About 90 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.7 inch screen.
  • Exynos 1330 (5 nm) or Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm) processor.
  • 5,000 mAh battery capacity.
KSh 26,500Out of Stock
02
Nothing Phone 3a

Nothing Phone 3a

  • 201 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.77 inch screen.
  • Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm) processor.
  • Storage: UFS 2.2.
KSh 35,000In Stock
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Samsung Galaxy A17 4GKSh 25,800
Samsung Galaxy A26 5GKSh 27,000
Infinix Hot 60 Pro+KSh 26,800
Redmi Note 15 4GKSh 27,500
Motorola G35 5GKSh 28,500
Vivo Y31dKSh 27,400
POCO C85KSh 24,500
2 of 4 products

Our quick verdict

With the same 5,000 mAh battery and 50 MP main camera, the Nothing Phone 3a has a brighter screen, scrolls more smoothly (120 Hz), charges faster (50 W) and has optical zoom and steadier photos and video (OIS), while the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G has 6 promised OS upgrades.

Weight

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
200 g
Nothing Phone 3a
201 g

Refresh

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
About 90 Hz display refresh rate
Nothing Phone 3a
About 120 Hz display refresh rate

Display

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
About 6.7 inch screen
Nothing Phone 3a
About 6.77 inch screen

Performance

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
Exynos 1330 (5 nm) or Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm) processor
Nothing Phone 3a
Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm) processor

Charging

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
25 W rated wired charging power
Nothing Phone 3a
50 W rated wired charging power

Key differences

The main differences to help you choose.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

  • More promised OS upgrades: 6 (vs 3).

Nothing Phone 3a

  • Faster rated wired charging: 50 W (vs 25 W).
  • Smoother 120 Hz display (vs 90 Hz).
  • IP64 water and dust resistance (vs IP54).
  • Telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom.
  • Newer Android 15 (vs Android 14).
  • Optical image stabilisation on the main camera.

What matters most to you?

Choose any priorities

How each product answers the questions buyers ask most. Tick a topic to add it, untick one to hide it.

More topicsFewer topics
6 priorities selected.
How each product answers the selected priorities
PrioritySamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Display6.7-inch OLED display, 90 Hz, 385 ppi6.77-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 387 ppi
Camera50 MP main camera50 MP main camera with OIS, plus a 2x telephoto camera
PerformanceExynos 1330 processorQualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor
MemoryUp to 8 GB RAMUp to 12 GB RAM
Charging25 W wired charging50 W wired charging
Water resistanceIP54 water and dust resistanceIP64 water and dust resistance

Detailed comparison

Explore the full specifications, section by section.

General

General specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
BrandSamsungNothing
ModelGalaxy A16 5GPhone (3a)
Announced2024, October 072025, March 04
Release statusAvailable. Released 2024, October 25Available. Released 2025, March 11
Model numbersSM-A166B, SM-A166B/DS, SM-A166P, SM-A166P/DS, SM-A166E, SM-A166E/DS, SM-A166W, SM-A166U, SM-A166U1A059
SAR EU0.38 W/kg (head)     0.94 W/kg (body)—

Design

Design specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Dimensions164.4 x 77.9 x 7.9 mm (6.47 x 3.07 x 0.31 in)163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm (6.44 x 3.05 x 0.33 in)
Weight200 g (7.05 oz)201 g (7.09 oz)
Build materialsGlass front, plastic back, plastic frameGlass front (Panda Glass), plastic frame, glass back
Additional body features—3 LED light strips on the back (notifications, camera fill light, 26 addressable zones)

Display

Display specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
DisplaySuper AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (HBM); 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~86.0% screen-to-body ratio)6.77 inches, 111.5 cm2 (~88.0% screen-to-body ratio); AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1300 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
Screen resolution1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density)1080 x 2392 pixels (~387 ppi density)
Display featuresSuper AMOLED, 90Hz, 800 nits (HBM)Ultra HDR image support
Display protection—Panda Glass

