Apple iPhone 16 Pro / Google Pixel 8a

Apple iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro; 128 GB–1 TB; Black, White, Natural and Desert Titanium. The 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max is a separate model. The US model is eSIM-only.

Google Pixel 8a: 8 GB RAM, 128/256 GB; North America GKV4X, rest of world G6GPR, Japan G576D, mmWave model G8HHN.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16 ProGoogle Pixel 8a
Release year20242024
Display6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi; ProMotion adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz

ProMotion changes the refresh rate with the content: 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and gaming, lower rates on still images to save power. Apple quotes 1000 nits typical, 1600 nits HDR peak, 2000 nits outdoor peak and 1 nit minimum; peaks are not sustained full-screen brightness.

Apple
6.1-inch Actua OLED; 1080 × 2400, 430 ppi, 20:9; always-on display

The always-on display shows the time, notifications and the song playing nearby (Now Playing) at low power while the phone is locked.

Google
Front and back glassLatest-generation Ceramic Shield front; textured matte glass back; titanium design Apple—
ChipA18 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency); 6-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine

Apple says A18 Pro, built on second-generation 3 nm technology, runs the same workload 15% faster with 20% less power than the previous generation; the GPU is up to 20% faster and hardware ray tracing up to 2× faster. The chip also enables faster USB 3 transfers and ProRes recording.

Apple
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Storage128, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB Apple—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion (24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift OIS); 48 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2); 12 MP 5× Telephoto (120 mm, ƒ/2.8, tetraprism); 2× Telephoto option (48 mm, using the Fusion sensor)

The Pro system covers a 10× optical zoom range from 0.5× to 5×, with digital zoom up to 25×. The 2× image is a 12 MP crop from the centre of the 48 MP main sensor, not a separate camera.

Apple
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Video4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; Log recording and ACES; ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording

4K at 120 fps allows high-frame-rate 4K footage that can be slowed down. Log recording produces a flat image that leaves more room for colour grading. High-bit-rate ProRes needs an external drive.

Apple
Rear: 4K and 1080p at 30/60 fps, slow motion up to 240 fps, digital zoom up to 5x; front: 4K and 1080p at 30 fps; HEVC and AVC Google
Front camera and controls12 MP TrueDepth (ƒ/1.9, autofocus); Face ID; Camera Control; Action button

Apple says Camera Control combines a tactile switch, a force sensor and a capacitive surface: a click opens the camera, while a light press and finger slide adjust zoom, exposure or depth of field.

Apple
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Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave, 4×4 MIMO); Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2×2); Bluetooth 5.3; second-generation Ultra Wideband; satellite Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My

mmWave and satellite services vary by country. Cellular model numbers are A3083 and A3084.

Apple
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SIMDual eSIM (two active lines); models sold outside the US also have a SIM tray

Apple notes that iPhone 16 Pro sold in the US is not compatible with physical SIM cards; models for other markets have a SIM tray.

Apple
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USB-C and chargingUSB-C with USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s); MagSafe up to 25 W (with a 30 W or higher adapter); Qi2 15 W; Qi 7.5 W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W adapter

10 Gb/s transfers need a USB 3 cable. Wireless charging power depends on the adapter and charger.

Apple
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Battery lifeUp to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours streamed video; up to 85 hours audio playback Apple—
DurabilityIP68 under IEC 60529 (6 m for 30 minutes) AppleIP67 dust and water resistance (IEC 60529)

IP67 means full dust protection and resistance to brief immersion; it is one step below IP68. Protection can diminish over time.

Google
Size and weight149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm; 199 g Apple—
SoftwareShipped with iOS 18 Apple—
Refresh rate—Smooth Display, up to 120 Hz

The upper limit, 90 Hz on earlier A-series phones, rises to 120 Hz on this model; Google notes it is not available in every app.

Google
Brightness and contrast—Up to 1,400 nits (HDR) and up to 2,000 nits peak; >1,000,000:1 contrast

HDR brightness is measured with the whole screen lit and peak brightness with only 5% lit.

Google
Cover glass and build—Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front; matte composite back; matte aluminium frame

The aluminium in the housing and camera bar is 100% recycled; the back cover uses 76% recycled plastic.

Google
Processor—Google Tensor G3; Titan M2 security coprocessor

It is the same chip as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

Google
Memory and storage—8 GB LPDDR5X RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage

There is no card slot; the 256 GB option is not offered in every country.

Google
Main camera—64 MP Quad PD wide; 0.8 μm pixels, f/1.89, 80° field of view, 1/1.73-inch sensor; optical + electronic stabilisation

Super Res Zoom up to 8x is software magnification; there is no telephoto camera.

Google
Ultrawide camera—13 MP; 1.12 μm pixels, f/2.2, 120° field of view, lens correction Google
Front camera—13 MP; f/2.2, fixed focus, 96.5° ultrawide Google
Battery—4,492 mAh typical (minimum 4,404 mAh); 24+ hours, up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver

According to Google, average battery life in testing was at least 31 hours; figures are based on a median user profile.

Google
Charging—Wired up to 18 W (with the Google 30 W USB-C charger); Qi-certified wireless charging

No charger is included; the box contains a USB-C cable and a Quick Switch adapter for transferring data from an old phone.

Google
Wireless—Wi-Fi 6E (2.4/5/6 GHz; Wi-Fi 6 in India); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC; Google Cast Google
Location—GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou (no BeiDou in the US, NavIC added in India) Google
Cellular and SIM—5G Sub-6: North America GKV4X, rest of world G6GPR, Japan G576D (FeliCa); mmWave model G8HHN; single nano-SIM + eSIM Google
Authentication and sensors—Under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock; proximity, ambient light, accelerometer, gyrometer, magnetometer, barometer Google
USB and audio—USB-C 3.2; stereo speakers, two microphones Google
Software and updates—Launched with Android 14; seven years of OS, security and Pixel Drop updates

The seven years count from the first sale date on the US Google Store; this was the first A-series phone with the promise.

Google
Dimensions and weight—152.1 × 72.7 × 8.9 mm; 189 g Google
Colours and warranty—Obsidian, Porcelain, Bay, Aloe; one-year warranty in the US, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and India, two years in Europe and Australia Google