Google Pixel 6a vs. Nothing Phone 1: Which is the finest midrange Android mobile phone?

• Offer: Google

  Google Pixel 6a

  Great and cheap

  $299 $349 Set up $50

  Even a year old, the Google Pixel 6a is life like one of the finest mid-range smartphones but launched. With the Tensor G1 chipset, a respectable digital camera setup, and Google’s quickly instrument reinforce, it be irritating to beat the Pixel 6a within the worth division.

  Pros

  • Compact size
  • Long instrument reinforce
  • Good digital camera

  Cons

  • Sorrowful community efficiency
  • Somewhat slack fingerprint scanner

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  Nothing Phone 1

  The flashy mid-ranger

  Whenever you’d like a smartphone that stands out from the crew, stare no extra than the Nothing Phone 1. Its unfamiliar procure, elegant efficiency, and Glyph interface train a enormous consumer trip. The mobile phone’s restricted availability and sub-par digital camera efficiency are a agonize, though.

  Pros

  • Unprecedented procure
  • Easy Android implementation
  • Decent efficiency

  Cons

  • Subpar digital camera efficiency
  • Restricted availability
  • Tedious instrument reinforce

Google’s Pixel 6a is a sublime mid-range mobile phone packing a extremely effective Tensor chip and a respectable digital camera setup. On free up, it became as soon as amongst the most efficient budget Android telephones on the market, and its easiest main opponents in that category is its change, the Pixel 7a.

And then there could be the Nothing Phone 1, the firm’s first mobile phone featuring a reasonably just a few procure, Glyph interface, and a ton of hype backing it. Sadly, the provision and 5G band coverage meant it by no means took off within the States, despite the indisputable truth that its successor, the Nothing Phone 2, hit the U.S. market only within the near previous. Nonetheless even as you happen to’d esteem one thing accrued and are prepared to fail to see just a few shortcomings, the Nothing Phone 1 will be worth a seek since it provides elegant appropriate ticket.

Pricing, specs, and availability

Offer: Amazon

At free up, the Pixel 6a carried the equivalent $449 ticket ticket as old mid-range Pixel telephones, no matter an up up to now procure, a quicker chip, and loads of pretty just a few enhancements. Now it be available for just appropriate $340 at some outlets, despite the indisputable truth that it be more costly in Europe, as is fashioned. It be also worth noting that while its successor, the Google Pixel 7a, is a sublime mobile phone and has been spherical for some time, Google continues to sell the 6a. It be an tantalizing resolution that’s also a testomony to how enormous ticket the Pixel 6a is.

Pricing for the Nothing Phone 1 varies from €399 to €549 in Europe. On the beginning, the mobile phone did no longer originate within the U.S. but became as soon as available completely free alongside a $300 enrollment within the Nothing Beta program. Now that the Nothing Phone 2 is out, you have to maybe well perhaps no longer procure the predominant one from the manufacturer in any admire, but it surely’s readily available on Amazon. On the total, we could perhaps well recommend getting the most up to the moment mobile phone in any given lineup, but at $599 the Nothing Phone 2 costs $200 more, striking it in an completely pretty just a few pricing tier to the 6a.

As for availability, markets are restricted. The Pixel 6a is equipped in 14 markets, including Australia, Canada, France, India, the United States, and the UK. That’s a colossal step up from the 2021 Pixel 5a that easiest launched within the U.S. and Japan. In comparability, you have to maybe well perhaps aquire the Nothing Phone 1 in mainland Europe, Japan, India, the U.K., and 35+ pretty just a few markets. The kicker here is that since the Nothing 1 wasn’t designed particularly to be used stateside, it doesn’t reinforce all of the bands frail by U.S. carriers. In recount, it be missing some 5G bands for most main carriers and all 5G, VoLTE, and VoWiFi on AT&T’s community.