Performance

Performance specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
ProcessorExynos 1330 (5 nm) or Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm)Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm)
CPUOcta-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) or Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)Octa-core (1x2.5 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A520)
GPUMali-G68 MP2 or Mali-G57 MC2Adreno 810

Memory & Storage

Memory & Storage specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
RAM4GB / 6GB / 8GB8GB / 12GB
Storage128GB / 256GB128GB / 256GB
Expandable storagemicroSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)No
Memory configurations128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
Storage technology—UFS 2.2

Cameras

Cameras specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Rear camera50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF 5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide), 1/5.0", 1.12µm 2 MP (macro)50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.57", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.74", 0.64µm, PDAF (25cm - ∞), 2x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
Front camera13 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/3.1", 1.12µm32 MP, f/2.2, 22mm (wide), 1/3.44"
Rear camera featuresLED flash, panorama, HDRLED flash, panorama, HDR
Rear camera video1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS, OIS
Front camera video1080p@30fps1080p@30fps

Battery & Charging

Battery & Charging specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Battery5000 mAh5000 mAh
Charging25W wired50W wired, 50% in 19 min, 100% in 56 min

Software

Software specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Operating systemAndroid 14, up to 6 major OS updates, One UI 8.5Android 15, upgradable to Android 16, Nothing OS 4.0, up to 3 major OS updates

Network

Network specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
NetworkGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5GGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
SIM· Nano-SIM · Nano-SIM + eSIM · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM
2G bandsGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bandsHSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA unlocked1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66
5G bands1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International; 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA unlocked1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA
Network speedHSPA, LTE, 5GHSPA, LTE, 5G

Connectivity

Connectivity specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
NFCYes (market/region dependent)Yes
Bluetooth5.3, A2DP, LE5.4, A2DP, LE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
PositioningGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSSGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
RadioNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 2.0USB Type-C 2.0, OTG

Durability

Durability specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
Water resistanceIP54 dust protected and water resistant (water splashes)IP64 dust tight and water resistant (water splashes)

Features

Features specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
SensorsFingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compassFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
ColorsBlue Black, Light Gray, Gold, Light GreenBlack, White, Blue, Community Edition green
Multitasking and productivityVirtual proximity sensing—

Audio

Audio specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
LoudspeakersYesYes, with stereo speakers
3.5 mm headphone jackNoNo

Tests

Tests specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
PerformanceAnTuTu: 368854 (v9), 435895 (v10) GeekBench: 2090 (v5), 2042 (v6) 3DMark: 360 (Wild Life Extreme)—
Display824 nits max brightness (measured)—
Loudspeaker-25.7 LUFS (Very good)—
BatteryActive use score 12:08h—
Performance benchmarks—AnTuTu: 828429 (v10) GeekBench: 3278 (v6) 3DMark: 1064 (Wild Life Extreme)
Measured display brightness—1273 nits max brightness (measured)
Measured loudspeaker loudness—-24.1 LUFS (Very good)
Active use battery score—Active use score 13:38h

EU label

EU label specifications comparison
SpecificationSamsung Galaxy A16 5GNothing Phone 3a
EnergyClass BClass C
Battery43:30h endurance, 1200 cycles43:56h endurance, 1400 cycles
Free fallClass B (180 falls)Class C (90 falls)
RepairabilityClass CClass C

Similarities

  • Both have 5,000 mAh batteries.
  • Both have NFC.
  • Both have OLED displays.
  • Both support 5G networks.
  • Both charge over USB-C.
  • Both take two SIM cards.

In summary

For most buyers the Nothing Phone 3a is the better buy; the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G makes sense if you want 6 promised OS upgrades.

Back to compared products ↑

In-stock alternatives

Infinix Hot 60 Pro+For Samsung Galaxy A16 5GInfinix Hot 60 Pro+View product ↗Samsung Galaxy A26 5GFor Samsung Galaxy A16 5GSamsung Galaxy A26 5GView product ↗

Related comparisons

Samsung Galaxy A26 5GNothing Phone 3a
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