The OnePlus Nord CE4 (review) is official in India and carries an aggressive price tag. Starting at Rs 24,999 for the 128GB storage variant, the new OnePlus smartphone boasts an upgraded camera system, a bigger battery, and faster charging support. On the software side of things, OnePlus is offering Android 14-based OxygenOS right out of the box. The smartphone even features a new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, promising cutting-edge AI features.
However, the Nord CE4’s toughest challenges lie within the segment it occupies. The same segment includes Nothing Phone 2(a) (review), which launched in India a few weeks ago. Similar to Nord CE4, the Phone 2(a), priced starting Rs 23,999.00, promises a clean Android experience and speedy performance. How do the two phones fare purely based on benchmarks and gaming experience? Let’s find out.
Specifications
| SMARTPHONE | ONEPLUS NORD CE4 | NOTHING PHONE 2(a) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro |
| GPU | Adreno 720 | ARM Mali-G610 MC4 |
| Memory | Up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM |
Geekbench
Before we start, do note that the OnePlus Nord CE4 variant we have includes 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of 3.1 storage. Whereas, our Phone 2(a) variant offers 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of USF 2.2 storage.
Despite having more RAM capacity, the Nord CE4 performed better than the Nothing Phone 2(a) in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests. The benchmark result indicates that the Nord CE4 would handle basic tasks like app launch and web browsing; and demanding tasks, including video editing and gaming, relatively smoothly.
AnTuTu
Even in the AnTuTu test, which evaluates memory, CPU, and GPU, the Nord CE4 achieved a higher score. Interestingly, both smartphones consumed 4 percent of battery during the test.
The Phone 2(a)’s internal temperature was higher during the test.
CPU Throttle Test
However, the CPU Throttle test indicates the superiority of the Nothing Phone 2(a). We ran the test by setting the stress on threads to 50 and the duration to 30 minutes.
The Nord CE4 achieved 77 percent stability in its peak performance, while the Phone 2(a) showed 92 percent stability under the same conditions.
Gaming
While numbers favour Nord CE4 over Nothing Phone 2(a), real-life performance can be hard to distinguish. To evaluate the performance, I played BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) in the same conditions and settings.
Both OnePlus Nord CE4 and Phone 2(a) feature a flat display with 120Hz refresh to offer a smooth scrolling and gaming experience without leading to significant mistouches. I played BGMI on both devices for 30 minutes. The duo supports HDR graphics at 60 fps. At the end of the round, the internal temperature of both smartphones increased by approximately 8 degrees. However, the Nord CE4 consumed 7 percent battery, while the Phone 2(a) consumed 10 percent battery.
Otherwise, both devices ran the game without any stutters or lags.
Verdict
Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE4 emerges as the winner here. But apart from benchmarks, there are a few other things to consider too. If you’re wondering about cameras, you can check out our detailed comparison on 91Mobile’s YouTube channel. Otherwise, do note:
- Nothing Phone 2(a) may be your best option if you prioritise design. The phone features LED lights on the back that can even be customised based on your preference.
- The Nord CE4, on the other hand, offers better battery backup thanks to a 5,500mAh unit on board. The phone also supports 100W charging with the charger included in the box.
- Both phones ship with Android 14 out of the box. The Nothing Phone 2(a)’s UI seems to be lighter and cleaner. On the other hand, the Nord CE4’s OxygenOS offers fan-favourite software features, including Auto-pixelate 2.0, Canvas AOD, and more.