• 	Google Pixel 6a	Nothing Phone 1
  SoC	Google Tensor	Snapdragon 778G+
  Trace	6.1” 2400×1080 (20:9) 60Hz OLED	6.55-streak 2400×1080 OLED, 120Hz, 700 nits (height)
  RAM	6GB	8, 12 GB
  Storage	128GB	128, 256 GB
  Battery	4,400mAh	4,500mAh
  Ports	1x USB Form-C	USB Form-C 2.0
  Working Plan	Android 13	Android 13 / Nothing OS 1.5
  Entrance digital camera	8MP f/2.0 IMX355 84°FOV	16MP
  Rear cameras	12MP f/1.73 IMX 363 w/OIS 77° FoV; Ultra-broad: 12MP f/2.2 IMX386 114° FoV	50MP f/1.9, 50MP f/2.2 114˚ ultrawide
  Connectivity	5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC	5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
  Dimensions	152.2mm x 71.8mm x 8.9mm, 178g	159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm
  Colors	Chronicle (inexperienced), Chalk (white), Charcoal (black)	White, black
  Weight	6.72 oz	194g
  Charging	18W USB PD	33W wired, 15W Qi wireless, 5W reverse wireless
  IP Ranking	IP67	IP53

Place

The Pixel 6a sports actions the equivalent procure language because the Pixel 6 and 6 Legit. While the entrance is nothing to focus on, the rear casing is made of a 3D thermoformed composite attend with a fingerprint-resistant coating. It aspects a digital camera bar that properties the dual cameras and the LED flash. The Pixel 6a appears pretty just a few from pretty just a few mid-range Android telephones but can’t beat Nothing’s providing in this division.

The Nothing Phone 1’s rear has transparent glass, providing you with a compare contained within the mobile phone. White (or black) plates quilt the total crucial parts for a neat stare. LED strips consisting of over 900 individual LEDs are on the rear panel, which extra helps the gadget stand out. They are a allotment of the mobile phone’s Glyph interface and flash in sync with your notification and phone sounds.

Whenever you’d like a mobile phone with a favorable procure, the Nothing Phone 1 is the glaring preference here. Alternatively, that procure has some drawbacks. While the Pixel 6a is IP67 grime and water-resistant, the Phone 1 is easiest IP53 splash-resistant. The translucent attend could perhaps well recount dirt particles trapped internal and could perhaps well perhaps discolor over time.

Trace

The Pixel 6a sports actions a 6.1-streak 60Hz FHD+ OLED panel, while the Phone 1 has a 6.55-streak FHD+ 120Hz OLED demonstrate. Nothing’s gadget has a minor earnings within the demonstrate division, because the larger refresh rate is simply noticeable in day after day existence. We did gain some uneven areas and a minute inexperienced tint at the lowest brightness on our overview unit, but it surely’s no longer exactly a deal-breaker. The Pixel’s OLED demonstrate isn’t any longer ugly in any admire, and a range of could perhaps well perhaps resolve on its compact 6.1-streak size. Alternatively, the 60Hz refresh rate is a bummer no matter the seemingly for a 90Hz overclock, which is means too alive to for most customers.

Both telephones sport a punch-gap that properties their selfie digital camera, however the one on the Pixel 6a is found within the center, while the Phone 1’s within the discount of-out is on the left. Both also characteristic an in-demonstrate fingerprint scanner.

Nothing at the muse advertised the Phone 1 with a 1,200-nit height brightness, but it surely has since backtracked, using instrument to restrict it to just appropriate 700 nits for battery and thermal administration functions. It toyed with us about perhaps unlocking that height, but it surely’s no longer searching appropriate without a such development but. By comparability, the Pixel 6a’s staunch-world measurements reward a height of merely about 900 nits, making it pretty easy to ogle in direct sunlight. Taken together, stare to the Pixel 6a even as you happen to’d esteem a brighter display mask and the Nothing even as you happen to’d esteem that snug scrolling the total time.

