Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs OnePlus 13

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

A 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED at 144Hz with 2,160Hz PWM dimming — reviewers agree it's the best screen Nothing has built, with realistic outdoor brightness around 1,600 nits. The headline 5,000-nit peak, though, only materialises with special HDR test files; everyday brightness is far lower.

• Nothing's best-ever display: a 144Hz panel with 1,600 nits of outdoor brightness and a claimed 5,000 nits peak; the main camera is solid too with nice detail and well-reproduced colours.
• A claimed 1,600-nit outdoor brightness is realistic — no major visibility issues outdoors even in strong sunshine, putting it among the best affordable phones, and Nothing OS has some of the best design consistency of any Android UI.
• The 4,500-nit HDR peak was only validated with specific HDR test files, not actual video playback — real-world output is around 700 nits in SDR and 1,550–1,600 in HDR.
• The '5,000-nit peak brightness' spec means nothing in practice — a marketing figure pulled from a single-pixel measurement.
• 144Hz refresh (vs 120Hz on the regular 4a) and 1,600 nits white brightness / 5,000 nits peak, marketed as 66% brighter than the Phone (3a) series — though there's no extra output on a small 10% window.
• High-frequency PWM dimming makes it better suited to users sensitive to screen flicker, although slight flickering is still present.

OnePlus 13

Every reviewer calls this one of the best smartphone screens of 2025: a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED that peaks at 4,500 nits, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and earned DisplayMate's first-ever A++ rating. The new ultrasonic fingerprint reader is faster and stays reliable when wet, and PWM dimming runs at 2,160 Hz for eye-sensitive users. The only ongoing nitpick is the gently curved glass edges.

• The 6.8-inch OLED panel hits a peak of up to 4,500 nits — even brighter than Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra at 2,600 nits.
• 1,600 nits in high brightness mode and 4,500 nits peak brightness make this the world's first display to earn DisplayMate's A++ rating.
• 120Hz OLED displays are sharp, colorful, and smooth, though the default lower resolution save-battery setting kept lowering brightness a little too much in testing.
• The display is in the upper echelon of smartphone screens — beautifully tuned, incredibly bright, smooth, and easier to use without aggressive curves.
• The new ultrasonic fingerprint reader plus Aqua Touch 2.0 keeps the screen responsive even when wet — old optical readers struggled with that.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 with UFS 3.1 storage is a clear, tangible step up from the Phone (3a) generation — Nothing claims +27% CPU, +30% GPU and +65% AI. It's a perfectly capable everyday chip that feels noticeably quicker, but it's explicitly not a gaming powerhouse and warms up under sustained heavy load.

• Backed by OS optimisations and a custom CPU scheduler, the chipset delivers 27% better CPU, 30% better GPU and 65% better AI performance than the Nothing Phone (3a); storage is 147% faster in reads and 380% faster in writes.
• Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is a perfectly acceptable chip across the board, and the upgrade to UFS 3.1 makes this feel noticeably quicker compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) and prior.
• The CPU performance difference between the 4a Pro and the vanilla 4a is not massive, but it is still very much notable.
• Available in 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB and 12GB+256GB configurations, all running near-stock AOSP-style Nothing OS.
• Like most phones in this segment, it shows some basic heat build-up during really extensive tasks like gaming or 4K editing in high-end software, though it stays responsive while gaming.
• It's by no means a top-notch gaming phone, although the processor is better than the regular 4a's and squeezes out a bit more performance and FPS.

OnePlus 13

The OnePlus 13 was the first non-gaming flagship globally to ship with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and reviewers report a generational jump in both CPU and GPU. Multi-core Geekbench scores rival the Galaxy S25 Ultra and beat the iPhone 16 Pro on GPU benchmarks. Thermal management is exceptional — Dave2D ran Genshin Impact at max settings indefinitely without throttling — and 12-16GB of RAM keeps multitasking buttery smooth.

• The Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers a 31% higher CPU clock speed, 36% higher AnTuTu, 44% higher single-core Geekbench and 14% higher 3DMark over last year's best — Wilt Chamberlain numbers.
• Both the OnePlus 13 and ROG Phone 9 Pro ran Genshin Impact at max graphics indefinitely at 60fps without throttling — never seen before on stock devices.
• Geekbench 6 multi-core hits 9,267 on the OnePlus 13 — only about 5% behind the Galaxy S25 Ultra at 9,828, with 16GB RAM versus Samsung's 12GB.
• Snapdragon 8 Elite single-core CPU performance is practically spitting distance from the A18 Pro while it actually surpasses the iPhone 16 Pro in multi-core and 3DMark Wild Life Extreme.
• Even when heavily used, the phone doesn't get unreasonably hot, doesn't stutter or lag, and doesn't unreasonably suck up battery life.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

The ~5,080mAh cell reliably gets through a day and endurance improved across all of GSMArena's tests versus the 3a Pro — but it's only an 80mAh bump over last year and looks small next to 6,000–7,000mAh budget rivals. 50W wired charging is the trade-off win; there is no wireless charging at all.

• Endurance has improved across the board in all tests compared to last year's Nothing Phone (3a) Pro; with a 68W USB-PD charger the phone peaked at around 42W.
• The review unit gets through a day without problems, but it'll certainly be into the red and close to done after about 15 hours of use; the OnePlus 15R has a much meatier battery to last longer.
• It's only an 80mAh increase over last year — small fry next to budget rivals like the Poco M8 Pro, which uses silicon-carbon tech to reach 6,500mAh.
• 50W wired charging is very respectable at this price — besting anything Google, Apple or Samsung offers below £500.
• Because the processor isn't power-hungry and the battery is large for the chip, real-world battery life is excellent.
• Roughly 13 hours of continuous playback at maximum brightness in a streaming test — impressive for what Nothing is doing at this price.

