The Galaxy A16 is a special device, thanks to the fact that it's Samsung's most affordable smartphone in the market that is guaranteed to get six major OS upgrades. Even iPhones don't get that kind of support, let alone Android smartphones from other brands in the budget segment.
The Galaxy A16 launched in October this year running Android 14 and One UI 6.1 out of the box, and it seems Samsung isn't wasting any time and is already working on its first big OS update: multiple Galaxy A16 5G units running Android 15 have appeared on the Geekbench benchmark website in the last couple of days (via Tarun Vats).
It's not surprising that Android 15 and One UI 7.0 are in development for many Galaxy smartphones at this time of the year. Unfortunately, the official One UI 7.0 update will not start rolling out to any Galaxy smartphone or tablet before 2025.
And devices like the Galaxy A16 certainly shouldn't be expected to be first in line to receive the update. That honor will go to Samsung's flagship devices, with the Galaxy S24 series possibly getting the update sometime in February. The Galaxy S25 lineup will obviously launch with Android 15 and One UI 7.0 preloaded.
