Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

Bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (3.36GHz) — same chip as the S23 family and Fold 5. Flagship-grade for everyday use and noticeably more efficient than the Flip 4's 8+ Gen 1.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy at 3.36GHz + 8GB RAM + 256GB UFS 4.0 base — same chip as the S23 family in a Flip form factor.
• New chip is faster AND more efficient than the Flip 4's 8+ Gen 1 — battery life improvement comes from chip + 10% larger cell combined.
• Two years in (2025), still smooth for everyday use — chip + 8GB RAM have aged well thanks to Samsung's update cadence.

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.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

3,700mAh — only 10% more than the Flip 4 and the lineup's weakest. GSMArena measured ~15h video / 12h Wi-Fi web. 25W charging is slow, and oddly the Flip 5 takes longer to reach 100% than the Flip 4.

• 3,700mAh battery — only ~10% larger than the Flip 4. The lineup's weak spot, especially next to slab flagships with 4,500-5,000mAh.
• GSMArena testing: just over 15 hours of video playback and 12 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing — 'not amazing, not half bad either'.
• Real-world: about 1 hour more SOT per day than the Flip 4 thanks to chip + cell improvements — meaningful but still behind comparable slab phones.
• 25W charging matches the Flip 4 in the first 30 minutes — but oddly takes longer to reach 100% than the Flip 4 did.
• 15W Qi wireless charging supported and 4.5W reverse wireless — top up Galaxy Buds while traveling.