Phone Comparisons: Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e

Both Google and Apple announced their budget smartphones very recently. We are here to compare those two devices, actually. We’ll be comparing the Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e. Do note that the Pixel 9a is $100 more affordable than the iPhone 16e from the get-go. We will be listing the specs of both phones, and following that, we’ll go over various different sections, including their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio.

We do hope that this comparison will help you make your final purchasing decision, although do remember this is not a review or anything close to it. We’ll simply lay down some facts for you to check out and compare the devices directly. There’s plenty to talk about, so, let’s get started, shall we?

Specs

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple 16e, respectively

– Screen size:
6.3-inch pOLED display (120Hz, HDR, 2,700 nits)
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 60Hz, HDR, 1,300 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2424 x 1080
2532 x 1170
– SoC:
Google Tensor G4
Apple A18 (3nm, 4-core GPU)
– RAM:
8GB
8GB
– Storage:
128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1)
128GB/256GB/512GB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
48MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.0-inch sensor size, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS), 13MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 1/3.1-inch sensor size)
48MP (wide, f/1.6 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF, OIS)
– Front cameras:
13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 96.1-inch sensor size)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size)
– Battery:
5,100mAh
4,005mAh
– Charging:
23W wired, 7.5W wireless (charger not included)
30W wired, 7.5W Qi wireless
– Dimensions:
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9mm
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm
– Weight:
185.9 grams
167 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Under-display fingerprint scanner (optical)
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
Android 15
iOS 18
– Price:
$499+
$599+
– Buy:
Google Pixel 9a (Google)
Apple iPhone 16e

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e: Design

These two phones do look notably different, so recognizing which is which is simple. The Pixel 9a has thicker bezels on the front and a centered display camera hole. The iPhone 16e utilizes a display notch. Both smartphones do include flat displays, though, and both of them have uniform bezels. The corner curvature on the two phones is not that different, they both offer considerably rounded corners.

You’ll notice that the frame is flat on both smartphones, all around. The power/lock and volume up and down buttons sit on the right-hand side of the Pixel 9a. The power/lock button is placed above the volume rocker keys. The iPhone 16e has a power/lock button on the right, while the Action Button and volume rocker keys are placed on the right. This smartphone does not offer a Camera Control key, unlike its siblings.

Both smartphones also have a flat back. It does look different, though. The Pixel 9a has two vertically-aligned cameras in the top-left corners, and they do not protrude on the back. The iPhone 16e has a single camera in that same corner, and it does protrude a bit. Both smartphones utilize aluminum for their frames, but their backplates are different. The Pixel 9a has plastic on the back, while the iPhone 16e has glass.

Apple’s handset is considerably more compact, it also has a smaller display. It is shorter, narrower, and thinner than the Pixel 9a. In addition to that, it’s also 9 grams lighter in comparison. Both smartphones come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e: Display

The Google Pixel 9a features a 6.3-inch fullHD+ (2424 x 1080) pOLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports HDR content. This is also a Smooth Display (60-120Hz refresh rate), and its peak brightness is 2,700 nits, in theory. The display aspect ratio here is 20:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is around 83%. The Gorilla Glass 3 from Corning is used to protect the display.

The Apple iPhone 16e, on the other hand, has a 6.1-inch 2532 x 1170 Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports HDR10 content. Apple opted not to offer a high refresh rate here, you’re stuck at 60Hz The peak brightness here is 1,200 nits, and the screen-to-body ratio is at around 87%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while this display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.

Both of these displays look good. They’re vivid, have good viewing angles and have good touch response. The blacks are also deep on both displays, as expected. The thing is, the iPhone 16e’s panel does lack in several ways. The Pixel 9a’s panel does get brighter, and it also supports a high refresh rate, unlike the iPhone 16e’s panel. Neither display offers a high-frequency PWM dimming, though.

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e: Performance

The Google Pixel 9a is fueled by the Google Tensor G4 processor. That is Google’s 4nm chip which is also used in the Pixel 9 flagships. Google combines that with 8GB of RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage inside of this phone. The Apple iPhone 16e is fueled by the Apple A18 chip, a 3nm processor, but not the same one that is used in the iPhone 16. This one has one less GPU core to offer. The phone comes with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage.

We haven’t used either device for long at this point, but from what we’ve been able to see, both of them offer really good performance. They’re responsive and snappy. That is to be expected considering the performance-related hardware here. Chances are that they’ll offer good performance overall for quite some time.

Gaming is another area that we did not test yet, that’s something we’ll handle in our review(s). Still, based on the specs here, we do expect both phones to be quite capable gaming-wise. The iPhone 16e could end up handling the most demanding games a bit better, though, despite the fact it lost one GPU core compared to the iPhone 16. Low and mid-range games, in terms of graphical demands, should be a piece of cake for both phones.

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e: Battery

There is a 5,100mAh battery included inside the Google Pixel 9a. That battery is notably larger than the one in the Pixel 8a, and a lot larger than the one in the iPhone 16e. The iPhone 16e has a 4,005mAh unit. Do note that such battery capacity is quite considerable for an iPhone with this display size. So, don’t let the battery capacity fool you, the iPhone 16e is nothing to scoff at in terms of battery life.

From what we’ve seen, the iPhone 16e has solid battery life. It’s not to the level of the iPhone 16, not even close, but it’s solid nonetheless. It remains to be seen what will the Pixel 9a offer in terms of battery life, but judging by what we’re seeing from the spec side, the battery life should be one of the phone’s strong suits. Our review is coming, so you’ll be able to see the results of battery tests there.

When it comes to charging, neither phone shines particularly bright. The Pixel 9a supports 23W wired, and 7.5W wireless (Qi) charging. The iPhone 16e is supposed to offer 30W wired charging, but it doesn’t really go over 24W, and it also drops down to 18W gradually. The iPhone 16e takes almost two hours to fully charge, while we’re still not sure about the Pixel 9a. Apple’s handset also offers 7.5W (Qi) wireless charging. Neither phone comes with a charger in the box.

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e: Cameras

The Google Pixel 9a features two cameras on the back. It includes a 48-megapixel main camera (f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.0-inch sensor size, OIS) and a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (f/2.2 aperture, 1/3.1-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). The Apple iPhone 16e includes one camera on the back. The phone ships with a 12-megapixel unit (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size).

While the Pixel 9a has a smaller sensor than the Pixel 8a, it’s still a lot larger than the one Apple used. Unfortunately, Apple did not use the same camera sensor as in the iPhone 16, not at all. This one is actually quite small in comparison. We did not get a chance to test out the Pixel 9a’s camera properly just yet, but we do expect it to offer better performance than what the iPhone 16e brings to the table. Chances are that we’ll see most differences in low light.

The Pixel 9a also has a more versatile camera setup, as it has that ultrawide unit on the back. Google could have, arguably, used a telephoto camera on the back instead of this one, as it arguably brings more to the table than the ultrawide one. That does differ from user to user, though.

Audio

Both of these smartphones have stereo speakers on the inside. The ones inside the Apple iPhone 16e are louder than the ones inside the Pixel 8a, but the difference is not that big, actually. The sound quality is good from both phones.

There is no audio jack on either one of these two phones, but you can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones. Both smartphones also support Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless audio connections.

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