00:00Can the $500 Pixel 9a really replace my iPhone 16 Pro
00:04that costs twice as much?
00:06Everyone's already been comparing this
00:07to Apple's budget iPhone 16e,
00:10but I wanted to see how it holds up against
00:12what I think is actually the best iPhone you can buy today.
00:15For context, I used to be all in on Google phones.
00:17I've owned every Pixel from the OG to the Pixel 5
00:20until I made the switch to the iPhone 11
00:22and I've stuck with Apple ever since.
00:24So I figured it was time to go back to my roots.
00:26I put down my 16 Pro
00:28and ideally the Pixel 9a for a few weeks straight.
00:31And sure, comparing a mid-range Android phone
00:33to a flagship iPhone isn't exactly Apple's to Pixels,
00:37but with phone prices climbing and budgets getting tighter,
00:40the gap between the two tiers is way closer than you think.
00:43And spoiler, the Pixel 9a is a way better phone
00:46than I expected.
00:49If there's one thing Google's proven over the years,
00:51it's that budget phones don't have to settle
00:53for junky displays.
00:54I'm looking at you, 16e.
00:56Both the Pixel 9a and the 16 Pro rock a 6.3-inch 120Hz screen
01:01and side by side, they look just as sharp and vibrant.
01:04Honestly though, I'd give the edge to the 9a,
01:07mainly because of its higher peak brightness when outdoors.
01:10Really, the only giveaway that the 9a isn't a flagship
01:13is the slightly thicker bezels you get.
01:15And even then, I couldn't care less
01:18when the screen itself looks this good.
01:20In fact, I'd argue that the 9a looks more premium at a glance.
01:24The punch hole camera cutout is smaller
01:26and way less distracting, which made shows
01:28and full screen apps feel noticeably more immersive.
01:31Meanwhile, Apple's dynamic island, yeah, let's be real,
01:35it's never been some groundbreaking feature.
01:37Face ID still needs somewhere to live after all.
01:39Anyway, Google also cleaned up the 9a's design
01:42in another really big way.
01:44The camera bump, it's gone, finally.
01:48Now the back is basically flush and I'm here for it,
01:51especially since it gives us a really nice boost
01:53to battery capacity.
01:55It might be a budget phone, but it's simple, clean design
01:58actually makes the 9a my favorite looking phone of 2025 so far.
02:03Maybe it's just me, but the iPhone's camera bump,
02:05it's long overstayed its welcome.
02:07Apple, it's time for a facelift.
02:10But a great design doesn't mean much
02:14if the software driving it gets in the way.
02:16The day-to-day experience between Android 15 and iOS 18
02:20feels way closer than it used to.
02:22Now that iOS has fully embraced widgets
02:24and added a decent amount of customization,
02:26you're no longer completely stuck in Apple's walled garden,
02:30at least not the way you used to.
02:32A lot of iOS's newer features definitely feel
02:35like they were inspired by Android.
02:37It was around this point where I realized
02:39that iOS has come a really long way.
02:42There were really only a few iOS exclusives
02:44that I genuinely missed, Apple News being the big one.
02:47Beyond that though, pretty much everything else I used
02:50had a native Android app,
02:52which isn't something I could have said five years ago.
02:54Now here's a cool thing that I completely forgot Android had.
02:57When you're in your maps, if you minimize it,
03:00you actually get a widget overlay.
03:02That way you can continue to use your phone
03:04and still have your turn-by-turn directions.
03:07That's one feature I wish Apple would steal from Android.
03:10Of course, I can't bring up iOS
03:11without mentioning iMessage, AirDrop, and continuity,
03:15especially when you're also using it
03:16with an iPad or a MacBook.
03:19Not being able to seamlessly share files, reply to text,
03:22or even copy and paste simple links
03:24between my Pixel 9a and my other devices.
03:27At that point, I just wasn't sure I was gonna make it
03:29through this challenge.
03:30But here's where the Pixel really had a chance to win me back.
03:35The Pixel 9a comes loaded with genuinely useful AI features.
03:40And it's not just gimmicks or half-baked promises.
03:43Circle to Search is the MVP.
03:46You can literally draw a circle around anything on your screen,
03:49a video you're watching, a text you can't read,
03:51and boom, instant Google results.
03:54It's a fun and easy way to learn more about the content on screen
03:58without needing to switch out of my app.
04:00Call screen is still criminally underrated too,
04:03and I didn't realize how much I missed it
04:05when I gave up my Pixel years ago.
04:07When an unknown number rings the phone can pick up for you,
04:10you can just watch a live transcript of the call
04:13as it's happening.
04:14It's the perfect way to dodge spam, and to be fair,
04:16a lot of those awkward conversations
04:18that I just don't feel like having at that moment,
04:20and I love that feature.
04:21And then there's my surprise favorite, Gemini.
04:24I used it way more than I thought I would.
04:27It's not just a voice assistant,
04:28it's like having a full-on smart helper
04:30that you can talk to naturally, ask follow-up questions,
04:34and even have it describe what it's looking at
04:36with your Pixel's rear camera.
04:38What tree am I looking at?
04:39Wow, that's a beautiful cherry blossom tree.
04:43Are you wondering about the specific type of cherry blossom,
04:46or do you have something else in mind?