Instrument

While it’ll merely no longer be on par with Samsung’s eminent OneUI Android flavor, Google’s OS implementation will get its comely section of reward. It be easy to employ and has many capabilities, including Google’s accrued and accrued machine-discovering out functions. There’s a exiguous salvage-22 in there, though. In a means, Google accrued treats its Pixel telephones as a test bed for accrued aspects and regularly courageous updates. In our fingers-on trip, updates and accrued characteristic additions periodically broke one thing we could perhaps well easiest just appropriate figured out and begun to esteem on our Pixels. This vogue isn’t any longer pretty as glaring as just a few years ago, but it surely accrued occurs infrequently.

Delight in the Pixel, Nothing’s Android is basically primarily primarily based on inventory Android. Besides the Pixel-weird and wonderful aspects, you have to maybe well merely no longer gain anywhere else, the Nothing Phone 1 equipped an completely graceful and consumer-friendly trip, no matter it technically being in beta testing then and being the firm’s first foray into Android vogue.

Both telephones will salvage main Android updates through 2025, with security patches extending through 2027 and 2026 for the Pixel 6a and Nothing Phone 1, respectively. As an whole, it be a realistic gather for the Pixel 6a within the instrument division.

Efficiency

Offer: Google

The Pixel 6a is powered by the equivalent Tensor GS101 chip ticking contained within the Pixel 6 and 6 Legit. Google’s first smartphone SoC also focused on GPU and machine discovering out, delivering flagship-stage efficiency. Its total capabilities are second easiest to the most vaunted and costly opponents. Handiest the most irritating customers will gain even the slightest complaints in staunch-world employ.

The Nothing Phone 1’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset is nothing to sneeze at, but it surely’s no longer within the equivalent tier because the Tensor family. It be quickly and pretty ambiance friendly, but lacks the irritating coding to accommodate the equivalent machine-discovering out algorithms apparently turning into Google’s bread and butter.

On the pretty just a few side of the coin, the Nothing comes with either 8 or 16 GB of RAM, that will encourage with unprecedented efficiency and multitasking. That’s unlike the one real 6 GB configuration of the Pixel 6a. Even supposing the extra machine memory does encourage the Nothing Phone, it doesn’t pretty bridge the outlet between the 2.

In staunch-world employ, most customers are no longer going to search out any efficiency factors between the 2 gadgets. Nonetheless even as you happen to have a tendency to push your mobile phone more difficult than others and wish the absolute most efficient efficiency (to boot to cutting-edge “AI”-driven aspects), resolve on the mid-range Pixel.

Battery existence

Both midrange telephones provide acceptable battery efficiency. Neither is a marathon runner, but they’ll every last all day of all however the heaviest employ. The battery capacities are only about equivalent, and the Pixel’s energy-hungry Tensor chipset is offset by the Nothing’s battery-draining 120-hertz refresh rate. Unless you have to maybe well perhaps be to your mobile phone the total time, doing plenty bigger than just appropriate searching, we don’t predict any main factors in terms of battery existence.

They bear fluctuate very much by the employ of charging capabilities, though. Its 33-watt wired charging merely about doubles the Pixel’s 18-watt maximum and could perhaps well perhaps price the mobile phone thoroughly in as tiny as 70 minutes. Meanwhile, the Pixel outright doesn’t reinforce wireless charging. The Nothing allows you to price wirelessly at up to 15 watts and could perhaps well perhaps even present 5 watts wirelessly for trickle-charging small gadgets esteem earbuds and smartwatches. So even as you happen to care about quickly charging and wireless charging, it be a colossal gather for Nothing.

Digicam

The specs appear to reward that the Nothing’s 50MP main digital camera could perhaps well perhaps outshine the Pixel 6a’s mere 12MP sensor. Nonetheless even as you happen to had been spherical any Pixel smartphones old to, you have to maybe well perhaps know that numbers don’t repeat your whole legend. In line with the spectacular image processor baked into the Tensor chipset, Google’s imaging algorithm automatically lands it amongst the high smartphones for taking photos. Even with a decreased sensor size in contrast to the beefy-powered Pixel 6 and 7 lineups, the 6a’s life like one of the easiest no-nonsense, point-and-shoot digital camera telephones available within the market.

