I used both compact flagships, here’s the one I’d buy

  • iPhone-16-Product-Tag

    iPhone 16

    The iPhone 16 packs a new A18 processor, an upgraded ultrawide lens, and a slight redesign of the rear camera bump. There’s also the Action button and the Camera Control button, which give you specialized control over your smartphone. Like last year, the iPhone 16 has a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island. It’ll also get Apple Intelligence later this year, though AI features aren’t available at launch.

    Pros

    • A18 processor is snappy and will enable Apple Intelligence features later
    • Camera Control button will make taking photos and videos easier
    • Camera bump redesign and fresh colors look sleek and snazzy
    Cons

    • Apple Intelligence not available at launch
    • No telephoto lens
    • 60Hz display and USB 2.0 port

  • Google Pixel 9 in Peony

    Google Pixel 9

    The Pixel 9 is the latest compact flagship from Google, and it features yet another redesign. The chamfered rectangular edges make it look more like an iPhone, and the iconic Pixel camera bar now has an oval shape. On the inside, the Tensor G4 chipset powers the Pixel 9 and this phone has plenty of AI features you can use right now.

    Pros

    • 120Hz OLED display with small hole punch cutout
    • Great main and ultrawide camera sensors and computational photography
    • Pixel-exclusive software features shine once again thanks to Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio
    Cons

    • Gemini Advanced only included for the first year
    • Glossy glass back is slippery and not as comfortable as a matte finish
    • Tensor G4 chip can’t compete with the A18


This year, the iPhone 16 and the Google Pixel 9 are the exact same price. So, for $800, which is the better base-model flagship smartphone? I love a small phone, and I’ve been using the Pixel 9 and the iPhone 16 side-by-side for the last few days. They each do a lot of things right, and the decision of which one to buy will depend on what you value most. The processor makes the iPhone 16 feel snappier than the Pixel 9, but then, the 60Hz display on the iPhone lags behind the 120Hz panel on the Pixel 9. It’s a back-and-forth affair.



They’re both great phones, and you can’t go wrong by purchasing either one. Apple gives you the fantastic hardware now and is promising AI and software later. Google gives you the AI now, plus plenty of Pixel-exclusive software perks, but falls short of providing industry-leading hardware. Which would you prefer?



Pricing, specs, and availability

Google beat Apple to the punch, launching the Pixel 9 series in August 2024. The Google Pixel 9 is widely available now, starting at $800 for the 128GB variant. You can upgrade to 256GB for an extra $100, but that’s where the Pixel 9’s storage configurations top out. It’s available in Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony colorways, and you’ll find it at the Google Store, third-party retailers, and the major U.S. cellular carriers.

The iPhone 16 launched in September 2024 and is available for the same $800 starting price as the Pixel 9. It also starts at 128GB, but it can be configured with up to 512GB of storage for an additional fee. The phone comes in Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine colorways, and it’s available from Apple and third-party retailers, as well as U.S. cellular carriers.


  • iPhone 16 Google Pixel 9
    SoC Apple A18 Google Tensor G4
    Display 6.1‑inch OLED, 60Hz, 2556‑by‑1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, 2,000 nits peak brightness outdoor 6.3-inch Actua display, OLED, 2424×1080, 120Hz, up to 1800 nits (HDR) and 2700 nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
    Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB or 256GB
    Rear camera 48MP Fusion: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) Also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto: 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels 12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, 100% Focus Pixels 50MP f/1.68 main (wide) camera + 48MP f/1.7 ultrawide, 123-degree FOV
    Front camera 12MP camera ƒ/1.9 aperture 10.5MP f/2.2, 95-degree FOV
    Charge speed 27W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 45W wired, 15W Fast wireless charging
    Ports USB 2.0 Type-C USB-C
    Connectivity 5G (sub‑6 GHz and mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO11 Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA11 Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO12 Bluetooth 5.3 Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G (mmWave + sub-6GHz)
    Weight 170 grams 7 ounces (198 grams)
    IP Rating IP68 IP68
    Colors Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen, Peony
    Operating System iOS 18 Android 14
    Price $800 $799


