Both the Google Pixel 10a and the iPhone 17e have been announced, setting the stage for a particularly low-key but intriguing mid-range smartphone face-off.
These will be two high-profile mid-priced smartphones to beat in 2026.
The Google Pixel 10a is barely distinguishable from the Google Pixel 9a before it, while our initial reaction to the iPhone 17e was to say that it was “like a plate of warmed-up leftovers”.
Rather perversely, however, the conservative approach shared by Google and Apple promises to make for a fascinating scrap.
Neither of these leading smartphone titans is exactly knocking it out of the park with their respective mid-range offerings this year, but they’re still vying for pole position in the sub-£600/$600 category. So which is the better buy?
We’re not quite ready to give you a definitive answer based on hands-on time with both phones just yet, but we can offer you a handy comparison based on raw specifications to help nudge you in the right direction.
Are you looking to spend the least amount of money?
Let’s start with a simple statement in the Pixel 10a’s favour – Google’s latest mid-range phone can be had for £100/$100 less than the iPhone 17e.
While Google Pixel 10a pricing begins from £499/$499, you’ll need to splash out £599/$599 for the iPhone 17e.
Chris Martin / Foundy
That’s not to say that Google’s phone is cheaper, necessarily. The iPhone 17e’s starting price gets you 256GB of storage – double that of the Google Pixel 10a.
Indeed, upgrading to the same 256GB of storage in Google’s phone levels the pricing playing field at £599/$599. Apple’s step-up model, meanwhile, gets you 512GB of storage, albeit at a rather eye-watering price of £799/$799.
Winner: Pixel 10a
Are you attracted to magnetic charging?
Perhaps the biggest omission from the Google Pixel 10a is Qi2 support. Given that this was the major addition to the rest of the Pixel 10 family (here called ‘Pixelsnap’) back in August, it feels like something of a U-turn on Google’s part.
That’s doubtless music to the ears of Apple. After the iPhone 16e disappointed with its own lack of Qi2 support (aka MagSafe, in Apple’s parlance), it has corrected matters with the iPhone 17e.
Apple
As such, there’s a whole ecosystem of magnetically attaching chargers, cases, stands and car mounts that will now work seamlessly with Apple’s latest mid-range phone.
It’s a shame the same can’t be said for the Google Pixel 10a. We had grown quite attached to our Pixel 10’s PixelSnap accessories. Pun intended.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Is camera versatility important to you?
If it’s baffling that Google would use such a feeble old processor with its latest phone, then it’s equally mystifying that Apple would give us just a single camera with the iPhone 17e.
Sure, it’s a fairly decent 48Mp f/1.6 camera with OIS support. But it completely robs you of the ability to play around with focal lengths, beyond cropping in closer on that main sensor.
Chris Martin / Foundy
The Pixel 10a gives you a similar 48Mp f/1.7 main sensor, but it also supplies a 13Mp ultra-wide for those panned-out landscape shots.
Neither of these phones is a photographic star by any means, but the Pixel 10a is the one to opt for if such things are a priority to you.
Winner: Pixel 10a
Do you want the fastest performance possible?
While it wasn’t exactly a surprise, what with internet rumours being how they are, we were still rather taken aback that Google chose not to fit the Pixel 10a with the same Tensor G5 processor as the rest of the Google Pixel 10 series.
Instead, it runs on exactly the same Tensor G4 as the Pixel 9a before it. This was hardly a star runner back in early 2025.
Apple
In the opposite corner, Apple has equipped its iPhone 17e with the same Apple A19 processor that powers the iPhone 17. It’s an extremely rapid processor in our experience, demolishing even the Tensor G5 of the Google Pixel 10.
Suffice to say, the comparison to the Pixel 10a’s older chip is not a flattering one for Google’s phone. This is far more than a single-generational difference we’re talking about here, so performance hounds will want to take note.
Winner: iPhone 17e
Google Pixel 10a vs iPhone 17e: Conclusion
In a straight scrap to be the most all-round proficient yet technically uninspiring mid-range phone on the market, it’s looking like a dead heat.
We’ll need to finish putting both of these phones through their paces, but we can say with a fair amount of certainty that you will neither be thrilled nor let down by either the Google Pixel 10a or the iPhone 17e.
If you want the cheapest phone with the most camera flexibility, go for the Google. If performance and Qi2 accessory-based luxuries are more your thing, it’s Apple all the way.
Of course, this is if the differences between Android and iOS (and any loyalty you might have) haven’t swung it already.
Pixel 10a: 3 things I’ve learned