Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Xiaomi 13 Ultra

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

The headline value play: a 50MP Sony LYT-710 main with OIS, a true 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto (80mm) with OIS, and an 8MP ultrawide — flagship-tier hardware Samsung and Apple don't put in phones at this price. Output is characterful and the telephoto is a genuine win, but reviewers consistently flag inconsistency, average low-light and a gimmicky 140x digital zoom.

• Triple rear system: 50MP Sony LYT-710 main (f/1.9, OIS), 8MP ultrawide, and a 50MP periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom (80mm, f/2.9, OIS).
• Both the main and periscope-zoom cameras are 50MP and deliver strong results for this price range; the zoom in particular stands out from competitors and even allows for extreme digital zoom.
• Having a proper dedicated telephoto shooter is a genuine love, although the camera experience itself is a little bit inconsistent at times.
• It's not clinically the best camera, but the shots have a bit more soul to them.
• Low-light performance isn't the best, and image quality when you zoom right in isn't the best out there — not bad, just not class-leading.
• The 140x zoom headline grabs attention, but in use it's more about how far the camera can push digitally than something you'd rely on day-to-day.
• Not super impressed by the camera or the giant protruding bumps the lenses sit in.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra

The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is a camera-first phone — four 50MP cameras with Leica tuning, a 1" variable-aperture main sensor, and an accessory grip that turns it into a proper mirrorless workflow. The consensus across Wired, PetaPixel, Phone Arena, Android Authority, and Android Headlines: best camera phone of 2023.

• 50MP f/1.9-f/4.0 variable-aperture 1"-type main sensor (Sony IMX989) — first phone with mechanical variable aperture on a 1-inch sensor.
• Triple 50MP telephoto chain: 75mm 3.2× + 120mm 5× periscope + 12mm 122° ultrawide — every camera at 50MP with shared processing, unmatched system consistency.
• Phone Arena: 'might just be the best camera phone of the year' — Xiaomi's attempt to reclaim 'real phone camera' status.
• PetaPixel verdict: 'A camera that happens to have a phone attached' — one of the most feature-rich camera phones available.
• Wired caveat: 'It takes practice and know-how to squeeze the best results' — Auto mode doesn't always match iPhone 15 Pro Max / Pixel 8 Pro point-and-shoot quality.

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.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 16GB RAM delivers flagship-class performance with strong thermal headroom — Xiaomi's tune is among the best of 2023 SD 8 Gen 2 phones for sustained tasks.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 16GB RAM + 512GB UFS 4.0 storage — top-tier 2023 silicon and the most RAM of any flagship phone.
• Wired: 'a smooth operator' with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + 12GB RAM (global variant) — no real-world performance complaints.

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.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra

5,000mAh battery + class-leading 90W wired and 50W wireless charging — Reddit's drain shootout placed it ahead of S22 Ultra, OnePlus 11, and Pixel 7 Pro at 10h 26min total SOT.

• 5,000mAh battery + 90W wired (full in ~35 min per Xiaomi) + 50W wireless (full in ~49 min) + 10W reverse wireless.
• Wired charge test: 34% to 63% in just 10 minutes — fantastic real-world charging speed.
• GSMArena endurance: 15h 29min web browsing, 19h 13min video looping — par with Find X6 Pro, ahead of Vivo X90 Pro.
• Reddit drain shootout: 10h 26min total SOT — beat S22 Ultra (9h 43m) and OnePlus 11 (10h 16m); narrowly beaten by S23 Ultra (11h 15m) and iPhone 14 Pro Max (11h 25m).
• Camera-heavy use drains battery noticeably faster per r/Android — the photography workflow is the biggest endurance hit.

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.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra

The 13 Ultra's value proposition depends entirely on region — at 5,999 yuan ($870) in China it's a steal; at €1,500 European import or US grey-market it's premium-priced and a niche purchase. Galaxy S23 Ultra at $1,199 wins the official-availability + 4+5-year update fight.

• China launch: 5,999 yuan (~$870) for 12GB/256GB; €1,499 (~$1,613) European import via Trading Shenzhen.
• Notebookcheck: at €1,100 (~$1,216) import, the price difference of €400+ vs Galaxy S23 Ultra is 'a good incentive' for camera enthusiasts.
• Reddit r/OnePlus user verdict: 'Xiaomi has the best hardware, BBK (OnePlus/Oppo) wins in software' — the import trade-off summary.
• Official global version still not available in 2026 — Xiaomi's distribution gap remains the biggest barrier to mainstream Western buyers.