Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
45.1Performance37.2
85.2Display56.3
57.6Camera72
71.5Battery46.4
73.3Features78.7
9 spec wins — Nothing Phone (4a) Pro8 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro wins this phone face-off, 63.7 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in display (+29) and battery (+25). Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- Stronger performance score: 45 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 85 vs 56
- Stronger battery score: 72 vs 46
- 400% higher telephoto: 50 MP vs 10 MP
- 233% higher Peak brightness: 5,000 nits vs 1,500 nits
- Lower launch price: $499 vs $1,199
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 58
- Stronger features score: 79 vs 73
- 186% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 3.5 x
- 116% higher Main camera: 108 MP vs 50 MP
- 50% higher ultra-wide: 12 MP vs 8 MP
Display
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.83 ″ | 6.8 ″ |
| Panel type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1260x2800 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 450 ppi | 515 ppi+14% |
| Refresh rate | 144 Hz+20% | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 5,000 nits+233% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 93.9 % | — |
Performance
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTuDifferent AnTuTu versions — not compared | 1,469,717 | 783,817Bottom 22% |
| AnTuTu 11 (CPU) | — | 263,424Bottom 17% |
| AnTuTu 11 (GPU) | — | 126,989Bottom 33% |
| AnTuTu 11 (Memory) | — | 165,563Bottom 35% |
| AnTuTu 11 (UX) | — | 227,841Bottom 20% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 1,334Top 50% | 1,430+7%Top 46% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 4,170+17%Top 46% | 3,550Bottom 50% |
| Wild Life Extreme stability | 99 %Top 37% | — |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 128GB/256GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 108 MP+116% |
| Main aperture | f/1.9 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 8 MP | 12 MP+50% |
| Telephoto | 50 MP+400% | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | 3.5 x | 10 x+186% |
| Max video | 4K@60fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP | 40 MP+25% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,080 mAh+2% | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 50 W+100% | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 0 W | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | 15.3 h | — |
Design
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 210 g+8% | 228 g |
| Thickness | 7.9 mm+11% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP65 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 16 (Nothing OS 4.1) | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| OS update pledge | 3 years | 4 years+33% |
Audio
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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