OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: The winner is...

Thanks to this OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a face-off, you can get the information you need to decide which phone is best for you. One phone will have fantastic lights to alert you of notifications, while the other will not. However, a deeper look into the specifications of both phones will reveal which one comes out on top and can be called the better model.

These phones are not flagship phones, but they still have specs to help you get through your day. One of these phones has slightly better Ingress  Protection, but is it enough to become your next mid-range Android phone?

OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: Design

In this OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a comparison, you can see a stark difference in design. One phone has a unique design with cameras in an unusual location, but the other has a more elegant design.

The OnePlus Nord 4 features an aluminum body with a dual-tone finish, similar to the Pixel 3XL. The phone also features a laser-engraved texture and a compact antenna design. The only issue you might encounter is that OnePlus put the in-screen model a little too low on the screen, which might make using the sensor a little weird, as Harish Johnnalagadda says in the OnePlus Nord 4 review. The phone also features a three-position slider on the side to efficiently handle your notifications. It has a slightly better IP65 Ingress Protection rating that makes the phone dust-tight, but be careful around water since it can't be submerged. The phone can resist water jets from a 6.3mm nozzle at 12.5 liters per minute.

The OnePlus Nord 4 has different color options, such as Mercurial Silver, Obsidian Midnight, and Oasis Green. It measures 162.6 x 75 x 8mm, and OnePlus made it to be the first 5G phone that weighs 200 grams and is 8mm thick. However, the Nord 4 falls short by having Panda Shield protection instead of Gorilla Glass, which offers better protection.

Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone 2a has a design you won't find in its competitor (or any other, for that matter). For example, the see-through back with the camera bump in the center makes you feel like it's looking at you. There is also an NFC coil that surrounds the camera with the three LED bars. You might clean it often since the back is a smudge magnet.

It also has some exposed screws, some text, and even a red square on the back that is just for looks. The bezels are also all around the front of the phone. It has an ultra-phone design, and if you like big phones, you might like the Nothing Phone 2a. There is also music visualization when playing music that gives you a small light show.

The phone also measures 161.7 x 76.3 x 8.5mm, weighs 190 grams and comes in Black, Milk (Glyph Interface), and White. You can also count on Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the screen.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: Display

While the OnePlus Nord 4 and the Nothing Phone 2a have the same 6.7-inch AMOLED display and 120Hz refresh rate, one has a slightly better resolution.

The OnePlus Nord 4 has a high peak brightness of 2,150 nits, 451 ppi, and a higher 2,772 x 1,240 resolution. Its display also supports HDR10+ and 10-bit color depth and has the same Aqua Touch feature as the OnePlus 12. Thanks to this feature, you can easily use your phone even if your fingers on the screen are wet. When you're using the phone, the refresh rate goes up to 120Hz, but when idle, it goes down to 60Hz. You'll also find an under-display fingerprint reader. 

The Nothing Phone 2a, on the other hand, has a 1,080 x 2,412 resolution AMOLED display with HDR10 support and an inferior peak brightness of 1,300 nits. The display also has a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 10-bit color depth, and 394 ppi. The phone doesn't have LTPO, but you can use the High or Standard modes. There is also the always-on mode, but it doesn't offer much regarding customizability.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: Hardware

Specifications differences between the OnePlus Nord 4 and Nothing Phone 2a notably distinguish the two phones.

The newer OnePlus Nord 4 has storage options such as 128GB and 256GB, with UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 storage speeds. It also has a more powerful Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chipset with an Adreno 732 GPU and 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. UK residents have a different variant, such as the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage option.

There is also a massive 5,500mAh battery, which supports OnePlus' 100W SuperVOOC charging, but the downside is that it doesn't have wireless charging. Regarding cameras, the Nord 4 offers a 50MP wide lens (Sony LYTIA) with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture, and a Sony sensor. Selfie enthusiasts will love the 16MP selfie camera that can record in 1080p. If you want 4K video, you'll need to use the rear camera. There are also dual stereo speakers and a USB 2.0 Type-C port.

The Nothing Phone 2a features a less powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro, but you can try the Nothing Phone 2's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen processor if you want a more powerful processor. It also features 8GB and 12GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage, but it doesn't offer expandable storage. The phone also comes with Wi-Fi 6, giving you faster connection speeds.

The Nothing Phone 2a has over 660 nits of peak brightness with the manual slider and almost 1,300 nits in auto mode. It also has an excellent 5,000mAh battery that gives you up to two days of usage and 45W of wired charging. However, the box does not include the charger.

Regarding cameras, the Nothing Phone 2a has an impressive 50MP Samsung Gn9 sensor with OIS and the Samsung JN1 wide-angle lens, the same as the one on the Phone 2. Yet, it does not support 4K video at 60fps, custom filters, or shooting modes. The primary camera can also offer 2x zoom, HDR, flash, and effects. There is also a 32MP front-facing camera with which to have fun.

Thanks to the wide-angle lens, you'll get great daylight pictures, but you'll notice overly saturated colors.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: Software

The OnePlus Nord 4 comes with some fun AI features, such as AI Writer, AI Summary, and AI Best Face, which opens your eyes in pictures. There is also OxygenOS 14.1, based on Android 14, which has four years of OS updates and six years of security updates. You get a lot of pre-installed apps out of the box, but at least you can uninstall them.

The Nothing Phone 2a doesn't waste your time with bloatware but has a lovely dot aesthetic. You can make an app icon bigger and change the look of your app folder. It also features an AI wallpaper generator, allows you to customize your lock screen widgets, and allows you to choose from device control apps.

You also get three years of major Android updates and four security updates. When you set it up using the Nothing X app, you can use your voice to access ChatGTP on Ear and Ear.

OnePlus Nord 4 vs. Nothing Phone 2a: So, who wins?

Both phones have a lot to offer, but it all comes down to what matters most to you, such as having a better camera, more Android updates, or a more elegant design. Where you live is also crucial since the OnePlus Nord 4 can't be purchased in the United States at this time, although the Nothing Phone 2a can only be purchased in the U.S. via a beta program.

If a better processor is a must for your next phone, then you might be more interested in the OnePlus Nord 4, which features a Snapdragon processor. So, which one sounds more interesting to you?