Two of the biggest names in tech have recently introduced more affordable smartphones to their flagship smartphone series: Apple’s iPhone 16e and Google’s Pixel 9a.
Although we haven’t tested the Pixel 9a yet, we have reviewed the iPhone 16e and gave the mid-ranger a solid four-star rating. So how will the Pixel 9a measure up?
We’ve noted the main differences between the two handsets right here to help you decide which phone might suit you best. If you’re curious about how it stacks up to the rest of the Pixel collection, take a look at Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 7a, Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 9 and Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8a.
Price and Availability
The newly launched Pixel 9a is currently available to preorder, with a starting RRP of $499, ahead of its official launch on March 26th.
The iPhone 16e is the cheapest of the latest iPhone 16 series, with a starting RRP of £599/$599. As the iPhone 16e is a relatively new launch, we are yet to see any price drops for the handset.
Tensor G4 vs A18 Bionic chips
Google’s Tensor G4 chip powers the Pixel 9a and is found across the entire Pixel 9 series, including the pricey Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Much like its predecessors, the Tensor G4 favours AI capabilities over sheer power, which means we’ve found the chip doesn’t score particularly highly in our benchmarking tests. In fact, the iPhone 16e saw a single- and multi-core Geekbench score of almost double that of the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Having said that, in everyday use, we’ve still concluded that the Tensor G4 chip is speedy, responsive, and able to handle most tasks.
Similarly, the iPhone 16e runs on the same A18 Bionic chip that’s found in the more expensive iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, albeit with one less GPU core. Even with just a three-core GPU, the iPhone 16e is a strong performer that “stays cool under load”.
Both the Tensor G4 and A18 Bionic enable the running of Google and Apple’s respective AI tools. While the Pixel 9a has Google’s voice assistant Gemini built-in, a plethora of AI-powered photo editing tools and access to features such as Pixel Studio and Circle to Search, the iPhone 16e supports the Apple Intelligence toolkit.
Apple Intelligence is made up of a plethora of features, including a revamped Siri, Image Playground and Writing Tools.
Pixel 9a has a 120Hz refresh rate
One of the biggest disappointments with, not just the iPhone 16e but also the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus is the lack of ProMotion, which is essentially Apple’s term for an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. All non-Pro or Pro Max iPhones still sport a basic 60Hz refresh rate, which means animations and scrolling don’t feel quite as smooth as they could.
The Pixel 9a, however, boasts a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, making it faster and more responsive as a result.
Pixel 9a has two rear cameras
Firstly, we can’t mention the cameras without pointing out the Pixel 9a’s major design update.
Unlike the rest of the Pixel 9 series, which houses its rear cameras within a rounded, pill-shaped bar or the older Pixel 8 or Pixel 7 lineup, which sported the rectangular visor that stretches from either side, the Pixel 9a forgoes the camera bar altogether. Instead, its rear camera set-up is slightly domed, which is a first for the A-series.
Otherwise, the Pixel 9a has two rear cameras, a 48MP main and a 13MP ultrawide. It is also the first A-series phone to support Macro Focus. The Pixel 9a is also equipped with AI-powered photo editing and capturing tools, including Add Me, Best Take, and the Magic Editor toolkit, which enables you to reframe images and remove distractions from your shots.
The iPhone 16e on the other hand has a slightly different setup with a singular lens at its rear instead. This 48MP fusion lens also enables 12MP 2x telephoto via digital zoom and stretches up to 10x, but unlike the Pixel 9a, the iPhone 16e has no ultrawide lens nor macro mode.
While we found the iPhone 16e can take great photos and capture good video, the experience was limited compared to the iPhone 16.
We’ll have to wait until we test the Pixel 9a ourselves to determine how well its camera setup is. However, as Pixels have a reputation as being some of the best camera phones, we certainly have high expectations.
Pixel 9a promises a longer battery life
Not only does the Pixel 9a promise over a whopping 30 hours of battery life, which is upped to over 100 hours when Extreme Battery Saver is turned on, but Google claims the handset has the best battery life of any Pixel available. We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on the phone to verify those claims, but it certainly sounds promising.
During our time with the iPhone 16e, we found it to be the longest-lasting 6.1-inch iPhone you can buy, as you get a few more hours on a single charge compared to the same-sized iPhone 16. However, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 16e only supports 20W charging and lacks MagSafe which enables faster wireless charging of up to 15W.
Pixel 9a has a larger display
This isn’t necessarily a benefit to either handset, however it’s worth noting that the Pixel 9a is the larger of the two with a 6.3-inch Actua display. The iPhone 16e, on the other hand, is slightly smaller at 6.1 inches and sports a Super Retina XDR screen.
The Pixel 9a’s display is also made with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which, although seemingly outdated, should still protect the display from accidental drops and scratches. On the other hand, the iPhone 16e has a Ceramic Shield front and is made from durable aerospace-grade aluminium, too.
Early Verdict
Arguably, the most significant and most influential deciding factor is whether you want an Android or an iPhone, as you’re likely already well-cemented within one or the other ecosystem.
Having said that, the Pixel 9a seems set to be an exciting addition to the Google Pixel series thanks to its revamped design, promise of a long-lasting battery life, and larger and faster screen. The iPhone 16e, on the other hand, is a more promising update for those who haven’t gotten a new phone in a long time.
We’ll be sure to update this article once we conclusively review the Pixel 9a.