Design and display

Both phones feel similarly premium, but I prefer a matte back

Google stepped things up a notch when it comes to the Pixel 9’s chassis. It feels decidedly premium, with smooth and flat rails that blend into the back glass and front display with comfortable chamfered edges. Unfortunately, the Pixel 9 has a glossy glass back. My pink Google Pixel 9 already has plenty of microscratches on that back panel, and I think the matte finish of the iPhone 16 feels nicer in the hand. I said the same thing when I reviewed the matte plastic Pixel 8a — matte phones simply feel better to me.


I’m happily using small phones across the board this year, and the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16 are both the smallest devices Google and Apple have to offer. However, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 16 is smaller than the Pixel 9. Apple gives the iPhone 16 a 6.1-inch OLED panel, while Google’s Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch display. This makes for a surprisingly-big difference when you hold the two phones in your hand. It doesn’t help that, at 198 grams, the Pixel 9 feels quite heavy compared to the 170-gram iPhone 16.

The Pixel 9 stacked atop the iPhone 16.


Going around the chassis, you’ll notice that the iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9 each have something the other does not. For the Pixel, it’s the SIM tray. I love having a physical SIM tray on my smartphones, and the newest iPhones are sadly eSIM-only. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 has the Action button and the Camera Control button. There isn’t a direct equivalent to either on the Pixel 9, so the iPhone 16 is the better pick if you like hardware customization.


Both devices have a redesigned rear camera bump, and both are changed for the better. The Pixel 9’s camera bar is now an oval shape, and I think it looks pretty good. Practically speaking, the bar still means that the phone won’t rock back and forth when it’s placed on a table. Apple ditched the square camera bump with diagonally-positioned lenses in favor of a stacked approach on the iPhone 16. Again, this is better, because the flash isn’t included in the bump, and it’s smaller than past iPhones as a result.


I have to say, the Pixel 9’s screen beats the iPhone 16’s display in every way. Colors seem to pop more, it’s plenty bright, there’s a variable refresh rate, and the hole-punch camera bump is tiny and unobtrusive (though I do enjoy the Dynamic Island). The Google Pixel 9 can hit 120Hz and 2,700 nits peak brightness, and both of those figures are higher than what the iPhone 16 can offer. I originally thought I wouldn’t be able to notice the difference between the iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9, but I absolutely can. The iPhone 16 feels downright slow because of the display, making everything from typing to swiping feel laggy.

I do like the back glass and overall design of the iPhone 16, and the customizable buttons, but the Pixel 9’s display and SIM slot earn it the win in this section.

Winner: Google Pixel 9


Performance and software

Do you want AI features now, or do you want them later?

The iPhone 16 and the Pixel 9 on a concrete bench.

No matter what Apple’s marketing arm wants you to believe, Apple Intelligence isn’t here yet. Without it, iOS 18 just feels like it’s catching up with Android. There’s no doubt that the A18 chip inside the iPhone 16 is blazing fast. In fact, our testing revealed the iPhone 16 and its A18 chipset is only a few steps behind the A18 Pro processor in the iPhone 16 Pro. By comparison, the Tensor G4 won’t be up to the task of beating either Apple or Qualcomm’s chips in a drag race.


iphone-16-pro-max-xda-review07626-2

GeekBench 6 CPU scores: iPhone 16 Pro Max with A18 Pro (left); iPhone 16 with A18 (middle); and iPhone 15 Pro Max with A17 Pro (right)

Google and Apple have both had issues with overheating across their recent mobile processor generations, and I’m happy to report these issues are solved on the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16. It’s tough to say the iPhone 16 is faster than the Pixel 9, even though it certainly is, because of the 60Hz display. A knock against the Pixel 9 is that it ships with Android 14, so it’ll really get one-less update than the Pixel 9 series. The iPhone 16 ships with iOS 18 now, albeit without Apple Intelligence.


