Alphabet Inc.’s Google launched a redesigned version of its budget Pixel phone, upgrading the chip and battery life weeks after Apple Inc.’s lower-end iPhone 16e went on sale.

Interested in a Google Pixel 9a? Pre-orders, originally set to start on Wednesday, March 19, are now expected to open sometime in the coming weeks, according to Google. The exact on-shelf date, originally planned for March 26, is now set for an April release.

But at that price, it's hard to ignore Google and its Pixel A series, especially now that a new version has just been announced. The new phone adopts the same silicon introduced with last fall's Pixel 9 lineup,