Home Phone comparison Google Pixel 9a and Apple iPhone 16 - Which is better?

Google Pixel 9a vs Apple iPhone 16

76 out 100
Google Pixel 9a
VS
86 out 100
Apple iPhone 16
Google Pixel 9a
Apple iPhone 16

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 9a Manufactured in April, 2025, with display 6.3 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G4, vs Apple iPhone 16, Manufactured in September, 2024with chipsetApple A18. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 9a
  • Larger display: 6.3in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 5100mAh vs 3561mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 16
  • Higher pixel density: 460ppi
  • Lighter design: 170g vs 186g
  • Supports Dolby Atmos

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB		 - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 9a and Apple iPhone 16
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Google Pixel 9a
vs
Apple iPhone 16

Display

Display quality comparison
Type POLED OLED
Size 6.3 in 6.1 in
Resolution 1080x2424 pixels 1179x2556 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 422 ppi 460 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 2700 nits 2000 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 84.5 % 86.4 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
1719 nits
sRGB gamutn/a99.7 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a60 Hz
Response timen/a3 ms
Contrastn/a∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 16]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 154.7 mm (6.09 in) 147.6 mm (5.81 in)
Width 73.3 mm (2.89 in) 71.6 mm (2.82 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.8 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 186 g (6.56 oz) 170 g (6 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Red
- Purple		 - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Pink
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display No
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 9a
84.5 %
Apple iPhone 16
86.4 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 9a and Apple iPhone 16 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G4 Apple A18
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 4040 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.92 (Cortex-A520)
- 3/2.6 (Cortex-A720)
- 1/3.1 (Cortex-X4)		 - 4/2.42 (Sawtooth)
- 2/4.05 (Everest)
Process Samsung TSMC
Transistor Size 4 nm 3 nm
Neural Processor Yes Neural Engine
Graphics Mali-G715 MP7 Apple A18 GPU
GPU Cores 896 640
GPU Frequency 940 MHz 1490 MHz
FLOPS 1792 GFLOPS 1907 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 9a
1677
Apple iPhone 16
3283
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 9a
4067
Apple iPhone 16
8094
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)16773283
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)40678094
Geekbench Compute (GPU)778428055
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Google Pixel 9a], [Apple iPhone 16]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 9a
991079
Apple iPhone 16
1580390
CPU161737439113
GPU464865611111
Memory191750181791
UX172727348375
NanoReview Score9910791580390
3DMark Wild Life
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 16]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR5X
Memory Frequency 4200 MHz n/a
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB		128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1NVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 15 iOS 18 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5)
OS Size n/a 16 GB
UI Skin Stock Android n/a

Battery

Volume 5100 mAh 3561 mAh
Max Charging Power 23 W 30 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging n/a Yes
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 30 min) Yes (59% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time n/a 1:42 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
29:45
Web Browsingn/a13:44 h
Video Playbackn/a18:09 h
Gamesn/a05:56 h
Standby Moden/a130 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 8064x6048 pixels
Zoom Digital 116
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
Lenses count Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 MP		 Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix50 MP48 MP
Aperturef/1.7f/1.6
Focal length25 mm26 mm
Sensor size1/1.21/1.56
Pixel size0.8 μm1 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix13 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a13 mm
Sensor size1/3.1n/a
Pixel sizen/a0.7 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
149
Video quality
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
154
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
147
Bokehn/a80
Previewn/a84
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 16]

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.9
Focal length 20 mm 23 mm
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.1 1/3.6
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus n/a Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No Yes

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes Yes
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*1n/a
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19UMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B41/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B53/B66/B71)
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo n/a
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 9a
n/a
Apple iPhone 16
90.4 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced March, 2025 yr September, 2024 yr
Release Date April, 2025 yr September, 2024 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 799
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
Charger Included No No

Note

Apple iPhone 16:

The US model is eSIM-only, while the international version offers both a physical SIM slot and eSIM support.

* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 16 the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below