Head to head
Apple iPhone 16evsGoogle Pixel 9
The short answer
Choose the Pixel 9 for peak brightness, typical brightness, HDR brightness, battery life per charge and faster charging. Choose the iPhone 16e for lower weight and Geekbench 6 CPU score. The iPhone 16e is £200 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £799). The Pixel 9 gets security updates until August 2031; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16e, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate the iPhone 16e gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2025-02-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £599Apple Newsroom UK — iPhone 16e launch, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2024-08-22endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Google Store UK, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2031-08-01endoflife.date — Pixel, retrieved 2026-08-20
2 wins for iPhone 16e5 wins for Pixel 94 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£200 apart at RRP
Verdict: Pixel 9 ahead on 5 rows, iPhone 16e on 2 rows
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 16e wins on weight (167 g against 198 g) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (7,217 against 3,797, both from Geekbench Browser); the Pixel 9 wins on peak brightness (2,700 nits against 1,200 nits), typical brightness (1,800 nits against 800 nits), HDR peak brightness (1,800 nits against 1,200 nits), battery per charge (49.2 h against 41 h) and fast charging (45 W against 20 W). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: display size (6.3 in against 6.1 in) for the Pixel 9, RAM (12 GB from the maker against 8 GB from GSMArena) for the Pixel 9, battery capacity (4,700 mAh from the maker against 4,005 mAh from GSMArena) for the Pixel 9 and wireless charging (15 W against 7.5 W, both from GSMArena) for the Pixel 9. Both state the same storage (base) and battery lifespan. The other 35 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
3 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 16e better than the Pixel 9?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 16e wins on weight, 167 g (Apple Support UK) against 198 g (Google) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core), 7,217 against 3,797 (both Geekbench Browser); the Pixel 9 wins on peak brightness, 2,700 nits (Google) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK), typical brightness, 1,800 nits (Google) against 800 nits (Apple Support UK), HDR peak brightness, 1,800 nits (Google) against 1,200 nits (Apple UK), battery per charge, 49.2 h against 41 h (both EU energy label) and fast charging, 45 W (Google) against 20 W (Apple Support UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The Pixel 9, by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 49.2 h against 41 h (both EU energy label). The Pixel 9 is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,700 mAh (Google) against 4,005 mAh (GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 16e, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 167 g (Apple Support UK) against 198 g (Google).
Which has the brighter screen?
The Pixel 9, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,700 nits (Google) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK). The Pixel 9, by a gap you’d notice: typical brightness, 1,800 nits (Google) against 800 nits (Apple Support UK). The Pixel 9, by a gap you’d notice: HDR peak brightness, 1,800 nits (Google) against 1,200 nits (Apple UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Pixel 9 gets security updates until August 2031; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16e, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate the iPhone 16e gets them for longer. Sources: dates from endoflife.date; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16e is £200 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £799). Prices from iPhone 16e: Apple Newsroom UK; Pixel 9: Google Store UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.