Here’s How the Pixel 9a Differs From the IPhone 16e
The most affordable iPhone or the most affordable Pixel? Which one is right for you? The Google Pixel 9a costs $100 less than the iPhone 16e and shares many of the features and AI specs from its flagship big brother, the Pixel 9. It’s a similar story with the iPhone 16e. The Pixel 9a will begin shipping in April, and the iPhone 16e is already out (and we’ve already compared it to Samsung’s mid-range lineup ).
But, as always, the devil is in the details. Here’s how Google’s new Pixel 9a compares to the iPhone 16e.
Design
Both the iPhone 16e and Pixel 9a have a similar design language. They have flat sides, flat fronts and rounded edges. And unlike its flagship counterpart, the Pixel 9a doesn’t have a camera bump. It’s a big change from the Pixel line, but it makes it feel more like an iPhone.
The front of the iPhone features a notch display instead of the Dynamic Island found on flagship iPhones. In comparison, the Pixel 9a has a circular cutout at the top for the front-facing camera.
The Pixel 9a weighs 6.6 ounces, while the iPhone 16e is slightly lighter at 5.9 ounces.
The iPhone 16e only comes in black or white, while the Pixel 9a is available in four different color options: porcelain, obsidian, peony and iris. The peony color is light pink and the iris color is a mixture of purple and lavender.
Display
The Pixel 9a has a 6.3-inch OLED screen (2424 by 1080 pixels), supports variable refresh rate (60-120Hz) and has a maximum brightness of 2700 nits (typical brightness 1800 nits).
The iPhone 16e, on the other hand, has a smaller 6.1-inch OLED display with almost the same resolution (2,532 by 1,170 pixels), a fixed 60Hz refresh rate, and a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits (typical brightness is 800 nits).
On paper, the Pixel appears to have the lead here, offering a high refresh rate display that’s slightly larger, sharper, and much brighter than the iPhone’s.
Performance
Both the iPhone 16e and Pixel 9a are powered by chips made by the same company and used in their flagship counterparts. The iPhone 16e uses Apple’s A18 chip ( minus one GPU core ) found in the iPhone 16 series , while the Pixel 9a uses Google’s Tensor G4 chip, the same one found in the Pixel 9. Both devices come with 8GB of RAM, which is a downgrade from the flagship.
While benchmark results for the Pixel 9a are yet to be released, we can use the Pixel 9 for comparison since both devices use the same chip. On Geekbench, the Pixel 9 scored 1,657 in single-core performance and 4,060 in multi-core performance.
On the other hand, the iPhone 16e scored 2,706 points in single-core testing and 7,942 points in multi-core testing.
Based on the raw numbers, the iPhone 16e’s performance is much better than the Pixel 9a. Both devices should be fast enough for everyday use, but the extra headroom of the A18 processor bodes well for the longevity of the iPhone 16e.
Cameras
The iPhone 16e is known to have a single camera with a single 48MP lens on the back, while the Pixel 9a has a 48MP wide-angle lens (f/1.7) and a secondary 13MP ultra-wide-angle sensor (f/2.2). However, Apple’s sensor lets in more light, which should improve low-light photos.
Both devices shoot 4K video at 30 or 60 frames per second. The iPhone also has 24 and 25 fps options.
iPhones and Pixels are generally good at photography, and each has a slightly different look that largely comes down to computational post-processing. Both devices also come with their own AI photo editing features, although it’s unclear which will be more useful until the Pixel 9a launches.
Battery life
Both phones have great battery life. Google has packed a massive 5,100mAh battery into the Pixel 9a and promises over 30 hours of battery life.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16e has a 4,004mAh battery and Apple says it has the longest battery life of any iPhone, promising 26 hours of battery life or 21 hours of video streaming. In real-world testing, PCMag found that the iPhone 16e lasted 21 hours and 39 minutes in its battery performance test, although the Pixel 9a’s benchmarks are still questionable.
Price
With the Pixel 9a, you’re clearly getting more for less. Google’s budget phone starts at $499 for 128GB of storage, and upgrading to 256GB costs just $559.
On the other hand, the iPhone 16e starts at $599 for 128GB and goes up to $699 for 256GB or up to $899 for 512GB.
Although it’s worth repeating that the iPhone 16e is available for purchase right now, and the Pixel 9a will begin shipping sometime in April 2025.
Which one is right for you?
Your choice starts with the ecosystem. If you want a smartphone that works well with your Mac, the iPhone 16e could be your default choice. The same goes for the Pixel 9a if you really want an Android phone.
If you want the best AI features, the Pixel 9a may have the edge. It comes with Gemini Nano built-in, and the Gemini app adds support for AI features like Gemini Live, AI photo editing, and more. Apple Intelligence on iPhone 16e also supports AI features like Writing Tools, Photo Cleanup, and more, but AI-enhanced Siri is largely unreleased yet .
In terms of hardware, if you want a phone that will last longer, the slightly more powerful iPhone 16e chip is a better option. However, the Pixel 9a is a value-for-money choice. Not only is the base model $100 cheaper, the 256GB version costs $140 less than the iPhone 16e.