Google is probably launching the Pixel 9a later today, March 19, 2025, according to multiple online reports. There is no “official” word so to say but going by the bevy of leaks—including full-on unboxing and quick review videos—content going around, it’s safe to say, the launch is just around the corner. If not now, soon. The Pixel 9a is Google’s answer to Apple’s iPhone 16e. Like the iPhone 16e is the most affordable member of the iPhone 16 family, Pixel 9a will be the most affordable device of the Google Pixel 9 series. We will compare both devices soon, but this might just be the right time to gauge interest of people towards each of them individually.
Google Trends is a good place to start. A quick look at it, right about now, suggests one of these new and upcoming phones holds a clear edge. We decided to keep our search window capped to one week, because remember, the Google Pixel 9a is just an “assumption” now, even if people have already unboxed it and shown it off to those looking. We understand that this could give Google an unfair advantage since the iPhone 16e has been around for some time now. Sales began February 28, 2025. So, most people would already have made some opinion about it. Good, bad, whatever. But that is not the case.
Apparently, searches for the iPhone 16e seem to be going through the roof, especially when compared to the Pixel 9a. Curiosity for the Pixel 9a in fact has been abysmal leading into today’s purported launch. Who would have thought?
In terms of numbers, the iPhone 16e maintained a strong and healthy search volume of 55, in the past seven days. The Pixel 9a could only manage a disappointing six. Maybe it’s because Google isn’t marketing the product yet. There was a lot of buzz around the time Google was launching the Pixel 9 series. Cut to Pixel 9a, Google hasn’t even acknowledged its existence at the time of filing of this report. We will surely revisit once there is more clarity on the device and if the speculative timeline is anything to go by, we won’t have to wait very long.
Google Pixel 9a: What to expect
The latest episode on “Google Pixel 9a leaks” gives us a rough estimate about the phone’s expected pricing. As per two separate listings, one spotted in Germany and the other in UAE, the Pixel 9a is said to be priced anywhere between Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000 in INR.
German e-commerce website Expert TechnoMarkt’s listing suggests a starting price of EUR 549 which roughly translates to Rs 52,000. Separately, a classified listing in the UAE, bills it at AED 2,350 which is roughly Rs 56,000. The base variant is expected to come with 128GB of storage. RAM is expected to be 8GB.
A couple of things should come as no surprise. Like for instance, the Pixel 9a is sure to get Google’s Tensor G4 chip, the same processor that is inside the other Pixel 9 series phones, aka, Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Software-wise, it will run Android 15 with seven years of update support.
Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16e
The iPhone 16e has a starting price of Rs 59,900 in India. This is for a version with 128GB storage. You can also get it with 256GB storage for Rs 69,900 and 512GB for Rs 89,900. For the price, you get a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 1.5K resolution and up to 800 nits of peak brightness. The phone has an iPhone 14-style notch upfront with Face ID biometrics. Under the hood, the iPhone 16e has the Apple A18 chip from the iPhone 16 with a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and 16-core NPU.
For photography, the 16e has a single camera on the back with a 48-megapixel sensor behind an f/1.6 lens with OIS. The front camera is a 12-megapixel. The iPhone 16e marks the global debut of Apple’s in-house 5G modem called C1.
