Nothing Phone (4a) vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
40.4Performance37.2
69.8Display56.3
57.6Camera72
67.4Battery46.4
65.3Features78.7
6 spec wins — Nothing Phone (4a)11 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
Nothing Phone (4a) wins this phone face-off, 57.6 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in battery (+21) and display (+14). 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)
- Stronger performance score: 40 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 70 vs 56
- Stronger battery score: 67 vs 46
- 400% higher telephoto: 50 MP vs 10 MP
- 200% higher Peak brightness: 4,500 nits vs 1,500 nits
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 58
- Stronger features score: 79 vs 65
- 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) | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.78 ″ | 6.8 ″ |
| Panel type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1224x2720 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 440 ppi | 515 ppi+17% |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 4,500 nits+200% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 87.2 % | — |
Performance
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTuDifferent AnTuTu versions — not compared | 1,183,775 | 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) | 1,279Bottom 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 | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 128GB/256GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | 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@30fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP | 40 MP+25% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | 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 | 13.6 h | — |
Design
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 205 g+10% | 228 g |
| Thickness | 8.6 mm+3% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP64 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Plastic | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | 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 | No | Yes |
Software
| Spec | Nothing Phone (4a) | 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) | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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