The Google Pixel 9a is now official, and a ton of information has flowed in about this new phone. With it set to launch in April, we’re getting ready to see it go up against Apple’s equivalent, the iPhone 16e. But, is this phone really equivalent? Obviously, these two devices are going to be compared to one another, but the Pixel 9a really makes us wonder why you’d even want an iPhone 16e.
According to the news, the iPhone 16e is selling rather well, already outselling the older iPhone SE model. That’s quite a feat considering that it’s been on the market for only a few weeks. So, people like the phone, but it’s much to the confusion of the market. It’s become a bit of a social pariah among reviewers and tech nerds alike.
This all left us wondering what Google was going to do with the heavily-leaked Pixel 9a. The Pixel “A” series, like the iPhone SE (and “e” series by extension), has seen price hikes over the years. Be that as it may, we’ve still received some pretty stellar devices.
The Pixel 9a should make you wonder why people like the iPhone 16e
Now that the Pixel 9a is out in the open, we know a fair amount of information about it. With the information we have about the phone, we can tell that it excels in areas where the iPhone 16e takes a knee.
First, let’s talk about price
Let’s address that proverbial elephant; the Pixel 9a starts at $100 less than the iPhone 16e. When we found out that the iPhone 16e would start at $599, we were all pretty shocked. This is supposed to be Apple’s “affordable” phone, right? $600 is starting to approach the premium mid-ranger price range. Remember, this is for a phone with 128GB of storage.
In comes the Pixel 9a starting at $499 for 128GB of storage. Granted, that’s not super impressive either, but it’s sure as heck better than Apple’s offering. Upgrading to 256GB with the Pixel 9a will bring the price up to $599. So, you can literally pay the same amount of money for an iPhone 16e and get a phone with double the storage.
Even though it’s cheaper, the Pixel 9a still gives you a full flagship-grade experience. You’re still getting the latest version of Android, all the AI fixings, full software support, Google’s latest Tensor chip, and everything else. Much like how the iPhone 16e gives you a full iPhone experience for less money, the Pixel 9a gives you a full Pixel experience for less money.
Well… scratch that; the iPhone 16e doesn’t give you a full iPhone experience. Apple neutered the whole experience to sell you a phone that’s not even all that cheap.
Next, there’s the camera
Can someone tell us why Apple, in the year of our lord 2025, decided to deliver a $600 phone with one camera? There’s no doubt that the Pixel 9a puts the iPhone 16e to shame when it comes to the camera. Not only are Google’s Pixel phones some of the best camera phones on the market, but they come with an additional lens- you know, for additional functionality.
It has an ultrawide camera, something that’s been standard in the industry for years. There’s no need to explain the utility of that camera. So, the Pixel 9a’s camera package is more useful. It can do what the iPhone 16e’s camera can do (which is just zoom in to 2x) and give you an ultrawide zoom. Also, with Google’s image processing, you know that you’re going to get a stellar experience. Even if these phones’ cameras go toe-to-toe, we know that Google’s camera will produce top-of-the-line results and be more useful.
Let’s talk about processing power
Both the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e use the same processors present in their flagship siblings. However, this is only on paper. The Pixel 9a comes with the Tensor G4, which is the same processor powering the Pixel 9 series.
The iPhone 16e comes with the Apple A18 chip, but not the same one powering the iPhone 16 phones. The company used a lower-powered version of the chip. So, while the Pixel 9a is getting the same flagship experience as its more affordable counterparts, the iPhone 16e isn’t. That’s pretty disappointing. There are phones around the same price using a flagship Snapdragon processor from this generation (or last generation) that gives them smooth-as-silk performance.
We have to mention the display
This is another area that makes us confused as to why people like the iPhone 16e. It sports a display that’s been long abandoned by the industry. We were shocked to see that Apple stuck with the ugly intrusive notch at the top of the display. It’s for the Face ID sensor, but the company couldn’t have gone with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner?
The Pixel 9a offers a less intrusive punch-hole and it comes with an under-display fingerprint scanner. So, you’re already getting a more immersive display. Along with that, the Pixel 9a comes with a much smoother 120Hz display. This makes the iPhone 16e’s display look even more antiquated. Even a 90Hz refresh rate would have been welcomed. There are phones in the $200 range that come with 120Hz refresh rates, so Apple can’t make the “it’s to keep the price down” argument.
Not only that, but that phone’s display has a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, and it only reaches 800 nits in high-brightness mode. The Pixel 9a’s display can reach much higher. In its high-brightness mode, it can reach 1,800 nits and it reaches a peak of 2,700 nits. So, this phone’s screen is more than twice as bright as what you get with the iPhone 16e. That’s pretty sad, as, again, there are phones that cost half as much as the iPhone 16e that have screens much brighter.
Admittedly, the refresh rate is a bit of a luxury; it’s not THAT important. However, brightness is more of an essential aspect of the display. You want to be able to see it in most lighting conditions. There’s no reason why cheaper phones are running circles around the iPhone 16e.
The Pixel 9a is superior, and it’s all about mentality
Every cheaper phone comes with some level of compromise, but we’re seeing two completely different mentalities between the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e. Google wants to give users a great smartphone experience for a lower price. If you can’t buy a Pixel 9 proper, you can always go for a Pixel 9a and still get an experience worth writing home about.
Apple wants to use its name to give you an experience that’s good enough. There was no effort on the company’s part to give you a compelling reason to buy it. Apple delivered an underpowered iPhone, and it slid by delivering BS marketing terms like “Fusion Camera” and “Integrated Telephoto” for its single camera and comparing the phone to three-year-old iPhones. It’s charging people the absurd $600 price just because it’s an iPhone, and it’s the cheapest option.
Rather than focusing on giving people useful features to make people feel like they’re getting a deal, the company is giving you an ancient screen, a single camera, mid-range storage, and a lower-powered chip all wrapped up in an uninspired and outdated package. The fact that it’s popular shows how much Apple has hypnotized its fan base to accept major compromises just to have a phone with the fruit logo on the back.
The Pixel 9a is the superior device, not because of the screen, processor, or camera. It’s superior because of Google’s mentality. The company understands that people want to feel like they’re getting more for the money they spend. It’s about the Experience, not Exclusivity.
The Pixel 9a will sell well, and we’re sure that it will make us all question why anyone even liked the iPhone 16e in the first place.
