iPhone 16e to Samsung Galaxy S25: Check out top 5 Google Pixel 9a rivals

The Google Pixel 9a faces stiff competition despite its lower price point within the Pixel 9 series. This article highlights five alternative smartphones, including Samsung, iPhone, iQOO, OnePlus, and Vivo, that offer compelling features and performance.

Google produces a more reasonably priced variant of the flagship Pixel series with a "a" affixed each year following the introduction of the flagship model with all the features and specifications. It's the same this year. Google announced the Pixel 9a after launching the flagship Pixel 9 series. The Pixel 9a maintains a small form factor, in contrast to the majority of smartphones that are moving towards the "big is better" trend.

Its starting price of Rs 49,999, although the lowest of the Pixel 9 series, still opens the gate for competition to get into its zone. Here are five phones that can prove to be a handful to the newest Pixel of them all: 

1. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Rs 53,000 onwards)

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is an option if you're looking for a small flagship and that's why you prefer the Pixel 9a. With a weight of only 167 grammes and dimensions of 147 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm, the phone is an extremely practical smartphone. It may not be as fresh as the S25 or as glitzy as the titanium-bodied, S-Pen-equipped S24 Ultra, but it still has a number of extremely excellent specifications.

The phone is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 2400 processor, which is still flagship level, and features a stunning 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x FHD+ display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. A 50-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 10-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor are all part of the phone's triple camera setup. A 12-megapixel selfie sensor is located on the front.

2. iPhone 16e (Rs 59,900 onwards)

The newly released, but more costly, iPhone 16e is undoubtedly the rival that rivals the Pixel 9a in both spirit and software. The iPhone 16e, like the Pixel 9a, aims to offer a primary phone-like experience in a smaller form factor and at a lower cost. Like the Pixel 9a, the phone features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display and is powered by a CPU that is quite comparable to those found in its more costly siblings, in this instance the A18.

With a 12-megapixel selfie sensor on the front and a single 48-megapixel fusion primary sensor on the back, it does appear to fall behind in the photography area. Though it lacks the Dynamic Island notch and a dedicated camera control button, the phone comes pre-installed with iOS 18 and supports the much-discussed Apple Intelligence. Although some may think it is a bit pricey, it is the closest thing Apple offers to a Pixel 9a in terms of design.

3. iQOO 13 (Rs 54,999 onwards)

A 6.82-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 3168 x 1440, a fast refresh rate of 144 Hz, and an exceptionally high peak brightness of 4,500 nits is included with the phone. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU, which is quite powerful, and has a tonne of RAM and storage. With a 32-megapixel sensor on the front and three 50-megapixel cameras on the back (one primary, one telephoto with 2X optical zoom, and one ultrawide), the phone is a sight to see. It comes with a charger and a large 6,000 mAh battery that supports rapid 120W charging.

4. OnePlus 13R (Rs 42,999 onwards)

With a high peak brightness of 4,500 nits and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, it has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2780 x 1264. Its rear has three cameras: an 8-megapixel ultrawide, a 50-megapixel telephoto with 2x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700 primary sensor with OIS. A 16-megapixel sensor for video calls and selfies is located on the front. It has a flagship-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, up to 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage, however it does not have the Elite Snapdragon.

5. Vivo V40 Pro (Rs 49,999 onwards)

The cameras on the Vivo V40 Pro are its greatest selling points. The renowned ZEISS collaborated to create the phone's triple 50-megapixel arrangement on the rear, which consists of an ultrawide sensor, a telephoto with 2x optical zoom and OIS, and a primary sensor with OIS.

The front of the device has an additional 50-megapixel autofocus sensor for video calls and selfies. These make the phone a camera powerhouse with a variety of shooting and editing possibilities. A curved 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1260, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and an extremely high peak brightness of 4,500 nits are among its other strong points. With an abundance of RAM and storage, the phone is powered by the near-flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor.