Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Comparison: Which Phone to Buy?

If you are in the market for a smartphone under Rs 40,000 in 2026, then you will have a tough time, as there are a lot of good options to pick from. But two of the most interesting choices right now are the Motorola Edge 70 Pro and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. Both have a lot of good features to offer and are priced close to each other. But which one is actually worth your money? Find out in this Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro comparison. 

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Design

• The Motorola Edge 70 Pro sports a plastic frame with a Pantone-validated fabric back
• Nothing Phone (4a) ditches the transparent look for a premium metal body
• Motorola gets an "Edge" with IP68/69 dust and water protection

In terms of design, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro sticks with its sleek look, featuring a 6.9mm thin design and a fabric-like back with Pantone colours that feels silky to the touch. However, the entire frame is made of plastic. The Nothing phone goes for a more premium metal unibody design, with a transparent camera window at the top. It also features a larger Glyph matrix, which was last seen on the Nothing Phone (3). 

However, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings, making it dust and water-resistant along with MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification. Nothing's IP65 rating is decent, but it does not offer the same level of protection against water exposure as Motorola's. 

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Display 

• Motorola Edge 70 Pro brings a 1.5K quad-curved AMOLED panel
• The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has a 6.83-inch flat AMOLED display
• Both have 144 Hz refresh rate with Gorilla Glass 7i protection

Both Motorola and Nothing come with a 1.5K AMOLED screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 7i protection. But the similarities end here. The Edge 70 Pro has a quad-curved screen similar to the Edge 70 Fusion, while the Phone (4a) Pro has a completely flat panel. So the decision comes down to your personal preference.

They are also very close in terms of brightness, as the Motorola Edge 70 Pro can touch up to 5,200 nits of peak brightness. Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is close behind at 5,000 nits of maximum luminosity. The difference is negligible, and both screens will appear almost equally sharp to look at, whether indoors or outdoors. 

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Hardware 

• The Motorola Edge 70 Pro comes with the powerful Dimensity 8500 Extreme
• Nothing Phone (4a) Pro sticks with Snapdragon 7 Gen 4
• Motorola has the latest UFS 4.1 storage, while Nothing comes with UFS 3.1

In the performance department, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro takes the lead with the faster MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme processor. This is coupled with the UFS 4.1 storage. On the other hand, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro comes with a moderate Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset with UFS 3.1 storage, which is older compared to the one used on the Moto. 

Both phones come with 8 GB or 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, but the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro pulls ahead in cooling with a larger 5,300mm² vapour chamber compared to Motorola's 4,600mm², making it more effective at dissipating heat under heavy load.

However, that thermal advantage doesn't translate to gaming performance. The Edge 70 Pro is clearly the better gaming phone under Rs 40,000, as Nothing can barely touch 90 FPS in popular games that I tested on my Phone (4a) Pro review.

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Software

• Nothing OS offers a unique, monochrome software experience
• Motorola's Hello UI delivers a close-to-stock Android UI with several customsations
• However, Nothing is more active when it comes to shipping timely updates

On the software side of things, Motorola comes with its Hello UI that looks close to the stock Android experience. But it comes with its own set of unique Moto features like chop-chop to flash, twist for camera, Ready For and other handy features. 

Nothing OS 4.1 features a unique minimal aesthetic while also sticking close to stock Android. It features monochrome icons and themes along with its own exclusive features. Nothing also pushes out regular updates on time. 

Both phones ship with Android 16 out-of-the-box. Motorola promises 3 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches for the Edge 70 Pro, while Nothing goes slightly further with the same 3 OS updates but extends security support to 6 years.

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Camera 

• Nothing Phone (4a) Pro comes with a 50 MP main and periscope camera
• Motorola Edge 70 Pro takes the lead with 4K 60 FPS recording from all cameras
• Motorola also has a higher resolution ultrawide camera

This is where the competition gets tough. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has remained one of the best camera phones under Rs 40,000 with its 50 MP main, 50 MP periscope lens that can reach 140x zoom and 8 MP ultrawide camera. Motorola, on the other hand, comes with a 50 MP main and a 50 MP ultrawide lens. The lack of a periscope or telephoto lens puts the Motorola at a disadvantage against the (4a) Pro. 

However, the Edge 70 Pro can record 4K videos at 60 FPS from all cameras. This is something that the Nothing phone cannot match. The latter can record in 4K, but it's capped at 30 FPS only due to hardware limitations. 

When it comes to photos, both phones take good photos in daylight, but Motorola looks clearly better at night. Ultrawide also comes off great with a good amount of details on the Edge 70 Pro. However, the Phone (4a) Pro has an advantage in close-ups thanks to its 3.4x optical zoom lens. 

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Battery 

• Motorola Edge 70 Pro packs a large 6,500 mAh silicon-carbon battery
• The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is close behind with 5,400 mAh capacity
• Motorola supports faster 90W charging as compared to Nothing's 50W

Battery life is one of the most important factors when considering a smartphone. The Edge 70 Pro comes with a 6,500mAh silicon carbon battery, which should easily last longer than the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro's 5,400mAh capacity cell. Not just that, the Motorola phone even charges faster with the supplied 90W adapter, which is missing in Nothing's case. 

Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Which One Should You Buy?  

Before we finally answer the question, which phone should you pick between the Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, here is a quick comparison of their key specifications: 

Both phones are very close to each other in terms of specifications, and picking between the two comes down entirely to your preference. If you want a phone for gaming with good battery life and better durability, then the Motorola Edge 70 Pro should be your pick. At Rs 38,999, it is a solid device to go for.

But if you fancy a minimal software experience, premium build quality and a dedicated periscope lens, then you can go with the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at Rs 39,999.