This year Nothing not only introduced its first mid-range phone, but it also had time to bring out a souped up version of it, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. Long story short, the Plus model features a better 50MP selfie camera, a slightly faster chipset and a minor bump to charging speed. For the long version, we’re working on a full review, so expect more details soon.
The Plus model starts at £400 for the 12/256GB model, up from £350/€380 for the regular Nothing Phone (2a). In India, the base model is 8/256GB and it goes for ₹28,000, up from ₹26,000. It will be available in the US too, but only as part of the Beta Program (support for US carrier bands is still spotty at best).
The Dimensity 7350 Pro is more or less the same chip as the 7200 Pro, except that it runs at higher clock speeds (the 2x Cortex-A715 cluster goes from 2.8GHz to 3.0GHz, for example).
We’re not sure whether it’s because of the new chip or the new 50MP sensor, but the selfie camera can now record 4K video (at 30fps), matching the rear camera. The upgrade in charging is pretty minor – still no wireless charging, instead the wired options got a 5W boost to 50W. This means that the 5,000mAh battery needs 2 minutes less to get to 50% (21 minutes) and 4 minutes less to 100% (56 minutes).
The OnePlus Nord 4 is a bit pricier at £430/€500 for the 12/256GB model and ₹33,000 for the 8/256GB one. However, it brings a stylish aluminum unibody instead of the plastic construction of the Nothing and with better IP65 dust and water resistance (vs. IP54). The Nord also has a higher resolution 6.74” display, a faster Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset and a larger 5,500mAh battery with faster 100W charging. The camera system is less impressive with a 50MP main (smaller 1/1.95” sensor) and only 8MP ultra wide and 16MP selfie cameras.
OnePlus Nord 4 • Xiaomi Poco F6
The Poco F6 was £370/€420/₹30,000 for a 12/512GB unit at launch. It comes with the near-flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset a 12-bit 6.67” OLED display that’s sharper than the Nothing, better IP64 rating and a 5,000mAh battery with 90W charging. The camera system is once again the weak spot with a 50MP main (1/1.95”), 8MP ultra wide and 20MP selfie cameras.
The Samsung Galaxy A55 is £414/€450/₹43,000 from Samsung itself, though finding lower prices from retailers is easy enough. The Exynos 1480 is not as fast as the Snapdragons but is basically on par with the Dimensity of the Nothing phone. It has the best water resistance yet, IP67, but the 5,000mAh battery only supports relatively slow 25W charging. The main 50MP camera has a comparable 1/1.56” sensor, but the 12MP ultra wide still lags behind. On the plus side, the 32MP selfie camera does support 4K video.
Samsung Galaxy A55 • Realme 13 Pro
The Realme 13 Pro just launched in India and an 8/256GB unit can be yours for ₹29,000. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 isn’t faster than the Dimensity 7350 Pro and the 6.7” FHD+ OLED display isn’t any sharper than what the Nothing has. The battery is slightly larger at 5,200mAh and with 45W charging it needs 27 minutes to get to 50%. The IP65 rating offers better protection. The camera features a 50MP main (small 1/1.95” sensor), 8MP ultra wide and a 32MP selfie modules (only 1080p @ 30fps video).
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus launched in the UK this weekend and will be out in India on Wednesday. Will you be among the early adopters of the phone or what?