If you want AI now, buy the Pixel 9. There’s plenty to like here, starting with Gemini and Gemini Advanced. You get a year of Google One AI Premium with a Pixel 9 purchase, and that includes Gemini Advanced. From there, exclusives like Reimagine, Add me, Pixel Screenshots, and Pixel Studio sweeten the deal. I love the idea behind Pixel Screenshots and find myself using existing features like Circle to Search on my Pixels all the time. When I go back to the iPhone 16, I’m still stuck with the old Siri, for now.

Winner: Tie

Cameras

Camera Control is neat, and both phones are more than capable

The cameras of the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16.


The iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 both offer similar camera systems, and for me, Camera Control is the tiebreaker. Neither phone has a true telephoto lens, which is unfortunate for those who want crisp zoom shots. However, both devices use sensor crop to provide 2x photos at optical quality. That’s because they have big sensors, with the iPhone 16 offering a 48MP, f/1.6 main lens and the Pixel 9 offering a 50MP, f/1.68 lens. Both pair their main camera with a 48MP ultrawide, but the Pixel 9 has the wider field-of-view at 123 degrees.

The following photos were captured with the Google Pixel 9:


Pixel phones are historically great for photography, but they have a unique signature. In the photos above, you can see that the images are highly saturated and rich with color. They look great, but are probably oversaturated in the photos compared to the scenes’ real-world appearance. Low-light performance was very solid, but even Google’s Night Sight camera mode can’t fix some extreme lighting situations.

The following photos were captured with the iPhone 16:


By comparison, I definitely felt like the iPhone 16 captured landscapes the way I was seeing them with my own eyes. The glow of light in the sunset shots above was the perfect shade, whereas the Pixel 9 might oversaturate that glow to become a different color. Most importantly, I thought the iPhone 16 did a better job at preventing isolated bright lights from blowing out the entire image. It’s hard to say which set of photos turned out better, since it comes down to preference, but I will note that the iPhone 16’s images felt more natural.


The iPhone 16's new Camera Control button in action.

As I mentioned earlier, the tiebreaker is Camera Control. This button makes taking photos and videos easier, and I’ve already enjoyed using it on my iPhone 16. I’ve always found it difficult to take one-handed photos on a smartphone, especially as they’ve grown larger. With Camera Control, I can change a variety of things without even moving my hand. It’s all done with my finger, from changing the zoom to choosing a Photographic Style. I’m one of the few people with an iPhone 16 who really thinks this button will catch on.


Winner: iPhone 16

Which one should you buy?

The iPhone 16 earns the victory here, but only technically. The truth is, the Pixel 9 and the iPhone 16 are closer this year than any Pixel and iPhone generation has ever been. If you care about polish, natural cameras, and customizable buttons, or simply just like iOS, go with the iPhone 16. I’d personally buy the iPhone 16 over the Pixel 9 for the matte finish, smaller form factor, lighter build, customizable buttons, and the better chipset. However, I wouldn’t blame you at all if you went with the Pixel 9.


iPhone-16-Product-Tag

Editor’s choice

iPhone 16

The iPhone 16 has some flaws, like a 60Hz display, but it’s a polished smartphone that will be excellent for iOS users and Android users looking to make a change. The A18 processor will beat the Tensor G4 in every way, and the iPhone 16’s design feels better in the hand.

The Google Pixel 9 finally has the hardware to match, and beat, the iPhone 16. That 120Hz display makes the iPhone 16 feel downright slow, and it’s a huge perk of going with a Pixel this year. There are also plenty of AI and Pixel-exclusive features you can use right now, so you don’t have to deal with the wait for Apple Intelligence.

Google Pixel 9 in Peony

Good alternative

Google Pixel 9

The Google Pixel 9 is the best base-model Pixel yet. It has a great camera, a 120Hz display, and a Tensor G4 chip that’s improved. It might not beat the iPhone 16 in every way, but it’s certainly an excellent smartphone and buyers won’t be disappointed.

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