The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus (review) was a surprise launch in many ways and was introduced just 4 months after the launch of its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (2a) in India. It is priced quite similarly to another popular smartphone, the OnePlus Nord 4 (review), which starts at Rs 29,999 in India. We recently conducted a detailed performance and battery comparison between the two phones to determine which offers better value for its price. Today, we’ll be comparing their cameras to find out which smartphone is the better shooter.
Daylight
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and OnePlus Nord 4 have a major difference in colour science. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus tends to favour a warmer tone, while the OnePlus Nord 4 has more balanced colours.
The latter has a better dynamic range, and detail level than the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. When you zoom in, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus shows a noticeable noise level in the darker areas of the image.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
Ultrawide
There’s a vast difference between the ultrawide cameras of both phones. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has a 50MP lens with a 114-degree FOV, while the OnePlus Nord 4 has an 8MP lens with a 112-degree FOV. The ultrawide cameras follow the same colour schemes as their primary cameras for both phones, which is something to appreciate.
The former’s image has a higher level of detail, which is evident if you compare the stone pavement in both images. The image also has a better dynamic range compared to the OnePlus Nord 4’s image. The frame warping is slightly better in the latter’s image, but the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus captures a wider frame.
Winner: Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
Portrait
When it comes to portrait shots, both phones are colour-inaccurate. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus saturates the colours and skin tone of the subject, while the OnePlus Nord 4 does the opposite and makes the skin tone appear lighter.
The OnePlus Nord 4, however, is much better at capturing finer details compared to the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. It is also slightly better at edge detection. The image captured via Nothing Phone (2a) has some warping around the subject’s frame, which is noticeable once you zoom in.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
Selfie
For selfies, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has a 50MP camera at its disposal compared to a 16MP lens for its counterpart. The images on both phones are quite comparable, especially when it comes to skin colour reproduction. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus captures facial details better than the OnePlus Nord 4. The former also has better sharpness compared to the OnePlus Nord 4 and, thus, the winner of this round.
Winner: Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
Low-light (night mode off)
With night mode disabled, the OnePlus Nord 4 takes better low-light pictures. The image is a lot sharper and the noise level is also lower compared to the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. The OnePlus Nord 4 manages the colours well, and there’s not much bloom around the light sources, which makes the neon signs readable. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is not as adept with light sources and there’s a lot of bloom, which impairs visibility.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
Low-light (night mode on)
With night mode enabled, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus undergoes significant improvement. The light bloom is better managed, and the visibility is improved. The image, however, still falls short compared to the OnePlus Nord 4. There’s no significant improvement in the OnePlus Nord 4’s image because the phone enables the low-light mode automatically in dim surroundings. The OnePlus Nord 4’s image has a higher level of clarity, and the lens flare is not as pronounced as the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus’s image, which you can notice if you look closely at the circular rings in the sky.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
Verdict
While both phones are very capable, the OnePlus Nord 4 wins the camera comparison against the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. The OnePlus Nord 4 captures better images in daylight. It also captures more detailed portrait shots, and the low-light images clicked via this phone are also more appealing. If you’re someone who often likes to take images in a variety of scenarios, the OnePlus Nord 4 offers more versatile cameras. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, instead, takes better selfies and ultrawide shots, so if you often find yourself taking a selfie or capturing a broader scene, you’re better off with it.
Images captured by: Gaurav Sharma
