The Google Pixel 9a May Be Cheaper Than The iPhone 16e, But One Feature May Give It More Value

The March to April period of every year is lean as far as smartphone launches are concerned. By the time we reach this time of the year, the latest flagship-grade iPhones are nearly 6 months old, the Samsung Galaxy S-series has been around for 3 months, and the most important smartphone-focused tech event — the 2025 Mobile World Congress — is done and dusted.

2025, however, is turning out to be slightly different in that there appears to be a lot more action in this time period than before. It started with Apple coming out with its cheapest new iPhone during the launch of the iPhone 16e towards the end of February. With a starting price of $599, the iPhone 16e clearly had the $499 Google Pixel 8a in sight, which is almost a year old now, having been around since May 2024. 

Now, Google has advanced the announcement of its affordable mid-range Pixel 9a by a couple of months. The Pixel 8a, despite being affordable, shared the family look of the rest of the Pixel lineup, especially with the recognizable horizontal camera bump (with two rear-facing cameras, as opposed to the iPhone 16e's single camera) that traverses the width of the top quarter. This trademark bump is no longer part of the Pixel 9a. The phone also looks a lot sharper than the 8a, thanks to the flat edges that make it look like a previous gen iPhone. Although the absence of the iconic camera bump may disappoint some, the overall design feels more polished and mature.

The first significant hardware change on the Pixel 9a over its immediate predecessor is the larger 6.3-inch Actua display (compared to 6.1-inch earlier). It is also brighter, with a peak brightness level of 2700 nits (2000 nits on the Pixel 8a). The Pixel 9a, despite growing slightly larger in size, is still lighter than the 8a, only by a couple of grams, though. The Pixel 9a also gets improved battery life thanks to a much larger 5100 mAh battery than the 8a's 4492 mAh unit. With Google's Extreme Battery Saver mode on, the 9a can last up to 100 hours on a single charge, compared to just 72 hours with the Pixel 8a.

The Pixel 9a gets Google's Tensor G4 chip, which also powers the company's flagship grade Pixel 9 lineup. The phone is offered in two storage options — 128 GB and 256GB — with 8 GB RAM offered on both variants.

The Pixel lineup has always been known for its excellent cameras, and the Pixel 9a is no exception. The main camera at the rear uses a 48 MP sensor, which appears to be a downgrade as opposed to the 64 MP sensor on the Pixel 8a. But then, Google's Pixel smartphones have relied more on their image processing and computational photography algorithm than raw hardware. What's new with the Pixel 9a's camera this time is the arrival of features like Macro Focus and Add Me. 

One of the Pixel 9a's biggest features that the iPhone 6e doesn't come with is the secondary rear-facing 13 MP ultrawide camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. At the front, the phone also gets a 13 MP selfie camera.

The Google Pixel 9a's base 128 GB trim of the phone is priced under $500, making it substantially cheaper than the base iPhone 16e. However, it may be a good idea to pay slightly more money and go for the 256 GB option, which will leave you with more storage space for all those photos you plan to capture with the ultrawide camera.

The Pixel 9a with 128GB internal storage will have a starting price of $499, while the Pixel 9a with 256GB internal storage will cost $599. Pre-orders for the Pixel 9a will start on March 19, 2025, through the Google Store online, and through Google's retail partners starting on March 26.  UPDATE: There will be no pre-orders, and all availability from the Google Store and retail partners will begin in April 2025.

Google offers the Pixel 9a in four color options: Iris, Peony, Porcelain, and Obsidian, with the last color option being the only one carried forward from the Pixel 8a. These color options make the Pixel 9a look a lot more vibrant compared to the colors of the iPhone 16e.

The Google Pixel 9a gets Android 15 at launch, and like its predecessor, is qualified to receive 7 years of software updates, which essentially means that the phone you buy in 2025 should work fine well into the early 2030s. Given that the Pixel 9a is IP68 rated, there is a good chance that the phone may actually last that long. As added bonuses, buyers in the U.S. also get a 3-month subscription to Google One, a 1-month subscription to YouTube Premium, and a 6-month subscription to Fitbit Premium.