Nothing Phone (4a) vs OnePlus 13R

Nothing Phone (4a)

A genuine highlight for the price — a big 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED that's bright, sharp and HDR-capable, beating similarly priced rivals.

• 6.78-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 800 nits typical / 1,600 nits HBM / 4,500 nits peak at 1224x2720 (440ppi).
• The 6.78-inch display is 23% brighter than the 3a, reaching 1,600 nits outdoors with a 4,500-nit HDR peak.
• Brightness goes up to 4,500 nits peak, remaining easily readable outdoors — the display is very strong for this price range and one of the standout features.
• In the real world it hits around 700 nits peak SDR and ~1,550–1,600 nits in HDR, with 460ppi and dynamic 120Hz.

OnePlus 13R

A 6.78-inch 1.5K 120Hz LTPO AMOLED with 1,600 nits in High Brightness Mode and a 4,500-nit peak, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus Aqua Touch 2.0. Reviewers consistently rate it a strong suit that punches above the phone's price — the only nitpick is the 1.5K (≈1264p) resolution rather than QHD.

• A 6.78-inch AMOLED with 120Hz refresh, Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits in HBM, carrying the OnePlus 13's Aqua Touch 2.0 tech.
• The 6.78-inch OLED brings everything to life with vibrant colors and a very bright 4,500-nit peak — a strong suit that belies the mid-range positioning.
• The display shines with 1,600 nits HBM, enabling easy use under direct sunlight, with vivid, accurate color covering 100% of the Display P3 gamut.
• On paper it peaks at 4,500 nits, and in real life that means you can reply to messages in direct sunlight without squinting.
• Six months to a year in, the screen still feels like one of the best in its class and 'flagship level'.
• The one display nitpick from owners is that it's a 1.5K (≈1220p) panel rather than a 1440p QHD screen.

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.

OnePlus 13R

A triple 50MP main + 50MP 2x telephoto + 8MP ultrawide system with a 16MP selfie. The main and telephoto are dependable and good in daylight, and portraits at 2x are a highlight — but the ultrawide and selfie are the consensus weak points that stop it scoring with true flagships.

• Triple camera: a 50MP main, a 50MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide, plus a 16MP selfie; the main records up to 4K 60fps with EIS and OIS.
• The camera doesn't disappoint on quality but fails to stand out — the ultrawide and selfie keep it from an excellent score, and alternatives are better at stills and video.
• The camera is very respectable for a modern Android phone and beats expectations for the price.
• Five months in, the 50MP main still holds up well and portrait mode is very good (excellent 2x portraits); low-light 2x is okay but not flagship level — overall average quality, good for the price.
• The camera system is a mixed bag falling short of expectations for its price segment, and ultrawide video drops to 1080p.

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.

OnePlus 13R

Last year's flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 — reviewers agree it's the most powerful phone in its price bracket and still fast a year on. The caveat is thermals: Notebookcheck found drastic throttling under sustained load, and stress-test stability sits in the 58–74% range.

• It packs the full Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage — last year's flagship chip rather than a mid-range part, which reviewers were glad to see.
• Among the value flagships it's the top performer with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and a capable all-rounder with excellent performance.
• In testing the OnePlus 13R revealed a high level of waste heat which led to the processor being throttled drastically.
• It scores better than 93% of devices on the market for $599 — probably faster than even some flagship phones — averaging ~30fps in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme.
• Sustained gaming holds near 120fps in PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile with no noticeable lag or frame drops over 30–40 minute sessions.
• It only really gets warm at 100% brightness with everything maxed, or during prolonged GPS use — in normal scrolling/streaming use it stays cool, with heat localised to the camera cutout area.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A ~5,080mAh cell with 50W wired charging — reviewers call endurance strong, but a notable group of owners report disappointing screen-on time.

• The Nothing Phone (4a) features a ~5,080mAh cell which delivers very strong endurance in everyday use.
• The battery grew slightly — about 80mAh in most markets but a more meaningful 400mAh in India — with a 50W PD unit recommended on the box.
• Several owners report only 4–6.5 hours of screen-on time with moderate use — worse than other phones with similar ~5,000mAh batteries.
• Battery life on this phone is excellent in everyday use.