04:47When does it bloom?
04:49It's blooming right now.
04:50Kwanzaan cherry trees usually bloom in mid-spring.
04:53Even for simpler stuff like asking for a restaurant recommendation
04:57the other day, Gemini didn't just spit out a list.
05:00It gave me actual context to help me decide where to go.
05:04Find me a good Japanese barbecue restaurant near 42nd Street
05:08that's not too expensive.
05:10I found two Japanese barbecue restaurants near 42nd Street
05:14that fit your criteria.
05:16Gyukaku Japanese Barbecue.
05:18This restaurant is praised for its high-quality meats,
05:21exceptional service, and overall amazing experience.
05:24So let's see how well Siri can do.
05:26Siri does give me the same result,
05:28but it only gives me one option.
05:30Doesn't give me the whole little backstory and context
05:32if I wanted to learn a little bit more.
05:33If someone's maybe a little bit pickier
05:35or isn't familiar with the restaurant,
05:38this isn't as detailed as I'd like.
05:40And it's not just that Siri's responses
05:42felt more basic in comparison.
05:44Gemini quickly and reliably gave me the info I wanted,
05:48so much so that it became the smarter way to find things,
05:52instead of just bouncing between Maps, Yelp,
05:54and a bunch of other browser tabs.
05:56And if you're curious just how far Pixel's AI has come,
06:00including all the crazy stuff like photo editing
06:02and generative art, you can check my full deep dive,
06:06link below.
06:08If you know me, you know that I'm all about cameras.
06:11As someone who shoots a ton of content for work,
06:13any phone I carry has to be a powerhouse
06:15for both photos and videos.
06:17So how does this year's budget Pixel stack up?
06:20The Pixel 9a has a really solid dual camera system,
06:23and in daylight, it absolutely holds its own.
06:26Photos and videos come out sharp,
06:28even in tough high-contrast scenes,
06:29and for the most part, I didn't have any major complaints.
06:32Portrait mode is good,
06:34but when you put it side-by-side with the 16 Pro,
06:37you don't quite get that same depth of field.
06:40Telephoto performance is where things get
06:42a little bit more interesting, though.
06:44Because the iPhone 16 Pro does have that dedicated
06:47five times 12-megapixel telephoto lens,
06:49it does take the lead.
06:51Although, at similar zoom levels and good lighting,
06:53the Pixel 9a isn't too far behind.
06:56When you start Pixel peeping, yes,
06:57the iPhone definitely shows more detail
06:59and better depth of field,
07:01and you can see where the 9a is actually leaning
07:03on software magic to sharpen things up.
07:05But still, it's impressive how far
07:07Google's computational photography has come.
07:10Once the lights go down, though,
07:11it's a different story.
07:13The 9a starts to show its limits even more.
07:16And if I wasn't standing perfectly still,
07:17shots would get blurry really fast.
07:20That carries over into video, too,
07:22where the 16 Pro easily takes the win.
07:25It's got better stabilization,
07:26especially with its telephoto lens,
07:29better dynamic range and harsh lighting,
07:31and much cleaner, less jittery low-light footage.
07:34I might do a blind test soon
07:35just to see how close these phones can look
07:38in the same conditions,
07:39but if cameras are your top priority,
07:41the Pixel 9a is still a very much good
07:44for the price option,
07:45just not the iPhone 16 killer you thought it might be.
07:48So a few weeks in,
07:52what was replacing my iPhone 16 Pro
07:54with the Pixel 9a like?
07:56Honestly, it revealed a lot.
07:57First, the Pixel 9a is an insanely good value.
08:01I got flagship-level performance,
08:03an arguably better display,
08:04especially for outdoors,
08:05and AI tools that I actually wanted to use,
08:08all for $500.
08:10And that's before any of the promos
08:11or discounts that we frequently see.
08:14It reminded me why I love the Pixel series
08:16and got hooked on it in the first place.
08:18And for a lot of people,
08:19this is hands down the phone you should buy today.
08:22But has it fully won me back?
08:25Not quite.
08:25And that's not because the Pixel 9a isn't good enough,
08:28because for its price, it's absolutely stellar.
08:30Ultimately, this whole challenge showed me
08:32that it's not really about hardware or even software
08:35that keeps me loyal to my iPhone.
08:37It's the ecosystem.
08:38And it's that ecosystem that more than makes up
08:40for the underwhelming Siri
08:42and honestly what feels like a few years
08:44without any real invasion on iPhone's front.
08:46All that to say, the Pixel 9a made a lasting impression,
08:49especially with its genuinely useful Gemini features,
08:52which yeah, I'm gonna miss
08:54when I switch back to my iPhone.
08:56At its budget price point,
08:57this phone offers a lot for $500.
09:00But what do you think?
09:01Could you ever make the switch?
09:02Let me know in the comments below.
09:04If you want more comparisons
09:05or deep dives on tech content,
09:06subscribe and turn on notifications
09:08so you don't miss my next video.
09:09You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide
09:11and you can follow me to see
09:12what other cool tech I'm reviewing.
09:14And that's a wrap.
09:15Stay tuned for more tech goodness.
09:17And until the next one, I'll catch you later.
Comments