Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra

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.

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

A 6.73-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED with 120Hz, 1920Hz PWM dimming, Dolby Vision and a 3,000-nit peak — a top-tier panel, though measured sustained brightness is good rather than class-leading.

• LTPO AMOLED, 68B colors, 120Hz, 1920Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 1,000 nits typical / 3,000 nits peak.
• Peak brightness rose from 2,600 to 3,000 nits versus the 13 Ultra; the measured 1,281 nits isn't industry-leading but is excellent nonetheless.
• Notebookcheck's overall verdict scores it 'very good (89%)' — a 6.73-inch 3200×1440 panel among the best flagships.

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 14 Ultra

The centerpiece and the reason to buy: a 1-inch-type variable-aperture Leica main plus 50MP 3.2x tele, 50MP 5x periscope and a notably clean 12MP ultrawide. Hardware is class-leading; software processing is the only real limit.

• Quad 50MP: a 1"-type f/1.6–f/4.0 variable-aperture main, 75mm 3.2x tele, 120mm 5x periscope, and a 12mm ultrawide, plus a 3D ToF sensor.
• TechRadar's verdict is unambiguous: 'the king of the camera phones'.
• The 1-inch-type main sensor is nearly 30% bigger than the 1/1.3-inch sensors in Samsung/Apple rivals, and with an f/1.6 variable aperture captures more light than most phones — great for low light.
• Official camera samples across all four lenses were called 'stunning' and 'pretty fantastic' ahead of launch.
• It has 'blown everyone's mind with its camera capabilities' and delivers on all fronts, especially the camera department.

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 14 Ultra

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with Adreno 750 and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 puts it among the fastest 2024 flagships, with Xiaomi's IceLoop cooling keeping sustained gaming temperatures in check.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with Adreno 750 and 512GB UFS 4.0 — Notebookcheck rates it 'very good (89%)' overall.
• It's the reason it makes complete sense to put it against the best flagships — a phone that delivers on all fronts.
• Some camera lag appears only in dimly lit auto-mode scenes — raising EV and adjusting exposure in pro mode cuts it down significantly.

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 14 Ultra

A 5,000mAh cell (global) with very fast 90W wired / 80W wireless charging. Endurance is improved over the 13 Ultra but still only middling for the class, and heavy gaming drains it quickly.

• The global Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery — same capacity as the 13 Ultra — and endurance is a step up but doesn't win hearts.
• The biggest improvement is gaming endurance — up 33% over the 13 Ultra's underwhelming 5 hours, no longer miles behind competitors but still not class-leading.
• Charging: 90W wired fills empty-to-full in ~33 minutes (matched in testing), plus 80W wireless to 100% in ~46 minutes and 10W reverse wireless.
• Owners are 'not disappointed' with daily battery life, though some wish screen-on time were a bit better.

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 14 Ultra

At ~$1,600 / €1,500 (often bundled with the Photography Kit) it's priced at the very top against the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra. Its value case is camera supremacy, not all-round polish or availability.

• Notebookcheck lists it from ~€1,500 (Xiaomi advertises ~US$1,600), and asks whether the Leica phone is worth the money — concluding it 'comes up trumps'.
• In Italy it bundled at €1,499 with the camera case, an 80W wireless charging stand and a Xiaomi Watch 2 Pro — strong value against an iPhone 15 Pro Max at €1,489 plus separate accessories.
• TrustedReviews flagged it as 'sure to be in the running for the best Android phone of 2024'.
• Tom's Guide called it 'an ultra-impressive phone, especially in the camera department' — the consistent value framing across publications.
• The honest counterpoint: against an OnePlus 12, owners argue the Xiaomi camera lead isn't '100 miles ahead' for the price premium.