OnePlus 13R

The headline strength: a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon cell that reviewers and labs single out as one of the best in any phone — 8–10 hours of screen-on time, 1.5–2 day endurance, 25h+ Wi-Fi / 40h+ video in lab tests. 80W SuperVOOC wired charging is fast, but there is no wireless charging.

• The silicon-carbon 6,000mAh battery delivered an extremely strong runtime of over 25 hours in the Wi-Fi test and over 40 hours in continuous video playback.
• It packs a bigger 6,000mAh battery and supports 80W wired charging, taking it from 20% to 100% in just 50 minutes.
• Reviewers regularly report 8, 9, even 10 hours of screen-on time — very impressive for a mid-tier device — with a ~0–60% recharge in about 30 minutes.
• One owner hit 10 hours 22 minutes of screen-on time, with battery still strong even using a 20–80% charging pattern.
• The trade-off versus the OnePlus 13: a single-cell rather than dual-cell battery, weaker front/back glass, a slower out-of-box recharge and no wireless charging.
• Heavy GPS navigation is the one drain culprit — an hour and 50 minutes of continuous Google Maps cut a typical 8-hour result down to about 5.5 hours.

Nothing Phone (4a)

Near-stock Nothing OS is repeatedly singled out as one of the best, cleanest and most customisable Android experiences at any price.

• The UI is pretty much stock Android, which is the best Android experience — Nothing and Pixel offer the best Android experience.
• While hard to compare to Samsung's far more customisable One UI, Nothing's OS is one of the best ways to experience Android.
• The in-house gallery, voice recorder and weather apps have wonderful design consistency, with everything else left as Google's clean defaults.
• The home screen is extremely customisable with built-in and user-made widgets — fresher, clearer and bolder than iOS.

OnePlus 13R

OxygenOS (now on the Android 16 / OxygenOS 16 track) is clean, fast and customisable, with iPhone-like split quick-settings, global search and a 'Live Alerts' dynamic-island clone. The update promise is 4 OS versions + 6 years of security — solid but behind Google and Samsung's 7 years — and recent OxygenOS 16 builds have drawn some criticism.

• OnePlus promises 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches — solid, though Google and Samsung now push 7 years on their flagships.
• OxygenOS is clean and customisable, with a split quick-settings/notifications layout, global search, and a 'Live Alerts' dynamic-island clone that's handy for music controls.
• OnePlus is expanding AI: AI Translation pulls text, voice, camera and screen translation into one app, plus an AI-curated 'Mind Space' screenshots feature.
• OnePlus pushes updates in a timely manner and after a year the software has been smooth with no notable issues.
• The OxygenOS 16 update measurably lowered benchmark scores and raised CPU temps in one test, and OnePlus's new Anti-Rollback (ARB) policy stirred controversy among power users.
• OxygenOS divides owners — many call it the best phone at its price with clean software, while a vocal minority call it the worst version of Android they've used.

Nothing Phone (4a)

Aggressively priced below the Pixel 10a with a more distinctive design and a real telephoto — the standout budget pick for buyers who want personality.

• It's a good chunk of change cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a.
• It fits the perfect budget for buyers who can't afford the ~$1,000 needed for an entry-level iPhone 17, with good hardware and excellent battery.
• A very strong mid-range smartphone that stands out with unique design, great display, solid performance and surprisingly capable cameras — definitely worth a closer look.
• Nothing stands out among the crowd with a brand identity strong enough to turn consumers into fans.

OnePlus 13R

The whole pitch: $599 for most of a flagship. Reviewers overwhelmingly frame it as the real 'flagship killer' — the bulk of the OnePlus 13 for $300 less, beating the Pixel 9 by $200 — with the only dissent being that camera-led buyers might prefer a Pixel.

• At $599.99 it's actually the OnePlus 13R that could really be the 'flagship killer' OnePlus wants its more expensive device to be.
• At $599 the value can't be understated — you get the bulk of the flagship OnePlus 13 at $300 less while beating the Pixel 9 by $200 and rivaling it across the board.
• If you're willing to make a small compromise in the camera department you won't find a more powerful handset for the asking price, with excellent battery life — a capable all-rounder.
• After switching from the OnePlus 13, it's honestly an absolute steal at $599 MSRP.
• Owners overwhelmingly call it the best phone at its price point — fast, charges even faster, with the best battery life many have ever seen — and would buy it again.
• The contrarian view: against a same-priced Pixel 9a the camera gap is big enough that you might 'maybe just buy a Pixel'.