Pixel 9a vs iPhone 16e: Google takes many digs at Apple as it compares the two phones

Pixel 9a vs iPhone 16e

Google just dropped the Pixel 9a and decided to do a rather unconventional thing — officially compare it to Apple’s iPhone 16e. The result? Let’s just say the word “comparison” feels generous in Google’s world.

First up: Google decided to pitch the cameras together. According to Google, Pixel phones have long been known for punch-above-their-price-point photography, and the 9a continues that streak with a 48 MP main shooter and a 13 MP ultrawide. The iPhone 16e? One camera. That’s it. No ultrawide, no telephoto—just a single lens trying to keep up, says Google.

Google also believes that snapping the photo is just the start. The real magic is in the editing, and here, the Pixel 9a flexes hard, as pr Google.  With AI tools like Add Me (which seamlessly adds the photographer into the group photo) and Best Take (because someone always blinks), it’s like having a mini photo studio in your pocket. Magic Editor lets you move objects, retouch scenes, or straight-up delete distractions.

As for AI, other phones may talk the talk, but Google firmly believes that Pixel 9a walks it. It’s built from the ground up with Google’s own AI, not just slapped on after the fact. Gemini is baked into the system—pulling info from Gmail, Maps, YouTube Music, Drive, and more. Just talk to Gemini Live and it keeps up, even if you change your mind mid-sentence. Circle to Search means no more app-switching just to look something up.

Even the basics are smarter. Call Assist clears up voices, blocks spam, and gives you real-time call screening. In other words, Pixel 9a is more of an AI phone than the iPhone 16e, according to Google.

Now for the price: Pixel 9a starts at Rs 49,999 for 128GB. The iPhone 16e? Rs 59,999 for the same storage. That’s 20% more cash for fewer years of software support (Apple gives five; Google promises seven), lower display brightness, and fewer features, says Google. For the record, Apple never ever comments on how many years of support it gives any iPhone. Apple is known to have given seven years of support as well to older iPhones.

“That didn’t turn out to be much of a comparison, did it?”, as per Google.