OnePlus 13

The OnePlus 13's signature feature: a 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery (vs the 5,000 mAh ceiling rivals are stuck at) that delivers genuine two-day endurance, paired with 100W wired SuperVOOC and 50W AirVOOC wireless charging that refills the phone in 36 minutes. Engadget's video rundown clocked 30h 18m — almost an hour longer than the S25 Ultra. The catch: top wireless speeds require OnePlus's proprietary magnetic puck.

• With average use the phone easily lasts two full days; with heavy use you can go from morning to night without a top-up, thanks to OnePlus's Silicon NanoStack battery tech.
• 30 hours 18 minutes on Engadget's local video rundown — nearly an hour longer than the Galaxy S25 Ultra (29:27) and almost three hours better than a Pixel 9 (27:32).
• Two full days of WhatsApp, Discord, Chrome, Instagram and Android Auto without worrying about where the charger is — silicon-carbon is a real generational leap.
• Even with high brightness, multitasking, GPS navigation and Bluetooth streaming, the OnePlus 13 ends the day with six hours of screen-on time and 35% battery left.
• 80W wired charging refills the phone from zero to 100 in 36 minutes, with 50W wireless charging via the AIRVOOC puck — the OP13 recharges twice as fast as a Galaxy S25 with cable and three times faster wirelessly.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Nothing OS 4.1 on Android 16 is the universal favourite: near-stock AOSP functionality with a distinctive monochrome visual identity, almost no bloatware, and AI that's present but not forced. The one hard reservation is update length — only 3 years of OS upgrades against 6 years of security patches.

• Nothing OS sticks close to a clean, near-stock Android (AOSP) experience in functionality, but stands out with its distinctive visual identity.
• After a week the phone is 'absolutely brilliant'; software is where Nothing phones shine, even if the camera 'window' at the top of the display is basically a pseudo-iPhone look.
• Software is where Nothing phones absolutely shine — the clearest reason to pick this over rivals.
• There's a smattering of AI here, but it's not shoved down your throat — and the software is basically the same clean setup as the regular Nothing Phone (4a).
• Unlike Samsung's Galaxy AI which is in your face from day one, Nothing's AI stays out of the way — an impressive, restrained package overall.
• Nothing's take on Android 16 has some of the best design consistency you'll find on any Android UI, Google included.

OnePlus 13

OxygenOS 15 on Android 15 has matured into a fast, customizable Android skin with deliberately restrained AI — Gemini and Circle to Search are present, plus a Notes assistant and AI Reflection Eraser, but OnePlus has explicitly chosen not to chase Galaxy AI. The Live Alerts feature mimics Apple's Dynamic Island, with limited third-party support. The catch: four OS upgrades and six years of security patches still trails Samsung and Google's seven.

• OnePlus is keeping AI refreshingly low-key — Google Gemini and Circle to Search plus a smarter Notes app, but AI is nothing like the big focus it is on the Galaxy S25 family.
• OxygenOS 15 is very, very good — animation speed improvements and extra attention to detail make this version of Android 15 feel uniquely tunable.
• OxygenOS 15 has taken back control after years of ColorOS-style bloat creep — 'I'm not simply tolerating it, I like it.'
• Software support is bumped to four Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates — better than before, but still not as long as Samsung and Google's seven years.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

At $499 it directly undercuts the experience-per-dollar of the same-priced Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e, and several reviewers would take it over the 10a without hesitation. The closest internal threat is its own cheaper sibling, the standard Phone (4a), which shares the same cameras for $150 less.

• From the design to the software and cameras, this is a phone that should absolutely not be slept on — at the price of a Pixel 10a, 'I'd take this 10 out of 10 times over a 10a.'
• Vibes and great value for under $500 — a balanced all-rounder.
• Against its immediate rivals the Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e it looks impressive: a larger, brighter, faster display, more cameras, and Nothing's unique design including the Glyph Matrix.
• A premium balanced package with polished software and really good cameras — recommended, even if it's not perfect on the IP rating or front-camera 4K.
• The biggest problem for the 4a Pro is its own little brother — the standard 4a costs much less and gets the exact same cameras.
• While the (4a)'s design is still the best in the Nothing range, the (4a) Pro is a close second, and its speakers sound better than the standard model's.

OnePlus 13

At $899 starting (often discounted to $799 via OnePlus's perpetual trade-in deals), the OnePlus 13 is consistently called the best Android value of 2025. The S25 Ultra costs $400 more, the S25+ $100 more, the iPhone 16 Pro $100 more — and the OnePlus matches or beats all three on battery, brightness and charging while landing a half-tier behind on cameras and falling short on update commitment. Reddit sentiment is more mixed: a vocal r/gadgets minority argues a $900 phone isn't a 'flagship killer' anymore.

• For $899 you get longer battery life, a brighter screen, more RAM, greater storage and the same 3x zoom as a base Galaxy S25+ — all for $100 less. That's just a good deal.
• The 12GB/256GB OnePlus 13 costs $400 less than the cheapest Galaxy S25 Ultra — the difference between getting a new phone or getting a new phone and a smartwatch.
• This is the best OnePlus phone to date, and at $899, arguably the best Android phone period.
• The OnePlus 13 cameras, display and battery life all compete handily against the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra — but the phone is priced like an iPhone 16 or Galaxy S24.
• It's nice to see OnePlus continuing to stick to its roots by offering everything you need at a slightly lower price than Samsung, Google and Apple flagships.