With that said, the Nothing Phone 1 surely doesn’t stink at taking photos. And we can repeatedly hope that Nothing continues to bolster its image processing instrument, one thing it be already actively doing. For that matter, the Phone 1’s 16MP selfie digital camera already does, genuinely, rob marginally greater selfies than the Pixel 6a’s paltry 8MP sensor within the comely lighting fixtures. Nonetheless the true fact here is that while the Nothing’s sunlight hours photos bear stare fine, the Pixel 6a takes greater photos total in most cases. That difference will get elegant colossal in low lighting fixtures, the attach the Nothing struggles while the Pixel shines.

Beyond the easy act of taking pictures a characterize, Google’s modern hardware and instrument enable for a range of “AI”-primarily primarily based imaging aspects (it be no longer genuinely synthetic intelligence or one thing esteem it, but that’s one other dialogue). It is advisable to perhaps well perhaps perhaps merely no longer gain Evening Behold, High Shot, Magic Eraser, or Face Unblur on one thing beginning air the Pixel lineup. For all these causes, the Pixel 6a is a foremost winner in terms of digital camera quality.

Connectivity

Both reinforce Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, USB Form-C, and NFC connectivity. The Pixel 6a also helps eSIM, which is missing from the Phone 1. Relating to 5G connectivity, Google’s providing has a foremost edge as it helps more 5G bands. Moreover, you have to maybe well perhaps aquire a mmWave 5G compatible model from Verizon within the United States.

Nonetheless that is the rub for anyone attracted to cutting-edge community speeds: the Nothing Phone 1 technically helps Sub 6GHz 5G, but it surely’s no longer licensed to work on any U.S. provider. Your mileage could perhaps well merely range, and likewise you have to maybe well merely procure restricted reinforce, but we don’t recommend using Phone 1 as your day after day driver even as you happen to could perhaps well perhaps be dwelling within the U.S. It merely could perhaps well merely no longer be ready to talk over the total 5G bands frail within the States. In a roundabout diagram, you have to maybe well perhaps be greater off discovering out our selections for the most efficient 5G telephones to procure the finest connectivity.

Which is worth your money?

We cherish the root of the Nothing Phone 1. It be an plucky newcomer to the midrange smartphone condo and makes some outright spectacular procure selections that stare and in actuality feel enormous. It be no longer stuffed with bloatware and delivers a perfectly fine Android trip. When it became as soon as accrued $50 lower than the Google Pixel 6a, we could perhaps well perhaps need given it a more gorgeous endorsement over Google’s midrange model.

Nonetheless unless you have to maybe well perhaps be into quickly charging with wireless capabilities or completely ask a 120Hz refresh rate, the Nothing Phone 1 provides few advantages. Google’s Pixel 6a remains at the pause of our listing of the finest budget Android telephones (even over the newer Pixel 7a) for appropriate reason. Unless you resolve on build over map, procure the Pixel 6a, even supposing the Nothing Phone 1 appears worthy cooler. And as soon as you procure it, set apart no longer forget to customize it and rob just appropriate thing about our current Pixel 6a tricks and methods.

That said, the Nothing Phone 1 is accrued an correct mobile phone, and it be markedly pretty just a few from the Pixel. It be also more economical than the more moderen Nothing Phone 2. Its finest downside is the dearth of reinforce for some 5G bands, which hurts but doesn’t cripple 5G efficiency. So while we don’t particularly recommend it over the Pixel 6a, it be worth occupied with even as you happen to just appropriate are searching to manual certain of having a Google mobile phone for any reason.

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Nothing Phone 1

Runner-up

Great, but a tiny costly

The Nothing Phone 1’s procure stands out as life like one of the most attention-grabbing we have seen only within the near previous. Besides its bloatware-free Android flavor, that makes it seem esteem a high-stop gadget no matter the midrange hardware internal. Whenever you’d like one thing that doesn’t damage the financial institution or attain from Google, it deserves a shot.