iPhone 15 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a)

iPhone 15 Pro

Apple

8.6

Smaller, lighter Pro — same A17 + USB-C 3.0, no 5x periscope

Nothing Phone (4a)

Nothing

8.3

The mid-ranger that stands out

iPhone 15 Pro

What Reviewers Agree On

Grade-5 titanium frame drops weight to 187g (~19g lighter than 14 Pro) — most-praised in-hand feel of any small flagship
Same A17 Pro 3nm chip with hardware ray tracing, 8GB RAM, NVMe — same performance as the $200-more Pro Max
Same USB-C 3.0 (10Gbps), Action Button, ProMotion 120Hz, 2000-nit peak as the Pro Max — Pro features in a compact body
Same Apple Intelligence support on iOS 18+ — future-proofs through iOS 23+ in 2030s
Genuinely pocketable 6.1-inch flagship — increasingly rare in a 6.7"+ Pro-Max-dominant market
WIRED 8/10 — 'iPhone 15 Pro is the small Pro that finally tempts large-Pro owners'

Pros & Cons

iPhone 15 Pro

Pros

Grade-5 titanium frame drops weight to 187g (~19g lighter than 14 Pro) — most-praised in-hand feel of any small flagship
Same A17 Pro 3nm chip with hardware ray tracing, 8GB RAM, NVMe — same performance as the $200-more Pro Max
Same USB-C 3.0 (10Gbps), Action Button, ProMotion 120Hz, 2000-nit peak as the Pro Max — Pro features in a compact body
Same Apple Intelligence support on iOS 18+ — future-proofs through iOS 23+ in 2030s
Genuinely pocketable 6.1-inch flagship — increasingly rare in a 6.7"+ Pro-Max-dominant market

Detailed Comparison

Cameras

iPhone 15 Pro

48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP 3x telephoto + 12MP TrueDepth front. The notable miss vs the Pro Max is no 5x Tetraprism periscope — the Pro is stuck at 3x optical, the first time Apple meaningfully gated zoom by phone size.

Cameras: 48MP main (f/1.78, sensor-shift OIS), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2), 12MP 3x telephoto (77mm, f/2.8), 12MP TrueDepth selfie.
NO 5x Tetraprism periscope — Apple kept it Pro Max exclusive. The 15 Pro caps at 3x optical telephoto with computational zoom to 15x.
48MP main + ProRAW + ProRes via USB-C 3.0 enable creator-grade workflows the smaller phone can now handle.
Daylight photo quality matches the Pro Max — sensor, processing and software are identical except the periscope.

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Nothing Phone (4a)

What Reviewers Agree On

Distinctive Glyph design that stands out in a sea of black slabs — widely called one of the best-looking phones at its price
Excellent big screen for the money: a 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED, HDR10+, ~1,600 nits outdoor and a 4,500-nit HDR peak
Near-stock Nothing OS ranked among the best Android experiences, highly customisable and clean
A rare 3.5x (80mm) periscope telephoto at this price, adding real flexibility most budget rivals lack
A clear, substantial upgrade over the Phone 3a / Phone 3, fixing earlier design problems
Strong value — cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a while feeling more premium than the price suggests

Deal Breakers

The 3.5x telephoto is poorly optimised — among the worst processing JerryRigEverything has seen on a periscope lens
The 8MP ultrawide is a basic, low-resolution sensor
Battery life is divisive — several owners report only 4–6.5 hours of screen-on time despite a ~5,080mAh cell
The Glyph Matrix's real-world usefulness is questioned by multiple reviewers

Nothing Phone (4a)

Pros

Distinctive Glyph design that stands out in a sea of black slabs — widely called one of the best-looking phones at its price
Excellent big screen for the money: a 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED, HDR10+, ~1,600 nits outdoor and a 4,500-nit HDR peak
Near-stock Nothing OS ranked among the best Android experiences, highly customisable and clean
A rare 3.5x (80mm) periscope telephoto at this price, adding real flexibility most budget rivals lack
A clear, substantial upgrade over the Phone 3a / Phone 3, fixing earlier design problems
Strong value — cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a while feeling more premium than the price suggests

Cons

The 3.5x telephoto is poorly optimised — among the worst processing JerryRigEverything has seen on a periscope lens
The 8MP ultrawide is a basic, low-resolution sensor
Battery life is divisive — several owners report only 4–6.5 hours of screen-on time despite a ~5,080mAh cell
The Glyph Matrix's real-world usefulness is questioned by multiple reviewers

Nothing Phone (4a)

A standout 3.5x periscope telephoto at this price and a solid main camera, undercut by an under-optimised zoom and a basic ultrawide.

A triple setup — 50MP main, a 50MP periscope telephoto and an 8MP ultrawide — undoubtedly one of the best experiences at this level.
The telephoto has been tweaked to a much better 3.5x (80mm) zoom factor.
A telephoto with optical zoom at this price is great, but this is the worst optimisation I've seen on a 3.5x camera — expect disappointment if you buy for the zoom.
The 3.5x optical-zoom telephoto is one of the biggest highlights, adding much more flexibility than most competitors in this price range, and the cameras are surprisingly capable.
Each camera here feels better than what you'd get on Samsung at the price, and the main is solid with nice detail.

Performance

iPhone 15 Pro

Same A17 Pro 3nm chip with hardware ray tracing, 8GB RAM and NVMe storage as the Pro Max. Apple Intelligence on iOS 18+ requires this chip. Launch overheating issues real but largely fixed via iOS 17.0.3.

A17 Pro 3nm with 8GB RAM and NVMe storage — fastest mobile silicon at launch, identical to the Pro Max.
Apple Intelligence support on iOS 18.1+ — A17 Pro is the minimum chip required, future-proofs the phone.
Hardware ray tracing enables console-grade ports: Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding, Assassin's Creed Mirage run natively.
Launch overheating: A17 Pro ran hot in gaming and 4K shoots; iOS 17.0.3 mitigated but didn't fully eliminate — affects the smaller Pro slightly more due to thermal headroom.
In 2025, A17 Pro remains an absolute performer for everyday + intensive use — aged extremely well.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A capable mid-range chip that handles everyday use and casual gaming well — not a powerhouse, but appropriate for the price.

Gaming is absolutely possible on this device, with solid everyday performance for the class.
There's no shortage of substantial hardware upgrades over the 3a, even if the design doesn't stand out as much as the Pro.
After 24 hours the home screen is extremely customisable and feels massively more functional than iOS, with no responsiveness complaints.
Gesture-based navigation is fully supported and the overall experience is good thanks to Nothing's optimisations.