Nothing Phone (4a) vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

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 S25 Edge

The 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO AMOLED is essentially the same panel as the S25+ — 120Hz, sharp, very bright. Samsung says it skipped the S25 Ultra's anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 coating because the coating itself would have added thickness, so the Edge gets the glossier finish back. PWM dimming only reaches 480Hz which Notebookcheck flags as a potential issue for sensitive eyes.

• The 6.7-inch panel is just as vibrant and wonderfully colourful as the S25+ — same OLED, same 120Hz refresh rate, no compromise on screen quality.
• With auto-brightness enabled the panel exceeded 2,600 nits in HDR content and regularly cleared 1,000 nits, with even the manual SDR brightness boost hitting 700–800 nits in real testing.
• Slimmer bezels on an absolutely gorgeous display make the Edge feel like holding a portal — and the 2,600 nit peak brightness is right in line with the S25 Ultra's spec.
• The display is also fantastic, and the QHD+ AMOLED is one of the highlights of using the phone — battery aside, the screen alone makes the Edge a treat.
• Samsung skipped the Ultra's anti-reflective coating because — and this is on the record — Samsung says the coating itself would have increased the phone's thickness.
• The Ultra's anti-reflective glass is missing on the Edge — losing that anti-glare property is genuinely a downgrade if you've used the S25 Ultra outdoors.
• The AMOLED flickers at a comparatively low 240Hz at minimum brightness rising to 480Hz at higher levels, and the amplitude isn't particularly flat — PWM-sensitive viewers may notice eye strain.

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 S25 Edge

The 3,900 mAh cell is the smallest in the entire S25 family — even smaller than the base S25's 4,000 mAh battery. Engadget's local video rundown clocked 25 hours 59 minutes (about 3.5 hours less than the Ultra and two hours less than the standard S25); Notebookcheck reached almost 18 hours of simulated web browsing. Real-world experience is split: The Verge survived a heavy Google I/O day with 20% left; Wired needed mid-day top-ups; Trusted Reviews hit 5% by midday after only two hours of screen-on time. Wired charging caps at 25W. The single most-flagged complaint is Samsung's decision not to use silicon-carbon battery tech that competitors already ship.

• A full day covering Google I/O with three hours of screen time and an hour-ish of hotspot use ended with 20 percent left — not amazing, but fine for a heavy use day if you can plug in by evening.
• Engadget's local video rundown lasted 25 hours 59 minutes — about three and a half hours less than the S25 Ultra and two hours less than the base S25.
• Almost 18 hours of simulated web browsing and over 25 hours of HD video playback in lab testing — sufficient for a day of intensive use even if it doesn't quite beat similarly priced rivals.
• After only four hours of screen-on time the phone hit 15% — only light-to-average use will get you a full day, and travelling I/O coverage required mid-afternoon charging anxiety.
• Off a full charge at 3pm, the phone hit 30% by morning and 5% by midday with only two hours of total screen time — Trusted Reviews calls this 'the phone that reintroduces battery anxiety' for the modern era.

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.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Same One UI 7 on Android 15 as the rest of the S25 lineup, same Galaxy AI feature suite (Now Brief, generative photo editing, Gemini integration), same seven-year OS and security update commitment. No platform differentiator over the cheaper S25 or S25+ — software is identical, so the Edge's pitch lives entirely on hardware design.

• Same One UI 7 on Android 15 as the rest of the S25 lineup, with the full Galaxy AI feature set including Now Brief, generative editing and Gemini as the default assistant.
• Seven years of major Android upgrades and monthly security patches until 2031 — matches the best long-term support in the industry.
• Very pleasing and fluid One UI experience, DeX support, seven major OS updates — listed as a pro across the verdict even by reviewers cool on the hardware.
• Shout-out to the realtime visual Gemini Live feature — you can be on a video call with the AI and point at an object and have it answer contextual questions, real-world impressive AI even if execution isn't perfect.
• Selfie camera supports log video recording — a small but real software differentiator the rest of the S25 series doesn't currently have.