OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus Nord CE 4 smartphone in the Indian market earlier this week. It starts at Rs 24,999, which puts it directly in competition with the Nothing Phone (2a), Realme 12 Pro, and Redmi Note 13 Pro. Based on specifications, this post compares the OnePlus Nord CE 4 with the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Realme 12 Pro.
Table of Contents
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Specs at Glance
OnePlus Nord CE 4
Nothing Phone (2a)
Realme 12 Pro
Display
6.7-inch AMOLED
120Hz, Full HD+, 1100nits
6.7-inch AMOLED
120Hz, Full HD+, 1300nits
6.7-inch Curved AMOLED
120Hz, Full HD+, 950nits
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1
Software
OxygenOS 14
Android 14
NothingOS 2.5
Android 14
Realme UI 5.0
Android 14
Camera
50MP Sony LYT600 (OIS)
8MP Ultrawide Lens
50MP OIS Camera 50MP Ultrawide Lens
50MP Sony IMX882 (OIS) 32MP Sony IMX709Telephoto
8MP Ultrawide Lens
Front Camera
16MP
32MP
16MP
Battery
5500mAh
5000mAh
5000mAh
Charging
100W SuperVOOC Charging
USB Type-C
45W Fast Charging
USB Type-C
67W SuperVOOC Charging
USB Type-C
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Price in India
Smartphone
8GB+128GB
8GB+256GB
12GB+256GB
OnePlus Nord CE 4
Rs 24,999
Rs 26,999
NA
Nothing Phone (2a)
Rs 23,999
Rs 25,999
Rs 27,999
Realme 12 Pro
Rs 25,999
Rs 26,999
Rs 28,999
The Nothing Phone (2a) is the cheapest of the trio across all the variants. However, remember that Nothing doesn’t bundle a charging adapter in the retail box and a 45W charging adapter costs around Rs 2,000. So, that’s an added cost for Nothing Phone (2a) buyers.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Design
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 and the Nothing Phone (2a) feature a flat display with a flat-edge design. The Phone (2a) features the company’s transparent design language with a GLYPH interface. Meanwhile, the Realme 12 Pro features a curved display and rear panel, making it more ergonomic than the flat edge design.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Display
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 features a 6.7-inch 10-bit Fluid AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1100nits peak brightness, 2160Hz PWM dimming, HDR10+, and TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification.
The Nothing Phone (2a) packs a 6.7-inch 10-bit flexible AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution, 30Hz – 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 1300nits peak brightness, 50,00,000:1 contrast ratio, 2160Hz PWM dimming, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The Realme 12 Pro offers a 6.7-inch 10-bit curved AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 950 nits brightness, 50,00,000:1 contrast ratio, 2160Hz PWM dimming, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
The Nothing Phone (2a)’s display panel has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and is slightly brighter than the competing handsets. Also, the Realme 12 Pro offers a curved display, which generally requires good handling and care.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Performance
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, with an integrated Adreno 720 GPU, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, and up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
The Nothing Phone (2a) is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor and a Mali G610 GPU. The handset features up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage.
The Realme 12 Pro sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, which brings an integrated Adreno 710 GPU, up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, and up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G
813,629
Nothing Phone 2a
692,449
realme 12 Pro
594,371
AnTuTu Overall benchmark score analysis
OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G
1,132
Nothing Phone 2a
1,132
realme 12 Pro
933
Geekbench single-core benchmark score analysis
OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G
2,911
realme 12 Pro
2,734
Nothing Phone 2a
2,601
Geekbench multi-core benchmark score analysis
Based on synthetic benchmark scores, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 is the winner in the performance segment. Also, note that of the three devices, the Nothing Phone (2a) is the only device to feature UFS 2.2 storage, which is slower compared to the UFS 3.1 storage found on the OnePlus Nord CE 4 and Realme 12 Pro.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Software
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 comes pre-loaded with OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14. OnePlus follows two Android version upgrades and three years of security patch updates policy for Nord CE smartphones.
The Nothing Phone (2a) boots NothingOS 2.5, based on Android 14. Nothing has promised three Android version upgrades and four years of security patch updates for the handset.
The Realme 12 ships with Realme UI 5.0, based on Android 14. Realme follows two Android version upgrades and three years of security patch updates policy for the number series handsets.
Regarding Android updates, the Nothing Phone (2a) has an advantage over the other two devices as it will get updates up to Android 17. The remaining two smartphones will get updates up to Android 16.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Cameras
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 sports a dual-rear camera setup that consists of a 50MP Sony LYT600 sensor with OIS, an 8MP Sony IMX355 sensor with ultra-wide-angle functionality (112° field of view), and an LED flash. It has a 16MP front shooter with an f/2.4 aperture.
The Nothing Phone (2a) features a dual-rear camera setup comprising a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KG9 sensor with OIS, a 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor with ultra-wide-angle functionality, 114° field of view, and an LED flash. The handset has a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor for video calls and selfies.
The Realme 12 Pro has a triple-rear camera setup that includes a 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS, a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens with a 112° field of view, and an LED flash. It also has a 16MP shooter at the front that handles selfies and video calls.
The Nothing Phone (2a) has a higher-resolution ultra-wide-angle lens and a selfie camera, which gives it an advantage over the remaining two devices. However, the Realme 12 Pro, with its telephoto sensor, offers a more versatile camera experience than the competition.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Battery
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has a 5500mAh battery unit with 100W SuperVOOC fast charging support.
The Nothing Phone (2a) supports 45W fast charging and sports a 5,000mAh battery.
The Realme 12 Pro has a 5,000mAh capacity battery and supports 67W SuperVOOC fast charging.
The OnePlus Nord CE 4 has an advantage over the other two handsets as it features a bigger battery and supports faster charging.
OnePlus Nord CE 4 vs Nothing Phone (2a) vs Realme 12 Pro: Verdict
Compared to the remaining devices, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 shines in performance, battery, and charging segments. The Realme 12 Pro, with its telephoto sensor, brings versatility to the table and is a solid camera performer at this price point. The Nothing Phone (2a) doesn’t stand out in terms of specifications compared to the remaining two handsets, but its transparent design and robot-eye-shaped camera module make this stand out in this segment.