It’s not unusual for me to conclude a new phone review by saying to buy a refurbished version of a previous year’s device, but never has that recommendation been more full-throated than the iPhone 16E. The latest iPhone may be the least expensive model on sale, but it has a 60hz, dimmer screen, a thick forehead notch, a single inferior camera, and no wireless charging despite still costing $599. You could buy a refurbished iPhone 15 Pro for almost the same money, which is better in every way.

Google has a similar problem with their newly announced, latest budget phone, the Pixel 9a; but, starting at only $499, with far more competitive specifications, it is a significantly better new buy. Put simply, it is a better phone than the iPhone 16e in every single way. Google says it will be available “beginning in April.”

On the front, it has a 6.3″, variable refresh rate OLED screen, going up to 120hz, with a punch-hole 13MP selfie camera and relatively thin bezels; and on the back, it has a more compact camera bump than the main Pixel line, but still contains but a 48-megapixel primary camera, and 13-megapixel ultrawide. iPhones and Pixels both consistently have the best cameras on the market, but Google’s performance has less to do with the hardware than their tuning, so I wouldn’t expect the photos to be a noticeable drop in quality from the main Pixel line.

Internally, the 9a runs the same Tensor G4 chipset as the Pixel 9 but bumps the battery from 4,700 mAh to 5,100 mAh; and supports both wired and wireless charging. In everyday use, there should be few noticeable differences between this “budget” phone and the mainline $799 Pixel 9, and both come with 7 years of Android software support. It also has IP68 water and dust resistance, which is as good as you can get on a phone.

The only meaningful “budget” element is the use of a plastic composite on the back instead of glass. It doesn’t feel close to as premium, but it also ages well, and most customers will use a phone case anyway. Unlike the iPhone 16e, this also comes in more colors than just black and white, with a lavender “Iris” color and Google’s beautiful bold pink “Peony” color, which would be my choice.

This is a marked update on the already excellent Pixel 8a, but if you’re considering buying one, I still recommend last year’s model, particularly given Google’s heavy discounting. For $100 more, you can buy a brand new Pixel 8 Pro, the previous year’s flagship Pixel. That’s an exceptional phone, and if it were my money, that’s the phone I would buy; and I can confidently say that as I did.