Nothing Phone (2a) vs Nothing Phone (4a)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NothingPhone (2a) | NothingPhone (4a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | March 2024 | March 2026 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 6.7″ | 6.78″ |
| Resolution | 2412 × 1084 | 2720 × 1224 (better) |
| Sharpness | 395 pixels per inch | 440 pixels per inch (better) |
| Panel | OLED | OLED |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 1,300 nits | 4,500 nits (better) |
| Display type | Flexible AMOLED; UK maker sheet lists 1,000,000:1 contrast, while the retained Singapore sheet lists 5,000,000:1; reason unpublished | 6.78-inch flexible AMOLED |
| Pixel density | 394 ppi; maker specifies 2412 × 1084 resolution, while Android Central and TechRadar's prose use 2412 × 1080 | 440 ppi |
| Brightness detail | 700 nits typical, 1,100 nits outdoor and 1,300 nits peak | 4,500 nits peak; 1,600 nits outdoor; 800 nits typical |
| Always-on display | 30 Hz always-on display | – |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i |
| Display features | HDR10+, 10-bit colour, 100% DCI-P3, adaptive 30–120 Hz refresh, 240 Hz touch sampling and 2,160 Hz PWM dimming as specified by the maker; Android Central measures 1,920 Hz PWM below 50% brightness | 120 Hz adaptive refresh; up to 2,500 Hz touch sampling; 2,160 Hz PWM dimming; 10-bit (1.07 billion colours); 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio |
| Performance | ||
| Chip | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 |
| Memory | 8 GB – 12 GB | 8 GB – 12 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| CPU | Eight-core Dimensity 7200 Pro at up to 2.8 GHz; second-generation 4 nm TSMC N4P process; Android Central identifies two Cortex-A715 at 2.8 GHz and six Cortex-A510 at 2.0 GHz | Qualcomm Kryo, 8-core, up to 2.7 GHz (1 prime core at 2.7 GHz, 3 performance cores at 2.4 GHz, 4 efficiency cores at 1.8 GHz); 4 nm TSMC process |
| GPU | Mali-G610, identified by Android Central | Qualcomm Adreno 810 |
| AI engine | – | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU |
| Storage type | UK 8/128 and 12/256 GB; 8/256 GB sold in India only at launch; RAM Booster uses storage and is not physical RAM | UFS 3.1; LPDDR4x RAM |
| Cooling | 3,200 mm² vapour chamber, 12,000 mm² cooling area and 0.11 mm graphite layer | – |
| Cameras | ||
| Main camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Ultra wide camera | 50 MP | 8 MP |
| Telephoto camera | None | 50 MP |
| Optical zoom | None | 3.5× (better) |
| Front camera | 32 MP | 32 MP |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.88, 1/1.56-inch sensor, autofocus, OIS and EIS; Android Central identifies Samsung GN9 | 50 MP, f/1.88, 1/1.57″ sensor, OIS and EIS, PDAF |
| Ultra wide camera | 50 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.76-inch sensor and 114° field of view; Android Central identifies Samsung JN1 | 8 MP (TechRadar), f/2.2, 1/4″ sensor, 120° field of view |
| Telephoto camera | – | 50 MP tetraprism periscope, f/2.88, 1/2.75″ sensor, OIS and EIS, PDAF, 3.5x optical zoom |
| Front camera | 32 MP, f/2.2 and 1/2.74-inch sensor; Android Central identifies Sony IMX615 | 32 MP, f/2.2, 1/3.44″ sensor, 89° field of view |
| Zoom | No optical telephoto; TechAdvisor reports 2× in-app digital zoom and up to 10× digital zoom | 3.5x optical; 7x in-sensor zoom; up to 70x ultra zoom |
| Video recording | Rear 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps and 1080p slow motion at 120 fps; Action Mode | 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; 1080p Ultra XDR at 30 fps; slow motion at 1080p 120 fps; time-lapse at 4K and 1080p |
| Front video | 1080p at 60 fps | – |
| Camera features | TrueLens Engine with Google co-developed Ultra XDR, Motion Capture, Night Mode and Portrait Optimiser; Imagiq 765 14-bit image signal processor | TrueLens Engine 4; Ultra XDR photos and motion photos; 12-layer AI segmentation; macro in the default mode; Night Mode; RAW capture |
| Battery and charging | ||
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,080 mAh (better) |
| Wired charging | Up to 45 W | Up to 50 W (better) |
| Wireless charging | None | None |
| Battery life detail | 5,000 mAh; maker states over 90% capacity retained after 1,000 charging cycles | 5,080 mAh (5,400 mAh in India only) |
| Wired charging | 45 W; retained specification states 50% in 23 minutes and full charge in 59 minutes; launch release gives 50% in 20 minutes under its test conditions | 50 W; PPS, PD3.0, PD2.0, QC3.0, QC2.0 and UFCS |
| Charges other devices | – | 7.5 W reverse wired charging |
| Wireless charging | No wireless charging, confirmed by the full reviews | – |
| Design | ||
| Type | Standard | Standard |
| Weight | 190 g (better) | 205 g |
| Thickness | 8.55 mm | 8.5 mm (better) |
| Height × width | 161.74 × 76.32 mm | 163.9 × 77.5 mm |
| Water and dust resistance | IP54 | IP64 |
| Stylus | – | No |
| Materials | Plastic rear and outer sides, confirmed by the reviews; maker states a 100% recycled aluminium internal mid-frame | – |
| Colours | Black, white and milk at launch; later Special Edition adds red, yellow and blue accents | White, Black, Pink, Blue |
| Water resistance detail | – | IP64; tested for immersion in water up to 25 cm for up to 20 minutes |
| Buttons | Power key on right and volume on left, confirmed by TechAdvisor; three rear Glyph lights for notifications, timer, progress tracking, volume, music and fill lighting | – |
| Biometrics | In-display optical fingerprint sensor and camera-based face unlock | In-screen optical fingerprint scanner |
| Sensors | – | Accelerometer, electronic compass, front ambient light sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor |
| Speakers | Dual stereo speakers | Dual stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | 2 high-definition microphones |
| Software | ||
| Operating system | Android | Android |
| Software at launch | Nothing OS 2.5 based on Android 14; retained UK page later describes Nothing OS 3.0 and Android 15 | Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16) |
| Software updates | Original maker promise of three years of Android updates and four years of security updates | 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches from first availability on nothing.tech |
| AI features | Launch Wallpaper Studio; later maker page lists ChatGPT widgets and integration through compatible Nothing earbuds | – |
| In the box | Phone, USB-C cable, pre-applied screen protector, SIM ejector, safety information and warranty card; no charging adapter | Phone, USB-C to USB-C cable (100 cm), case, pre-applied screen protector, SIM tool |
| Connectivity | ||
| Mobile network | Gigabit LTE and dual-mode SA/NSA 5G with 4×4 MIMO; maker lists 5G n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n40/n41/n66/n77/n78, subject to operator and regional support | 5G NR, 4G LTE, 3G UMTS and 2G GSM |
| SIM | Dual nano-SIM; no microSD expansion, confirmed by TechAdvisor | Dual nano-SIM; no eSIM |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4/5 GHz, 2×2 MIMO, MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct and Advanced Hotspot | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), 2.4 and 5 GHz, 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP and BLE | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| NFC | NFC with Google Pay support | Yes (not in India) |
| USB | USB-C; no headphone socket, confirmed by Android Central | – |
| Positioning | GPS L1, GLONASS G1, BeiDou B1I, Galileo E1 and QZSS L1 | GPS (L1), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I), Galileo (E1), QZSS (L1) |
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