Nothing Phone (4a) vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

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.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Universally praised. The 6.8-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED hits 2,600 nits peak with a new anti-reflective Gorilla Armor finish that makes it exceptional in bright sunlight.

• The display is so easy to use outside in bright light that the reviewer wants every other manufacturer to copy it.
• Peak brightness is rated 2,600 nits, up from 1,750 nits on the S23 Ultra — a big real-world jump for outdoor use.
• Measured brightness reached ~2,408 nits on a 20% white window versus ~2,235 nits on the iPhone 15 Pro — a measurable win.
• It is a Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2,600 nits peak panel at QHD+ resolution.
• Two years later the 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED 'has aged like fine wine' with no screen burn-in and still buttery 120Hz.

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.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

A 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto and new 50MP 5x periscope (replacing the old 10MP 10x). Reviewers rate it among the best, with standout zoom and portraits, but image processing remains the polarising point.

• The camera system is 'one of the best in the game' and comes with a fantastic portrait mode.
• One of the best all-around camera packages out there after months of shooting, including an excellent and often-overlooked selfie camera.
• The new 50MP 5x periscope fixes the S23 Ultra's weak 5–10x range; 5x portraits look really good and edge detection is among the best.
• Main camera is a 200MP f/1.7 (HP2) with a 50MP f/3.4 5x periscope, 10MP 3x tele and 12MP ultrawide.
• The Pixel 8 Pro's ultrawide is preferred for sharper detail and more natural white balance than the S24 series ultrawide.
• Owners argue the Pixel still looks 'leagues ahead' on moving subjects despite the headline that Samsung finally beat the Pixel.

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.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

5,000mAh with 45W wired and 15W wireless. All-day battery is consistent praise; charging speed versus Chinese rivals is the recurring criticism, and there is a noted One UI update battery-drain bug.

• In a head-to-head battery test it lasted 12h31m, over an hour longer than the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 11h22m.
• 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired (65% in 30 min), 15W wireless and 4.5W reverse wireless.
• Charging is on par with Apple and Google but 'leagues behind rivals out of China' that charge far faster.
• After two years, moderate use still delivers a full day with 25–30% left by bedtime; light use can stretch toward two days.
• Measured battery health was 93% after two years (one heavy year, one moderate), per Samsung's hidden diagnostics.
• A One UI 8.0 update introduced a battery-drain regression, with one user logging only ~3–5 hours screen-on-time on bad days.
• GSMArena flagged that the phone keeps drawing power well past the indicated full state, making it a poor communicator of its charging status.