Its face-off time, and you know what that means.
Two smartphones go in, and one comes out the victor with plenty of bragging rights.
This time around, were looking at a pair of entry-level smartphones: theiPhone 16andGoogle Pixel 9.
Side-by-side shot of iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 display© Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
That would be a mistake, however, as both phones are great in their own right.
But only one can be the best.
So, lets meet our fighters.
©Photo: Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
In one corner, you have the iPhone 16.
The phone also gets two new buttons that have proven to be pretty useful.
In the opposite corner is the Pixel 9.
©Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
The dual rear cameras have gotten a noticeable upgrade, allowing the smartphone to capture stunning images and video.
And as we continue to explore AIs possibilities, Google is at the forefront with the feature-rich Google Gemini.
So, in a battle of standard smartphones, will it be the Pixel 9 or the iPhone 16?
©Charles Anthony Davis/DreamSmith LLC
Thats downright affordable compared to their more premium brethren with their fancy foldable hinges and high-powered cameras.
But lets see what $800 buys you these days.
For the iPhone 16, you get a smartphone with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
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Doubling the storage will cost you $899, while the 512GB version tops at $1,099.
There are only two versions of the Pixel 9 available.
Normally, this round would have gone to the Pixel simply because of the RAM.
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However, Apple takes this round since the iPhone 16 has three different models on tap.
The Pixel 9 sports an aluminum frame with a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 rear panel and display.
The smartphone comes in four colors: Peony, Wintergreen, Porcelain, and Obsidian.
Like its larger siblings, the Pixel 9 has frosted strips along the sides.
It looks eerily familiar to an iPhone.
However, the sides are one of the biggest differences between the two phones.
Theres also a USB-C port and a nano-SIM slot.
A pair of speakers on the phones bottom sandwich the USB-C charging port.
Like the Pixel, the iPhone 16 has an aluminum frame and siding with a glass rear panel.
That will make folks with smaller hands or just like a smaller phone happy.
But as a lover of big phones, Im firmly in the Pixel 9 camp.
At 7 ounces, its not much heavier than the iPhone 16.
With the new A18 Bionic chip, Apple says the iPhone 16 is 30% faster than its predecessor.
That stated, I had a hard time taxing the iPhone 16.
Other than the initial launch, the game ran smoothly.
Did it have a console or PC-level graphics?
No, but the fact that the game runs at all is still a modern miracle in my book.
Instead of Resident Evil 4 Remake, I used Alien: Isolation and got smooth gameplay.
Without question, this round goes to the iPhone 16.
The generative AI also came in handy when taking notes, providing options to proofread my text.
It can even write for tone, including professional, concise, or friendly.
But the features dont just reside in email or note-taking apps.
Notifications can now be summarized into easily scannable bites.
And like Gemini, Apple Intelligence can record calls, create transcripts, and summarize everything.
I jumped into the Photos app to take some of the AI features for a spin.
I chatted with Siri while it looked up fancy spots for my birthday dinner.
Its a cool feature for those of us whose mouths sometimes move faster than our brains.
If you dont like talking to Siri, you might pop in your request using the new Siri keyboard.
You know, for the inquiries that require a bit of discretion.
If youre not a shutterbug, I can introduce you to Gemini Advanced.
Google Keep can also create lists.
And if you oughta record and transcribe a call, Gemini and Apple Intelligence can get the job done.
Right now, both AI solutions are free.
But that wont last for long, at least not with Google.
The company wants consumers to pay $20/month to access some of Geminis deeper feature sets.
No word yet on whether Apple plans to follow suit with a paid subscription model.
However, both smartphones can snap a pretty picture.
Historically, iPhones have delivered stunning stills and video, and the iPhone 16 is no different.
Just like its predecessor, the iPhone 16 has a dual camera setup.
The main camera is a 48 megapixel with a /1.6 aperture and a 12 MP ultrawide /2.2 sensor.
The phone also retained last-gens 10x zoom.
Flip the phone over to its front camera, and you have a 12 MP /1.9 aperture.
Now, onto the Pixel 9, which also has dual rear cameras.
When you gotta capture a long-distance shot, theres Super Res Zoom that extends to 8x.
The front sensor has 10.5 MP with a /2.2.
One thing I noticed during the shootout is color.
Wide
I took both phones for a walk around my neighborhood, snapping shots.
One of my favorites is a picture of a baby blue Lincoln Capri.
For once, the Pixel 9 result is more oversaturated, displaying a deeper blue than the actual color.
As far as detail is concerned, the iPhone was the winner with cleaner elements.
As expected, the Pixel had slightly deeper colors in a shot of a charcuterie board.
Zooming in on both shots, the phones were almost even detail-wise.
However, the Pixels results were slightly crisper than those of its competitor.
It was the same story in a picture of a shelf of flowers outside the local grocery store.
Once again, the iPhone had the more vibrant hues, with the Pixel 9 delivering better detail.
Meanwhile, the marigold petals were fuzzier on the iPhone 16.
A shot of a brownstone produced a dead heat in terms of color and details.
Looking at the lettering on the Yamaha soundbar and the old camera, the Pixels shot has cleaner results.
Selfie
This isnt a contest.
Digital Zoom
Google has done a great job on zoom, but Apples not too far behind.
I took a shot of a memorial plaque.
The Pixel excelled with clearer shots of the taillights and surprisingly better color.
I captured some NYC fauna munching on an errant chicken bone.
However, you could see the critters little feet better on the iPhone.
Neither of my night shots of the Chrysler building came out the best.
The Pixels version had lots of visual noise, while the iPhones was blurry.
On the iPhone, its more of a freestyle deal.
In terms of color and detail, the phones produced nearly identical results.
This round was tough, with both phones notching wins in specific categories.
But the round goes to the Pixel for its consistent color accuracy and crisp detail.
The Pixel 9s 4,575 mAh battery lasted 22 hours and 32 minutes, which is not too shabby.
The iPhones 3,561 mAh battery tapped out at 23:29.
The iPhone ultimately wins this face-off in a hard-fought battle between the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9.
But before you write the Pixel 9 off, remember it has some serious photography chops.
But if you want the best entry-level smartphone, the iPhone 16 is it.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
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