Google’s Pixel 10a Is Too Iterative to Recommend Even at $499

Google’s $499 Pixel 10a smartphone didn’t get to enjoy the spotlight for long. This week, just days before the device’s March 5 release date, Apple Inc. announced the $599 iPhone 17e, which goes on sale March 11.

The not-yet-released new iPhone would seem to offer several advantages over its Google equivalent: The processor is more powerful, the handset has built-in magnets for MagSafe charging, and the display, while not as smooth as the 10a’s, is more durable and offers greater scratch resistance. And while Google comes in at $499, its phone has half the storage of the 17e. (There’s also a $599 version that matches the base-model 17e’s 256 gigabytes.)