Price: Which Saves More?
Starting at $599, the iPhone 17e is cheap compared with any other iPhone in its generation, but the $499 Google Pixel 10a undercuts it by a solid $100.
Winner: Google Pixel 10a
Design: Sleek vs. Spacious
The iPhone 17e comes in three different colors. (Credit: Apple)
The Pixel 10a measures 6.1 by 2.9 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.5 ounces, making it bigger and heavier than the 5.8-by-2.8-by-0.3-inch, 6-ounce iPhone 17e. The slightly larger size means it has a slightly larger screen, which we’ll get to below. For materials, the Pixel’s back is composite while the iPhone’s back is ceramic, which could make a tactile difference but probably doesn’t mean either phone is sturdier than the other; both aluminum-frame phones have an IP68 rating, meaning they’re dustproof and waterproof to 20 feet for up to 30 minutes.
Both phones come in black or white versions. In terms of color, the Pixel 10a is available in berry red or lavender, while the iPhone 17e also comes in soft pink.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Screen: Sharpness vs. Brightness
The iPhone 17e’s screen has smaller pixels and more of them than the Pixel 10a, but it isn’t nearly as bright. (Credit: Apple)
The iPhone 17e has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 2,532-by-1,170 resolution, while the Pixel 10a has a 6.3-inch Actua pOLED display with a 2,424-by-1,080 resolution.
By the numbers, the iPhone is sharper at 460 pixels per inch to the Pixel’s 422. However, the Pixel’s screen claims a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits and has a variable refresh rate of 60Hz to 120Hz. Apple says the iPhone 17e’s screen can reach only up to 1,200 nits and lacks a high adaptive refresh rate.
Winner: Tie
Cameras: Close-Up or Wide Angle?
The Pixel 10a has a 48MP main and a 13MP ultra-wide camera on its back. (Credit: Eric Zeman)
We’ll have to take a close look at the pictures each phone can take, but on paper, the iPhone 17e can shoot closer, while the Pixel 10a can shoot wider. The 17e has a single rear-facing 48MP camera with a 2x optical zoom. The Pixel’s 48MP rear sensor doesn’t have optical zoom, but it’s paired with a 13MP ultra-wide camera that the iPhone lacks.
On the other hand, while the Pixel 10a has a slightly higher-resolution 13MP f/2.2 front-facing camera, the iPhone 17e’s 12MP f/1.9 TrueDepth camera can capture much more light, which should help when taking selfies indoors.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Performance: Raw Power Matters
The iPhone 17e uses the same Apple A19 chip as its more expensive sibling, the iPhone 17. The Pixel 10a, meanwhile, has a Google Tensor G4 processor that was last seen on the Pixel 9 and 9a, and is markedly less powerful than the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5.
This is bad news for value-shopping Android power users, because our tests on the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10 show that the A19 significantly outperforms the Tensor G5. Even before we test these new models, it’s an easy guess which phone is faster.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Battery Life: One Almost Certainly Lasts Longer
Despite being slimmer, the iPhone 17e likely last longer between charges than the Pixel 10a. (Credit: Apple)
According to Apple and Google, the iPhone 17e can last up to 21 hours of streaming video while the Pixel 10a can last up to 30 hours of mixed use. Both companies’ claims tend to be generous, but across the last two generations of smartphones, iPhones have consistently and significantly outlasted Pixels in our tests. Using the same methodology to test battery life across all phones (streaming a 1080p video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness), the iPhone 17, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16e lasted 24 hours and 31 minutes, 17 hours and 47 minutes, and 21 hours and 39 minutes, respectively.
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Out of the Pixel 10, Pixel 9, and Pixel 9a, not a single one lasted more than 14 hours. Unless the Pixel 10a wildly breaks the trend, the iPhone 17e will probably keep going for hours more.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Storage: Space for Everything
Apple again has the edge here, with the base model of the iPhone 17e featuring 256GB of storage and a step-up version with 512GB for $200 more. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10a starts at $100 cheaper, but it only has 128GB of storage. Moving up to 256GB puts the 10a at the same $599 price as the 256GB iPhone 17e.
Unfortunately, neither has a microSD slot, but that isn’t a surprise.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Recommended by Our Editors
Connectivity: Faster Wi-Fi and SIM Options
Both phones have sub-6GHz 5G, LTE, and Bluetooth 6. The Pixel 10a has Wi-Fi 6E, which means it can take advantage of 6GHz Wi-Fi, while the iPhone 17e’s Wi-Fi 6 can’t.
The Pixel 10a also has dual SIM cards: an eSIM and a physical nano-SIM slot; Apple has gone eSIM-only with all its current smartphones, even though the iPhone 17e is a “dual eSIM” phone. Being able to physically remove and switch your SIM card is simply more convenient, especially since you can still use eSIMs.
Either way, if you want mmWave 5G, you’ll have to step up to the iPhone 17 or Pixel 10.
Winner: Pixel 10a
AI Features: Smarts in the OS
The Pixel 10a (and Google in general) easily bests Apple Intelligence with Gemini AI. (Credit: Eric Zeman)
For Apple, AI comes by way of Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that runs across all its platforms and services. Currently, it’s a confusing mishmash that still hasn’t made Siri as conversational as Google’s Gemini or Amazon’s Alexa+, and it requires third-party services for some functions. For example, Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools can proofread for you, but if you want it to actually generate text, you have to connect it to ChatGPT.
For Google, AI comes in the form of Gemini. It’s a conversational voice assistant, an information engine, and a way to generate written and visual content. It’s a much more cohesive AI system, and that means it’s simply better because it’s all there across whatever you want to do.
Winner: Pixel 10a
Verdict: Which Budget-Friendly Phone Wins?
The iPhone 17e has more storage, a (probably) longer-lasting battery, a much more powerful processor, and it’s slimmer. The Pixel 10a has a brighter screen, better connectivity options, a more cohesive set of AI features, and it’s cheaper. The iPhone’s extra speed and battery life are huge advantages that can justify the extra $100, especially since the 256GB versions of both phones actually cost the same.
That said, we plan to test both phones soon, at which point we can give you a definitive answer, so be sure to check back for our full reviews. Until then, check out our comparisons of the iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 17 and the Pixel 10a vs. Pixel 10 for more early assessments.
