Nothing Phone (4a) vs Samsung Galaxy S21
40.4Performance34.4
69.8Display49.1
57.6Camera40.8
67.4Battery36.9
65.3Features78.7
8 spec wins — Nothing Phone (4a)9 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21
InnoReviews verdict
Nothing Phone (4a) wins this phone face-off, 57.6 to 43.6, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+31) and display (+21). Samsung Galaxy S21 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)
- Stronger performance score: 40 vs 34
- Stronger display score: 70 vs 49
- Stronger camera score: 58 vs 41
- Stronger battery score: 67 vs 37
- 317% higher Main camera: 50 MP vs 12 MP
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21
- Stronger features score: 79 vs 65
- 50% higher ultra-wide: 12 MP vs 8 MP
- 33% higher OS update pledge: 4 years vs 3 years
- 28% higher telephoto: 64 MP vs 50 MP
- 17% lower weight: 171 g vs 205 g
Display
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.78 ″+9% | 6.2 ″ |
| Panel type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1224x2720 | 2400x1080 |
| Pixel density | 440 ppi+5% | 421 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 4,500 nits+246% | 1,300 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 87.2 % | — |
Performance
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTuDifferent AnTuTu versions — not compared | 1,183,775 | 746,547Bottom 18% |
| AnTuTu 11 (CPU) | — | 252,025Bottom 14% |
| AnTuTu 11 (GPU) | — | 127,819Bottom 35% |
| AnTuTu 11 (Memory) | — | 144,909Bottom 16% |
| AnTuTu 11 (UX) | — | 221,794Bottom 18% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 1,279Bottom 50% | 1,430+12%Top 46% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 3,374Bottom 47% | 3,550+5%Bottom 50% |
| Wild Life Extreme stability | 99 %Top 23% | — |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB+50% | 8 GB |
| Storage options | 128GB/256GB | 128GB / 256GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP+317% | 12 MP |
| Main aperture | f/1.9 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 8 MP | 12 MP+50% |
| Telephoto | 50 MP | 64 MP+28% |
| Optical zoom | 3.5 x | — |
| Max video | 4K@30fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP+220% | 10 MP |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,080 mAh+27% | 4,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 50 W+100% | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 0 W | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | 13.6 h | — |
Design
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 205 g | 171 g+17% |
| Thickness | 8.6 mm | 7.9 mm+8% |
| IP rating | IP64 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Plastic | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | No | Yes |
Software
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Samsung Galaxy S21 |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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