Nothing Phone (4a) vs OnePlus 13T

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 13T

A 6.32-inch 1.5K 120Hz LTPO flat AMOLED with over 90% screen-to-body ratio and 2,160Hz PWM dimming below 50 nits. It's smooth and well-rounded for a compact phone, but its ~800-nit typical / 1,600-nit HBM brightness is modest next to flagship rivals.

• A 6.32-inch AMOLED with 1.5K resolution and 120Hz adaptive LTPO refresh — buttery-smooth scrolling with excellent battery optimisation.
• OnePlus claims peak brightness over 800 nits for typical content with a high-brightness mode up to 1,600 nits for HDR or direct sunlight; it defaults to 2,160Hz PWM dimming below 50 nits to ease eye strain.
• It's a 6.32-inch 120Hz AMOLED with 1,600 nits of peak brightness and over 90% screen-to-body ratio.
• Measured manual brightness can go over 800 nits — plenty bright in practice even if the headline numbers are modest.
• There's also a DC dimming option alongside the 2,160Hz PWM, useful for flicker-sensitive users.
• It has a killer display for the size that holds up for gaming and streaming day to day.

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 13T

A deliberately cut-down dual system: a 24mm-equivalent 50MP main and a 49mm-equivalent 50MP 2x telephoto — and no ultrawide at all, which reviewers unanimously call the biggest compromise. It's not Hasselblad-branded; output is competent but oversaturated and rated around 7.5/10.

• The 13T sports a dual camera system — a 24mm-equivalent main and a 49mm-equivalent (≈2x) telephoto — with the front camera maxing out at 1080p 30fps.
• OnePlus chose a telephoto over an ultrawide because most people use telephoto more, and space was at a premium — the 13s camera software is closer to the 13R than the Hasselblad-tuned OnePlus 13.
• The biggest miss is the lack of an ultrawide; overall the camera experience is about 7.5 out of 10 and massively oversaturated, though even dialed down it gives a better overall image.
• The 49mm telephoto offers 4x in-sensor lossless zoom with OnePlus's ultra-clear image algorithms — a genuine plus for telephoto-over-ultrawide shooters.
• The camera seems worse than expected, and some buyers feel misled by the name into thinking it's a smaller OnePlus 13 with one less camera rather than a different device.

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 13T

Flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 — it posted an AnTuTu over 3,000,000 (beating the standard OnePlus 13 and even the vivo X200 Pro) and handles top games well. The caveat is sustained thermals: ~52% stress-test stability and benchmark peak temps near 68°C.

• Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite on TSMC's 3nm node — one of the most efficient and powerful chipsets right now.
• Its AnTuTu score of 3,006,913 beats the current leader, the vivo X200 Pro, and is higher than the flagship OnePlus 13, paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
• Geekbench 6 returned ~3,080 single-core and ~9,829 multi-core; in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light it scored 2,513 with 52% stability after 20 rounds, holding ~59fps with power under 4W and body below 40°C.
• It opens apps in a blink, switches between games and socials seamlessly, and runs cool doing it — a genuine compact powerhouse.
• Genshin Impact runs ~60fps (max 61, lows to 48) at max ~39°C; PUBG is officially capped at 40fps on highest settings but very-high runs up to 80fps.
• In a sustained multi-phone benchmark drain it got the hottest of the group, with a peak around 68°C.

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 13T

The headline feature: a 6,260mAh silicon-carbon 'Glacier Battery' — the largest in any OnePlus and, per a multi-phone drain test, the best battery life of any premium phone, beating the iPhone 16 Pro Max, S25 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro XL and OnePlus 13. 80W SUPERVOOC wired tops it up in ~52–62 minutes; there's no wireless charging.

• The 6,260mAh silicon-carbon cell took the OnePlus 13T to a record-breaking 13 hours 42 minutes in a drain test, beating the iPhone 16 Pro Max (13h10m), Xiaomi 15 Pro, S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13.
• The OnePlus 13T dethroned the iPhone 16 Pro Max as battery champion — it can be considered to have the best battery life of all premium smartphones on the market right now.
• A 5-hour heavy-usage test left 46% battery; it charged to 56% in 25 minutes and a full charge in about 62 minutes (200 nits, 25°C).
• A 10-minute charge got 0–28% and a full 100% charge took about 52 minutes on 80W, powering the colossal 6,260mAh cell.
• One full day of heavy real-world use (gaming, podcasts, workout, calls) gave 12 hours of use and 5h14m of screen-on time before hitting 2%, with a 12%→100% charge in ~34 minutes.
• There is no wireless charging — one of the OnePlus 13 features sacrificed alongside IP68 and USB 3.0 to hit the price.