OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Which one gives a better value for your money?

Recently, OnePlus launched the next in its CE series. OnePlus Nord CE 4 has been announced in India which promises premium specs at a price of under 30k. Competing with it directly is the last month launched Nothing Phone 2a which also costs under 30,000 but comes with various out-of-the-box features. While the OnePlus Nord CE 4 boasts off a 5500mAh battery, 100W charging, Dimensity chipset, AMOLED display, and 50MP camera, Nothing Phone 2a comes with a Snapdragon chipset, Nothing OS 2.5, glyph interface, and more.

In this article today we are trying to find out which one gives a better value for money for a price of Rs. 25,000.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Design

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Nothing Phone 2a was launched last month and it is Nothing’s entry into the affordable segment. Nothing Phone 2a has the same build and design language as Phone (1) and Phone (2). The recently launched Nothing Phone 2a has a center-positioned punch-hole cutout, flat edges, and narrow bezels. The dual cameras are arranged horizontally at the back and the glyph interface has also been tweaked keeping the budget of the phone in mind. It comes in black and white shades. The LED lights are present around the camera while the volume and power buttons are placed on the right side of the frame. The SIM tray and speaker vents are at the bottom of the device.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 has also been tweaked over Nord CE 3. It has a flat and clean design with two color options- Dark Chrome and Celadon Marble. The front is mostly similar with a center-positioned punch-hole cutout, flat edges, and narrow bezels but it is the back side that has been changed. The back side has a vertical pill-shaped camera module that houses two sensors and an LED flash. The volume rocker and power button are housed on the right edge while the bottom edge includes a Type-C port, SIM tray, microphone, and speakers. There is a OnePlus signature IR blaster and a secondary microphone at the top.

While the Nord CE 4 feels slippery in hand and has a polished frame, Nothing Phone 2a feels better in hand as it has a matte finish for the sides. The button placement is slightly better on Nothing Phone 2a as volume rockers and power buttons are on either side of the frame. Nord CE 4 has crammed both of these on a single side. The camera lenses on Nord CE 4 are protruded while Nothing Phone 2a doesn’t pose this issue.

Conclusion- The build and design of Nothing Phone 2a are slightly better than the OnePlus Nord CE 4.

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OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Display

OnePlus has equipped Nord CE 4 with a 6.74-inch 1.5K 2.8D curved AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. Nothing Phone 2a comes with a smaller 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a similar 120Hz refresh rate. While there is not much of a difference between the size and resolution of both panels, peak brightness levels vary.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a 2150 nits brightness level while Nothing Phone 2a has a brightness level of 1300 nits. However, the brightness level on paper doesn’t mean Nord CE 4 has a better brightness level. In terms of brightness, Nothing Phone 2a offers better brightness. Phone 2 has Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top while Nord CE 4 has a panda glass protection. Both panels are backed by DCI-P3 coverage, the output produced by Nothing Phone 2a is slightly better than the OnePlus Nord CE 4.

Conclusion- Nothing Phone 2a has a better display

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Performance

Nothing Phone 2a is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset with up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB UFS 2.2 storage. On the contrary, OnePlus Nord CE 4 is powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage onboard.

In everyday life, both smartphones offer fast and efficient performance. There are no lags or stutters while multitasking, even when 25-30 apps running in the background. The apps open and load swiftly and even when you try to exit the apps, there are no slow-downs. In terms of gaming, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset is more capable than the Dimensity 7200. The thermal performance of both the phones is good. The devices never heat up even after intense gaming and multitasking sessions.

Conclusion- Both are equal.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Software

Nothing offers one of the best OS experiences in the world. Nothing Phone 2a runs Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5. As for Nord CE 4, it runs Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 which also offers a decent experience. Both these UIs are clean but Nothing Phone 2a has a completely bloatware experience while Nord CE 4 does have some amount of bloatware.

OxygenOS 14 has more features than Nothing OS 2.5 like File Dock, AI smart cutout, and more. Nothing OS 2.5 offers a glyph timer, and essential notifications that make the glyph interface come in handy. The haptics are slightly harsher on Nord CE 4 than on Nothing Phone 2a.

Conclusion- for those who need a stock Android experience, Nothing Phone 2a is better. Otherwise, OxygenOS 14 can be a good experience as well.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Camera

OnePlus Nord CE 4 sports a dual camera setup at the back. It includes a Sony LYT600 50MP main sensor with OIS and an 8MP secondary sensor. At the front is a 16MP selfie camera. Nothing Phone 2 also has a dual camera setup at the back that includes a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN9 sensor with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide sensor. Nothing Phone 2a has a 32MP selfie camera at the front.

Nothing Phone 2a takes better daylight shots than the OnePlus Nord CE 4. Human shots are also better when taken with Nothing Phone 2a. The shots taken with Nord CE 4 are less color-accurate and lack details.

At night too, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 takes noisy shots while Nothing Phone 2a takes photos that stand out.

The 32MP selfie camera is better than the 16MP snapper.

Conclusion- Nothing Phone 2a is the winner.

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OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Battery

OnePlus Nord CE 4 packs a 5500mAh battery under the hood with 100W fast charging support. Meanwhile, Nothing Phone 2a draws juice from a 5000mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging support. Nord CE 4 offers around 6 hours of battery life on a single charge, while Nothing Phone 2a offers around 7 hours of battery on a single charge.

Conclusion-OnePlus Nord CE 4 is the winner.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Price

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Vs Nothing Phone 2a: Spec Comparison

This comparison of specifications makes it clear, how the two devices are different from each other despite having similar price points.

Final Words

OnePlus Nord CE 4 as well as Nothing Phone 2a have pros and cons of their own. While the display panel is similar, the brightness levels on Nothing Phone 2a are better. Performance-wise both devices are powerful but Nothing Phone 2a offers a stock Android UI experience. In terms of camera, Nothing Phone 2a gives a better output however Nord CE 4 has a larger battery and faster charging speed. Design is something which is very different from each other and the preferences mostly vary on the user. The price point is similar as well, but Nothing Phone 2a offers more storage options to choose from. If you have a restricted budget of 25k, then Nord CE 4 can be your choice, otherwise if you want Nothing Phone 2a, you will have to pay slightly more to get 256GB storage onboard. Poco X6 Pro is also a device that proves to be a good option in the Rs. 25,000 price range.

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