Nothing Phone (4a) vs Xiaomi 15

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.

Xiaomi 15

A small but flagship-grade flat AMOLED with class-leading peak brightness. Outdoor visibility is a recurring highlight.

• An independent test clocked the display at 3,175 nits at 20% APL — bright enough to comfortably read in direct sun.
• The phone offers 3,200 nits of peak brightness; a year on, the screen still feels flagship-level for YouTube, Netflix and gaming.
• There is a dedicated sunlight mode you toggle in settings that boosts the panel up to 3,200 nits.
• Whether watching video or gaming, after a year the display still feels flagship level.

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.

Xiaomi 15

A Leica-tuned triple 50MP system that reviewers rate among the best you can get in a compact phone, with a large 1/1.3-inch main sensor and a versatile 60mm telephoto. Pro-grade video is strong via the main sensor.

• This is one of the best and most capable camera setups you can currently get in a relatively compact phone.
• Xiaomi swapped the Xiaomi 14 sensor for a new JN5 telephoto with a 60mm focal length, paired with a large 1/1.3-inch main sensor.
• The telephoto offers 2x optical zoom (46mm) but you can still push to ~6x with an impressive level of detail — a strong pick for buyers who don't need extreme reach.
• Portrait shots were compared directly against a Sony a6100 with a 23mm f/1.4 lens (≈35mm equivalent, ~f/2.1 depth of field) and held up well.
• The main camera can shoot 8K30 from the main sensor, and that 8K footage is roughly 50% more detailed than 4K30.
• 4K30 video is consistent with great detail, tasteful colours and good contrast, but 4K60 footage can sometimes look too compressed and mushy.

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.

Xiaomi 15

Snapdragon 8 Elite makes it one of the fastest small phones available, and it holds sustained performance better than larger rivals — but it still runs warm under prolonged synthetic and 4K-video loads.

• It runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite — pretty much the fastest chipset available on any smartphone at launch.
• In a stress test against the Galaxy S25 and Oppo Find X8, the Xiaomi 15 won on stability (~72%) versus the S25's 67% and the Find X8's 58.6%, and also had the upper hand in Geekbench.
• Despite being a much smaller phone tested in hotter conditions, it sustained better performance and smoothness than an iQOO 13 in a 10-loop benchmark; an external cooler lifted the lowest-loop score 14%.
• The chipset swap to the Snapdragon 8 Elite is welcome, but just like last year the Xiaomi 15 still struggles to keep it cool under prolonged loads.
• A year on the flagship chipset is still very powerful and the phone's performance remains solid in 2026.
• In a cross-platform speed test the Xiaomi 15 posted a higher Geekbench multi-core score than an iPhone 17 (which led single-core).

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.

Xiaomi 15

A ~5,240mAh cell that beats a Galaxy S25 in head-to-head rundowns and recharges very fast over both wire and wireless — though a HyperOS idle drain divides reviewers.

• The Xiaomi 15 packs a larger ~5,240mAh battery versus a Galaxy S25's ~4,000mAh while only being 27g heavier, and ended a head-to-head rundown at 30% vs the S25's 13%.
• It charges in around 45 minutes with the 90W adapter in the box, and the reviewer had zero issues with battery life in normal mixed use.
• From a fully dead battery a measured charge test reached 66% in 45 minutes, 91% at 1h05m and a full 100% in about 1h15m.
• It also supports 50W wireless charging — faster than typical flagship wired speeds — though there are no Qi magnets built in, so you need a 50W-compatible mat for top speed.
• Xiaomi says battery can run roughly 25% longer than the Xiaomi 14.
• One reviewer reported a real HyperOS idle drain — 15-20 minutes of light morning use (email, WhatsApp, Slack) cost 5-6% and warmed the phone, persisting even on the dimmest setting.
• After a year you still get a full-day battery for most users — heavy users may need a quick top-up — and 90W fast charging stays extremely useful.
• r/Android long-term owners describe an awesome device with a fantastic camera and even better battery life.

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.

Xiaomi 15

HyperOS is fast and feature-rich (IR blaster, long update commitment) but the bloat, ads and unremovable apps remain the phone's most consistent complaint, and big updates have shifted benchmark behaviour.

• Xiaomi committed to roughly 4 years of major Android OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
• Owners dislike that certain pre-installed apps can't be uninstalled and that HyperOS surfaces ads and unsolicited notifications even on a flagship.
• The HyperOS 3 (Android 16) update is described as one of the riskiest software moves Xiaomi has made; everything still feels like butter day-to-day but Geekbench scores have declined with every major HyperOS update.
• After the Android 16 / HyperOS 3 update many owners report better battery life, and the IR blaster remains a favourite Xiaomi touch.
• A year on the software support has kept the phone feeling fresh and reliable, with a smooth overall experience.

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.

Xiaomi 15

Widely called the best compact flagship of 2025, but it's priced like a flagship and only an iterative bump over the Xiaomi 14 — and in the US a Galaxy S25 or iPhone 16 is cheaper and easier to buy.

• One of the best compact flagships on the market, if not the best one — reviewers were left quite impressed.
• Pitched directly as 'The Best Compact Flagship of 2025?' in a benchmarks-and-blind-camera comparison against the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra.
• A compact flagship with excellent battery life, though it shares near-identical design, display and cameras with its predecessor — it can feel like a fairly minor update.
• A new Xiaomi 15 (12GB/256GB) retails around €999 globally; used prices have dipped to €700-800 on eBay/Swappa — a solid 20-30% drop that makes the used market tempting.
• Compared with a Galaxy S25 or iPhone 16 — both cheaper and easier to buy in the US — the Xiaomi 15's price feels premium for what is essentially an iterative upgrade over the Xiaomi 14.
• Globally available in black, white, green and silver in 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB configurations.
• If you don't need the latest model, a year on the Xiaomi 15 is still an excellent choice.