I tested the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e’s cameras, and the two almost tied
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from the Business category at
18 Apr 2025 07:23:14 am.
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Google Pixel 9a (left) and Apple iPhone 16e
TheGoogle Pixel 9a’s arch rival, almost regardless of whether you are trying to decide which one to buy, is theApple iPhone 16e. Just like dogs chase cats, a new Pixel phone will go up against an iPhone in a camera test at some point, and over the past week or so, we’ve worked to answer the question of which phone takes better photos, the Pixel 9a or the iPhone 16e.
The camera specs
Google Pixel 9a (left) and Apple iPhone 16e
The two phones have very different camera systems. The Google Pixel 9a has a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), plus a 13MP wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. On the front is a 13MP selfie camera.
On the back of the iPhone 16e is a single 48MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and OIS, and there’s a 12MP selfie camera on the front. That’s it. There’s no wide-angle, macro, or depth sensor on the iPhone 16e, and neither have a telephoto camera. However, both have a shortcut to a 2x zoom in the camera app.
Google Pixel 9a (left) and Apple iPhone 16e
The presence of a wide-angle camera means the Pixel 9a will automatically win for some people, but when I spent time with the iPhone 16e, I realized I didn’t use a wide-angle camera all that often at all, and didn’t miss it. While we can’t compare the Pixel 9a’s wide-angle camera to anything the iPhone 16e offers, don’t automatically assume it’ll change the way you take photos if it is, or if it isn’t, there.
>>>Replacement battery for Google Pixel Fold
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iPhone 16e
2.
Pixel 9a
Before we get started with the photos, if it’s pixels you want, the iPhone 16e delivers. Photos taken with its main camera are 5712 x 4284 pixels in size, while the Pixel 9a’s photos are 4000 x 3000 by default. What this means to you is, the iPhone 16e’s photos will retain more detail if you crop them down, which is exactly what it does to get a decent 2x photo, while the Pixel 9a leaves the pixel count the same. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
Since I started using the Pixel 9a, I’ve found the photos it takes need some editing to bring out more color and pop, and if you don’t bother, they can look a little flat and lifeless. This is illustrated very well when the Pixel 9a is compared to the iPhone 16e’s camera, which has considerably more life, warmth, and color without touching an editing app.
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iPhone 16e
2.
Pixel 9a
The photo of the tulips shows the iPhone’s brightness and vibrance, while the Pixel 9a tones the colors and pop down for a photo that some will call more natural, but others will find it a touch understated. You can see the difference in warmth even more in the next photo, evident in everything from the driveway to the brickwork on the building.
Focal lengths also seem to differ, with the Pixel 9a often focusing on objects deeper into the scene than the iPhone, but that’s not what makes the photo of the coffee and shortbread notable, but rather it’s the white balance. The iPhone 16e’s whites are sharper and less blue than the Pixel 9a, and the overall warmth of the image is visually more attractive.
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iPhone 16e
2.
Pixel 9a
Finally, lets bring all these aspects together in one photo. The iPhone 16e’s greater pixel count becomes clear when you look at the detail on the watch bezel and dial, as does the warmth of its photo and the controlled white balance and black levels. The Pixel 9a’s photo doesn’t leave the same visual impression. The iPhone 16e’s main camera wins the category.
Winner: Apple iPhone 16e
>>>Replacement battery for Google Pixel Fold
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iPhone 16e 2x zoom
2.
Pixel 9a 2x zoom
Remember, neither camera has a dedicated telephoto camera or an optical zoom, and instead encourages you to take 2x zoom photos using a shortcut in each camera app. The iPhone 16e crops its main camera photos down to 4032 x 3024 pixels when you shoot 2x photos, while the Pixel 9a retains the same 4000 x 3000 pixel count as the main camera, and uses AI to enhance the final image.
The first 2x photo of the car shows two distinct differences between the two cameras. The first is a continuation of the iPhone 16e’s more accurate white balance, and the other is the often overly processed look of the iPhone 16e’s 2x shots compared to the Pixel 9a. Not that the Pixel 9a avoids such processing, with jagged lines and noise visible when you crop the image down.
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iPhone 16e 2x zoom
2.
Pixel 9a 2x zoom
The differences in color reproduction is apparent in the second photo of the daffodils. The iPhone’s picture has brighter, more vivid, and more close to real life colors than the Pixel 9a. However, the Pixel 9a’s photo avoids the heavier processing of the iPhone 16e’s photo, and packs in a considerable amount of detail considering it’s not an optical zoom shot.
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iPhone 16e 2x zoom
2.
Pixel 9a 2x zoom
The final photo shows why this category is so close. The Pixel 9a’s photo is sharper and it’s less immediately obvious it’s a digital zoom at work, but there’s noise in the sky and the lack of warmth and color hurts the way it looks at a glance. The iPhone 16e’s photo is less noisy and brighter, but lacks the surprising amount of detail the Pixel 9a’s photo contains. Both take decent digital zoom photos, but it’s a draw here, as there are problems on both sides that affect the final image.
Winner: Draw
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iPhone 16e
2.
Pixel 9a
Shooting in low light produces some interesting results, because often the iPhone 16e took photos that equaled, but slightly differed to the Pixel 9a, and are often brighter too. Yet when you look closely, although aspects are good, the overall quality suffers as the software attempts to make up for the camera’s shortcomings.
The photo of the bird bath was taken in very low light and the Pixel 9a shows more natural colors, has more detail in the objects and background, and less blur too. The iPhone 16e’s photo isn’t bad, but it’s very clearly not working at its best.
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iPhone 16e
2.
Pixel 9a
In the second the iPhone 16e’s excellent white balance is back, but the Pixel 9a’s tones are far more natural and true to life. The car is white, but it didn’t look very white in almost darkness. Plus, I love how stable the shot is, resulting in sharp detail even though there was very little light to help the camera out. The iPhone 16e takes decent lowlight photos, but it can’t beat the Pixel 9a.
Winner: Google Pixel 9a
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The Pixel 9a wins, just
The Google Pixel 9a has won two categories, while the Apple iPhone 16e has only taken a single win, with both phones drawing in the 2x zoom category. This makes the Pixel 9a our narrow winner, but it’s hard to call it thebestwhen it lost the main camera section, which is arguably the most important. I use the main camera far more than I ever use the selfie camera, for example.
I’m not going to take the win away from the Pixel 9a, but do want to use the test as a way to highlight the problems I’ve seen with the main camera throughout my time with it. I have used Google Photos editing suite to “fix” the Pixel 9a’s photos quite a lot, and a lot more than usual too. If you’re set on the Pixel 9a you won’t regret buying it, but the iPhone 16e is a surprisingly capable camera phone too.
Tags: Pixel 9a
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