Google unveiled its latest phone this week: the budget-friendly Pixel 9a. It's a great deal — so good, in fact, that it makes Apple's "budget" iPhone 16e look like a bad deal.
The Pixel 9a packs a lot of value into its $499 price tag, including a 6.3-inch Actua display, over 30 hours of battery life, a 48 MP wide/13MP ultrawide dual camera, 4K video, and Google's Gemini AI suite.
It even outperforms the flagship Google Pixel 9 in some areas, like battery life, despite costing $300 less.
If you're looking for a new midrange or budget phone, the Pixel 9a could be one of the best options now, which is great news for anyone in the market for an affordable phone.
Unfortunately for Apple, it could be the last nail in the coffin of the iPhone 16e.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Pixel 9a | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
Display | 6.3-inch Actua | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR |
Rear camera | 48 MP wide, 13 MP ultrawide | 2-in-1 48MP Fusion |
Front camera | 13 MP | 12MP |
Video | Up to 4K | Up to 4K |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
AI | Google Gemini | Apple Intelligence (still rolling out as of March 2025) |
Battery life | Up to 30 hours | Up to 26 hours |
Colors | Purple, pink, black white | Black, white |
Starting price | $499 | $599 |
5 reasons the Pixel 9a is a great deal... and bad news for the iPhone 16e
Pixels have always been among the iPhone's toughest rivals, second only to Samsung. The Pixel 9a is an especially formidable competitor because it's arriving just weeks after Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, the replacement for its budget-friendly iPhone SE.
You're not sacrificing much at all by choosing the Pixel 9a over the flagship Pixel 9, which is a real testament to how much Google values its budget and midrange users. However, the same can't necessarily be said about the iPhone 16e, which seems overpriced when placed side-by-side with the Pixel 9a.
Unless you're dead set on getting a new iPhone, the Pixel 9a is a far better deal than the 16e and a major win for Google in the budget and midrange market. There are five specific reasons the Pixel 9a offers more bang for your buck.
1. The Pixel 9a costs less
While the iPhone 16e may have taken the iPhone SE's spot in Apple's lineup, it didn't inherit the SE's low price.
The 16e starts at $599, over $100 more than the iPhone SE, and features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, a single 48MP Fusion camera, 4K video, and up to 26 hours of battery life.
At first glance, those specs aren't bad and there are even some similarities between the Pixel 9a and the iPhone 16e. However, the few differences stand out even more considering that the iPhone 16e costs $100 more and lacks the full Apple Intelligence features that Apple promised at WWDC 2024.
2. Google Gemini vs Apple Intelligence
Speaking of AI, it's one of the most glaring differences between the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e, at least right now.
While Google's Gemini assistant has been widely available for months, Apple's critical Siri update remains bogged down by delays pushing its release back to 2026 or potentially even later. In fact, Apple is even facing lawsuits for false advertising about Apple Intelligence, which Apple promoted as a key feature on the iPhone 16 line-up, despite the fact that most of those AI features have yet to roll out.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a has the fully-featured Gemini AI assistant available right now (instead of a year or two from now).
3. Better camera
For $100 less, the Pixel 9a delivers a better camera system, with a proper dual camera on the back rather than the "2-in-1" camera on the iPhone 16e. Camera quality is a common sacrifice on budget phones, but the single 48MP Fusion camera on the iPhone 16e cuts a bit too deep for a $599 phone.
With the iPhone 16e, you're relying heavily on computational photography. While the Pixel 9a uses software tricks to improve photo quality, too, at least it has two distinct sensors.
4. Better battery life
The Pixel 9a has up to 30 hours of battery life compared to the 26 hours in the Apple iPhone 16e. That's not a huge difference, but it's still a win for the Pixel, especially since the Pixel 9a actually has better battery life than the flagship Pixel 9, as well. It just goes to show how much Google values its budget users.
5. More color options
Pixel 9a comes in obsidian, porcelain, and peony (a.k.a. black, off-white, pink, and purple). In contrast, the iPhone 16e is only available in black and white. This isn't a deal breaker, but it is nice to have the option for a more colorful design.
Apple is abandoning the budget market. Is it a huge mistake?
Google's timing for launching the Pixel 9a couldn't have been better. It arrived just as Apple was seemingly abandoning the budget market entirely, making Google's latest phone look even better.
It begs the question, is Apple's move to leave its budget users behind a huge mistake?
The tide has already seemed to turn against Apple lately, particularly in AI. With a Siri overhaul potentially years behind, one would think Apple would want to appeal to as wide a user base as possible.
Appealing to budget users who might not mind missing out on AI features to save a little money could have potentially won over some people.
However, now those budget users are left to wonder why they would bother paying more for the "budget" iPhone 16e when they can get more features on the less expensive Pixel 9a.
The Pixel 9a isn't the only great alternative, either! Other Android phones, like the Nothing Phone 3a or 3a Pro, offer better value at a lower price.
Apple may be betting on software to maintain the iPhone user base, including little things like the infamous blue bubbles. Unfortunately, as AI becomes a core part of smartphone software features, Apple's hold in that area may start to slip away.
Only time will tell how Apple's decision to abandon budget users impacts its dominance in the phone market. However, if Apple's lead depends on rolling out its Siri update, Tim Cook's team may be in trouble.
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