Google Pixel 10a vs iPhone 16e: which budget phone could win?

Google Pixel 10a (rumored)

iPhone 16e

Starting price

$499

$599

Display

6.28-inch AMOLED

6.1-inch OLED

Refresh rate

120Hz

60Hz

Rear cameras

48MP main, 13MP ultrawide

48MP main

Front cameras

13MP selfie

12MP selfie

Chipset

Google Tensor G5

Apple A18

RAM

8GB

8GB

Storage

128GB, 256GB

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery

5,100 mAh

4,005 mAh

Charging

23W wired, 7.5W wireless

20W wired, 7.5W wireless

Operating system

Android 16

iOS 18 (upgradeable to iOS 26)

Water/dust resistance

IP68

IP68

Preorders for the Pixel 10a will begin on February 18, a month earlier than when the Pixel 9a launched last year. That’s not too long to wait, although the iPhone 16e has been on sale since February 2025.

The Pixel 10a and the iPhone 16e are not phones you’d mistake for one another. From the front, the distinctive notch on the iPhone is easy to tell apart from the small punch-hole camera we assume to be in the Pixel 10a’s display. And from the back, the Pixel’s pill-shaped camera housing looks nothing like the single, protruding sensor on the iPhone’s rear panel.

(Image credit: Android Headlines & OnLeaks)

In your hand though, there’s not much separating these two phones. The Pixel 10a should be 0.1 inches larger, and a few dozen grams heavier than the iPhone 16e, but that’s likely not something you’re going to feel day-to-day.

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There’s more of a difference with the displays, as Google uses a 120Hz panel on its cheaper Pixels, while Apple has stuck with 60Hz. It’s easy to notice if you were to scroll around on both phones.

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Google is expected to be more generous with its cameras once again compared to Apple. The Pixel 10a, just like the Pixel 9a, should feature 48MP main and 13MP ultrawide cameras on the back, and a 13MP selfie camera on the front. The iPhone 16e has 48MP main and 12MP selfie cameras, but no ultrawide.

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)

Apple and Google both have sophisticated algorithms to tune up the images taken on its phones, meaning the iPhone 16e and Pixel 9a both still produce great photos. We expect the Pixel 10a to be no different, and that should mean for overall versatility, it’ll be better than the iPhone.

With a tipped capacity of 5,100 mAh, the Pixel 10a’s battery is significantly larger than the iPhone 16e’s, which has a 4,005 mAh capacity. But Pixels are generally weaker on power efficiency than other devices, whereas iPhones tend to punch above their weight when it comes to battery life, so the results could be closer than expected.

Looking at the iPhone 16e’s performance on the TG battery test (12 hours 41 minutes) against the current Pixel 9a (13 hours 8 minutes), we see that the Pixel wins, but only by 27 minutes. Whether the Pixel 10a will be able to keep that lead, or even improve it, remains to be seen.

Assuming the Pixel 10a keeps the older model’s charging capabilities, it will have 23W wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging. The iPhone 16e charges at a slightly slower 20W, but has the same 7.5W wireless capabilities. Sadly, there’s no MagSafe support for the 16e, unlike any other new iPhone you can buy.

We expect the Pixel 10a to launch with Android 16, the latest version of Google’s OS. That should mean it can run all of the features offered by the other Pixel 10 series phones, excepting the folding-related ones of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. However, whether Google decides to hold some features back for its more premium phones remains to be seen. We could equally be lucky and see some new features appear on the Pixel 10a first before rolling out to other Pixels.

The Pixel 9a (Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)

The iPhone 16e now ships with iOS 26. While the Liquid Glass design is controversial to say the least, it is still the latest version of iOS with all of its features available. The only small limitation compared to other new iPhones is that the iPhone 16e, since it lacks a Camera Control key, can only access Apple’s Visual Intelligence tools by assigning it as an Action Button shortcut.

As things stand, it appears that the Google Pixel 10a should still be the better deal compared to the iPhone 16e. But whether it’s better to use in the real world beyond the specs sheet is a different question, as it has many of the same specs as the Pixel 9a.

The iPhone 16e will remain the cheapest new iPhone you can buy, which is likely enough to convince a number of users to spend their money. It will also most likely be the better performing phone too, which is perhaps good for gamers and other users of demanding apps, provided the 60Hz refresh rate isn’t an issue for them.