OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a) Comparison: Which Phone to Buy?

OnePlus has finally launched the Nord CE 6 in India at a starting price of Rs 29,999. It lands in the middle of the segment where the Nothing Phone (4a) has been dominating for a while. Both phones share the same chipset and are positioned to rival in the same segment. So, if you are confused about which phone to buy, here is our detailed OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a) comparison.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Design

• The OnePlus Nord CE 6 comes with a flagship-grade IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K rating and MIL-STD-810H certification, while the Phone (4a) has a basic IP64 rating
• The Nothing Phone (4a) is lighter at 204.5g compared to the Nord CE 6's 215g
• The Phone (4a) keeps its transparent back design with a redesigned Glyph Bar while the Nord CE 6 has a stealthy design

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

Let's start with the design first. The OnePlus Nord CE 6 comes with Crystal Guard glass on the front and a quad IP66 + IP68 + IP69 + IP69K rating with MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification. OnePlus has gone for durability and sturdiness.

On the other hand, the Nothing Phone (4a) comes with a Gorilla Glass 7i on the front and a Panda Glass back with just an IP64 rating. It means that the Nothing phone is only rated for splash resistance. In terms of design, I do love the transparent design of the Nothing Phone (4a) with a cleaner layout and visible screw holes. The new Glyph Bar replaces the older Glyph interface with 6 LEDs and 3 levels of brightness.

So, if you want a phone that turns heads or feels lighter in the pocket, the Nothing Phone (4a) wins on personality.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Display

• Both phones come with a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display but the Nothing Phone (4a) supports HDR10+
• The Nord CE 6 has a smoother 144Hz refresh rate screen while the Phone (4a) sticks to 120Hz
• Both phones get stereo speakers; however, the OnePlus phone has a Touch Reflex chip for faster gaming response

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

In the display segment, the fight between the OnePlus Nord CE 6 and Nothing Phone (4a) is quite close. Both pack a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel, but the Nord CE 6 only supports HDR10, while the Phone (4a) also brings HDR10+ support. In terms of refresh rate, the Nord CE 6 runs at 144Hz, and the Nothing Phone (4a) is capped at 120Hz.

OnePlus has also added a dedicated Touch Reflex chip that improves the touch sampling rate to 3,200Hz for ultra-fast gaming response. As for display brightness, in our OnePlus Nord CE 6 review, we have noted that the screen is plenty bright outdoors, and we never had to manually override auto-brightness. In this case, OnePlus has done a better job than Nothing.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Performance

• Both phones run on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset
• In our testing, the Nothing Phone (4a) hits 120 FPS in BGMI, while the Nord CE 6 caps out at 90 FPS
• The Nothing Phone (4a) goes up to 12GB RAM, while the Nord CE 6 maxes out at 8GB

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

Now, coming to performance, both phones from OnePlus and Nothing are powered by the same Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset. However, in our Nothing Phone (4a) review, we saw that it ran BGMI at 120 FPS on Smooth + Ultra Extreme settings without any issues while the Nord CE 6 capped out at 90 FPS in the same title.

Apart from that, both phones top out at 90 FPS in standard CoD Mobile, and both run Genshin Impact at high graphics 60 FPS with frame drops down to 40 FPS in heavier scenes. It seems OnePlus is capping FPS for improved power efficiency. Basically, the Nothing Phone (4a) is the better gaming phone of the two right now despite running the same chipset.

Besides that, you have the 12GB RAM option on the Nothing Phone (4a), but the OnePlus Nord CE 6 only offers 8GB variants, likely due to the ongoing RAM crisis.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Software

• Both phones run on Android 16-based skins
• OnePlus offers 4 years of OS updates while Nothing offers 3 years of OS updates
• The Phone (4a) has a cleaner and near-stock Android experience, while the Nord CE 6 has a more feature-rich OxygenOS

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

The OnePlus Nord CE 6 ships with OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16. In recent years, the company has refined it nicely with cleaner animations, useful AI features and improved haptic integration. On the other hand, the Nothing Phone (4a) runs Nothing OS 4.1, which is also based on Android 16.

It must be said that the Nothing Phone (4a) has one of the best haptics in this price segment. Every interaction from scrolling photos to volume changes gets a gentle vibration. Apart from that, OnePlus gives you 4 OS updates and 6 years of security patches, while Nothing only commits to 3 OS updates and 6 years of security. 

As for AI features, the Nord CE 6 brings OnePlus Mind Space, AI VoiceScribe, AI Eraser, AI Detail Boost, AI Reframe, etc. Nothing's AI Essential Space also lets you save memories and now categorises them automatically. Honestly, both phones offer a clean and fluid software experience, but if you want extra features, go with the OnePlus Nord CE 6.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Camera

• The Nothing Phone (4a) has a 3.5x periscope telephoto lens and an 8MP ultrawide, both of which the Nord CE 6 lacks
• The Nord CE 6 has a 50MP OmniVision main sensor with dual-axis OIS, while the Phone (4a) packs a 50MP Samsung sensor with OIS
• OnePlus's 32MP selfie shooter records 4K at 30 FPS, while the Phone (4a)'s 32MP selfie maxes out at 1080p at 30 FPS

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

If you want a camera phone, I would highly recommend going with the Nothing Phone (4a). It comes with a proper triple-camera setup, including a 50MP Samsung sensor with OIS, a 50MP Samsung periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and an 8MP Sony IMX355 ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view.

The Nord CE 6, on the other hand, packs a 50MP OmniVision primary sensor with dual-axis OIS and a 2MP depth sensor that only exists for portrait shots. There is no ultrawide or telephoto lens on the Nord CE 6.

That said, in the selfie department, the 32MP shooter in the OnePlus Nord CE 6 is better than the 32MP front shooter on the Nothing Phone (4a). The Nord CE 6 can capture selfie videos at 4K @ 30 FPS, while the Phone (4a) is capped at 1080p @ 30 FPS. To sum up, if cameras are your priority and you want a versatile camera system, the Nothing Phone (4a) is a better value option.

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Battery

• The Nord CE 6 packs a much bigger 8,000mAh battery, compared to the Phone (4a)'s 5,400mAh battery
• The Nord CE 6 got 16.5 hours of screen-on-time in our testing, against 8 hours on the Phone (4a)
• The Nord CE 6 supports faster 80W wired charging and 27W reverse charging

Image Credit: Beebom Gadgets

Battery is the easy win for the OnePlus Nord CE 6. It packs a massive 8,000mAh battery, and that results in more than two days of battery life. In our testing, we got a whopping 16.5 hours of screen-on time, which is remarkable. Compare that with the Nothing Phone (4a)'s 5,400mAh battery, which offers around 8 hours of SoT.

In terms of charging speed too, the Nord CE 6 is a winner. It went from 4–50% in about 30 minutes, while the Nothing Phone (4a) took 22 minutes since it packs a relatively smaller battery. The Phone (4a) maxes out at 50W wired charging, while the Nord CE 6 goes up to 80W. One more thing, OnePlus includes the 80W charger in the box, while Nothing skips the charger entirely. 

OnePlus Nord CE 6 vs Nothing Phone (4a): Which One Should You Buy?

I would pick the Nothing Phone (4a) primarily because it offers a proper triple-camera setup with a periscope telephoto lens. In addition, it's a better gaming phone, and the software is near-stock as well. That said, if you care more about durability and long battery life, the OnePlus Nord CE 6 is a better pick. You also get a 144Hz display with 80W fast charging support. In case you want to explore more and find the best phones under Rs. 35,000, you can go ahead and check out our dedicated list.