Galaxy A16 owners may be in for a real treat. | Image by PhoneArena
The world's best-selling Android smartphone for last year—the Galaxy A16 5G—may be in for a treat. Apparently, Samsung is testing its latest One UI 9 software internally on the budget model. The info comes from tipster Tarun Vats and gives hope to all Galaxy A16 owners.
Samsung is internally testing One UI 9 for the Galaxy A16 5G
The Galaxy A16 is pretty thin. | Image by PhoneArena
According to Vats, Samsung has started testing the latest UI on the Galaxy A16 internally. The tipster posted on X the exact build numbers of the One UI 9 software that runs on the Samsung's best-selling phone.
Breaking news!
Galaxy A16: First One UI 9 Internal Test Build Spotted on Server (EUX)
Given the official One UI 9 Beta had already been rolled out at the time, Vats speculated that Samsung is accelerating the One UI 9 rollout to older phones by about two weeks.
The Galaxy S25 series is expected to start receiving One UI 9 Beta firmware via OTA updates toward the end of this month or early July.
Should budget phones receive the latest software?
When will the Galaxy A16 One UI 9 Beta arrive?
Even though the test builds have been spotted on Samsung's European servers, we're at least one month away from any stable beta rolling out to the Galaxy A16.
The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and the Wide (also called Ultra) are expected to drop on July 22, and these models will be the first to run the One UI 9 software out of the box.
Rumor has it that Samsung is also working hard to deliver the One UI 9 package to the Galaxy A17 5G, the Galaxy A34, the Galaxy A57, and the unannounced Galaxy S26 FE.
Why the love for the Galaxy A16?
The Galaxy A16 was the best-selling Android phone in the world for Q3, 2025. | Image by Counterpoint Research
That one's easy. Given how popular the Galaxy A16 5G has been in 2025, winning the title of best-selling Android phone in the wolrd for Q3, it makes sense for Samsung to give it some software love.
Especially if we take into account the fact that the Galaxy A-series is the primary revenue driver for Samsung.
This also goes to show how far have budget phones come in the past couple of years. The A16 costs $199 but offers most of the smartphone features of the midrangers, including a fast screen, big battery, and even some AI sprinkled here and there.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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