Google's $499 budget phone shares many similarities with the pricier baseline Pixel 9. Here's what you'll get -- and what you won't -- for that lower price.

Google's Pixel 9a goes head-to-head against the iPhone 16e, Apple's latest budget phone. The Pixel 9a costs $100 less than the iPhone, and has many of the same specs and AI features from the Pixel 9.

The 2024 Pixel 9 series comes with the Gemini Nano XS (XS for extra small) model built in. Gemini Nano XS runs locally, on-device, without needing to ping servers to do its AI thing. This lets the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro phones understand not only text input, but also images and audio.

Very convenient timing. The Pixel 9A is $300 cheaper than the baseline Pixel 9 and, therefore, scales back a bit when it comes to features like cameras and RAM. But it also maintains other attributes like display size, processor and AI features -- and even ...