The Realme P1 series is the brand’s latest lineup, with a key focus on performance. Realme P1 Pro is the higher priced variant in the new series. It has a starting price of Rs 21,999, which puts it in close proximity to the Nothing Phone (2a), which carries a starting price of Rs 23,999. Using benchmarks and gaming, let’s compare the performance of the two phones to find out which device delivers more grunt at its price.
Here are the key specifications of both phones:
| Smartphone | Realme P1 Pro | Nothing Phone (2a) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro SoC |
| Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno 710 GPU | Arm Mali G-610 MC4 GPU |
| Memory | Up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage | Up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage |
Geekbench
The Geekbench benchmark assesses the CPU performance of a smartphone. The Realme P1 Pro scored 929 on the single-core test and 2680 on the multi-core test. The Phone (2a) scored 1068 on the single-core test and 2454 on the multi-core test.
The scores suggest the Phone (2a) should offer slghtly better performance in single-core based tasks, such as gaming and web browsing, while the P1 pro should offer better performance in multi-core based tasks such as photo/video editing, video recording etc, at least on paper. That said, the scores are too close to result in any meaningful difference when it comes to real-life usage.
Winner: Tied
AnTuTu
The AnTutTu benchmark evaluates the overall performance of a smartphone, based on a few key metrics, such as CPU performance, GPU performance, memory performance (RAM+ROM) and UX (user experience). The Realme P1 Pro registers an aggregate score of 5,92,957 on the test, while the Phone (2a) in comparison scores 7,07,480.
The Phone (2a) scores significantly better in metrics like CPU and GPU performance, while the P1 Pro registers a superior score in the memory performance, thanks to its UFS 3.1 storage. The Phone (2a), emerges the winner in the AnTuTu test.
Winner: Nothing Phone (2a)
Throttling test
Next up, we ran the throttling test on both smartphones using the Burnout benchmark app. The Realme P1 Pro showcased a performance output of 69.9 percent under throttling, the Phone (2a) in comparison, showcased a performance output of 54.2 percent. The Realme P1 Pro wins this round, thanks to its superior performance output under stress.
Winner: Realme P1 Pro
Gaming test
For the gaming test, we played moderately demanding games such as COD: Mobile and BGMI for 30 minutes each. The Phone (2a) offers higher resolution support at ‘Very High’ in COD: Mobile, while the P1 Pro offers higher resolution support at ‘Ultra HDR’ in BGMI. The gameplay experience on both phones is enjoyable, but the Nothing Phone (2a) offers a comparatively smoother gameplay experience.
In terms of thermals, both present an average temperature increase of roughly 6 degrees C. The Nothing Phone (2a) wins the gaming comparison, albeit with a narrow margin.
Winner: Nothing Phone (2a)
Verdict
The performance comparison revealed a close contest, but the Nothing Phone (2a) ultimately clinches victory. The device performs well in real-world tests, particularly in gaming, thanks to its more potent CPU and GPU. While the Realme P1 Pro may not achieve as high numbers in synthetic benchmarks compared to the Phone (2a), it delivers a solid performance output and competes closely with it. It also showcases impressive stability when put under extreme stress, as evident in the throttling test.
