Nothing has officially announced its latest smartphone, the Nothing Phone (2a), but how does it compare to the Apple iPhone 15?
The Nothing Phone (2a) combines the brand’s signature transparent design with the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset to offer slick performance and improved battery efficiency over the Nothing Phone (1) without the flagship Nothing Phone (2) price tag.
The Nothing Phone (2a) is also slightly cheaper than the iPhone 15 which begs the question – which smartphone should you choose?
The iPhone 15 has a brighter screen
When it comes to their respective designs, there is obviously quite a bit between the Nothing Phone (2a) and the iPhone 15.
The iPhone 15 features the same tried-and-tested iPhone look Apple has stuck with since 2020’s iPhone 12 and comes in a range of eye-catching pastel colours. The Nothing Phone (2a), meanwhile, stands out in the smartphone market with a transparent design that shows the inner workings of the phone along with its light-up glyph feature.
The two phones are also two different sizes, with the iPhone 15 having a 6.1-inch display and the Nothing Phone (2a) a larger 6.7-inch display. You can pick up the iPhone 15 with the same 6.7-inch screen but this means paying more for the iPhone 15 Plus.
When it comes to display specs, however, the iPhone 15 stands out with its brighter screen. The screen can reach 2000 nits at peak brightness, making it easier on the eyes when viewing content outside and in direct sunlight. The Nothing Phone (2a), meanwhile is limited to 1300 nits peak brightness.
That said, the Nothing Phone (2a) does benefit from a smoother 30-120Hz refresh rate, whereas the iPhone 15 remains stuck at 60Hz.
Nothing Phone (2a)
The Nothing Phone (2a) has bigger cameras
Next up are the cameras.
The Nothing Phone (2a) is equipped with the same 50-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera as the Nothing Phone (2). Flip the smartphone over and you’ll also find a 32-megapixel front camera.
The iPhone 15, meanwhile, pairs a 48-megapixel main camera with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 12-megapixel front camera for capturing selfies and hopping on FaceTime calls.
Of course, megapixels don’t mean everything, so you’ll want to wait for our review of the Nothing Phone (2a) to hear how these two cameras compare during real-life usage. When it came to the Nothing Phone (2), we found that both lenses offered great everyday performance but that the camera did fall short in low-light conditions.
The iPhone 15, meanwhile, captured good-looking images with plenty of detail and some lovely bokeh when shooting up close.
The iPhone 15 has a higher IP rating
When it comes to durability, the iPhone 15 is our winner thanks to its higher IP rating.
An IP rating signifies how much dust and water a device can withstand before damage might occur. The iPhone 15 has an IP rating of IP68, which means that the phone is “dust-tight” and is “protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water”, according to the IEC’s IP ratings guide.
The Nothing Phone (2a), on the other hand, has an IP rating of IP54. This means that the phone is “dust-protected” and “protected against splashing water”.
iPhone 15
The Nothing Phone (2a) has a bigger battery
Lastly, it’s worth noting that the Nothing Phone (2a) and the iPhone 15 are powered by two different chipsets. It’s difficult to compare the Nothing Phone’s MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro with the iPhone’s A16 Bionic at this stage, however, one benefit that does come with the MediaTek chip is its improved battery efficiency.
This should be reflected in the Nothing Phone (2a)’s battery and it doesn’t hurt that the device packs a bigger battery to begin with. The Nothing Phone (2a) includes a 5000 mAh battery, whereas the iPhone 15 carries a 3349 mAh battery.
The Nothing Phone (2a) also supports faster 45W charging compared to the 20W charging supported on the iPhone 15.
