Nothing Phone (1) vs the Pixel 6a: The joy of nothing and everything

Nothing has been in the news for a while now, and rightfully so. A company that literally came into being about a year ago, albeit founded by a pretty well-known name from the smartphone space (Carl Pei) and backed by some heavyweights like Tony Fadell, with a pair of earbuds, was now launching a smartphone.

Nothing’s Ear (1) stood out from its sea of competitors because of its design. The transparent monotones made the Nothing Ear (1) look really cool but the device itself was not without flaws. There were software issues that the company fixed with subsequent OTA updates. At the end of it all, it was not a bad device to recommend, but it wasn’t the best out there.

Nothing carried some of that design language over to the Nothing Phone (1) - the monotones and some transparent elements. And then of course came the Glyph interface and the LED lights on the back. The flat silver edges and the camera module made the smartphone look like a naked, stripped-down iPhone, but with a cheap in-hand feel.

What makes the Nothing Phone (1) stand out, without question, are the lights at the back. They are a novelty, they are unique, and they are fun to play around with. Again, in a sea of smartphones that appear to have taken pages out of the same design book, Nothing made sure that it glows apart.

But the device specs were nothing great. And that’s what made us wonder why the Nothing Phone (1) was being compared to another device that launched about 10 days later - the Google Pixel 6a.

Specs or nothing

The Nothing Phone (1) features a decent set of specs and it makes sense for Rs 32,999 (price for the base 8GB/128GB model). It has a good suite of cameras (two 50MP cameras on the back and a 16MP for selfies), a decent SoC (Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+), a 6.55-inch screen with a 60Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, a 4500mAh battery with 33W fast charging support, and those 900 LEDs on the back.

The Google Pixel 6a, in comparison, costs Rs 43,999 with only one variant on offer (6GB/128GB). Sure, you can always couple this with bank offers to bring the price down, but it’s still a good Rs 10,000 more. The Pixel 6a is powered by Google’s in-house Tensor chip, the same one that’s been used in the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro. It has a 6.1-inch screen, two 12MP cameras on the back along with an 8MP on the front, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 4110mAh battery with 18W fast charge support.

Both the devices promise stock Android experience, but only the OG supports it. Nothing has layered its Nothing OS on top of Android 12, but to be fair that does not affect the experience too much.

We’d pick the Tensor chip and Google’s computational photography chops over Nothing’s dual 50MP shooters and the Snapdragon 778G+ any day. The Google Tensor chip is designed specifically for the device and it works to optimise features like Live Translate, etc. The Snapdragon processor that Nothing has picked is a mid-range one, and we understand where that comes from.

For its first device, Nothing does not want to compete with the flagships that are currently using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips. The company needed to create and push out a good phone that works - the Nothing Phone (1) works. Nothing can take its lessons from here and prepare better to take on the flagships in the future.

Not without issues

Complaints have been rolling in against the Nothing Phone (1) and the Pixel 6a. While for the former, users have complained about a green tint on the screen, finishing issues with the LED strips on the back, etc, Pixel 6a users have complained about the on-screen fingerprint sensor.

In our experience with both devices, we faced none of these issues. The Nothing Phone (1) fingerprint sensor did freeze up a few times, but that was fixed by the first security patch that rolled in within a week of the phone being launched.

Nothing is prompt with its OTA updates, which is great. But this makes almost everything feel like a work-in-progress.

All that glitters…

Getting down to the brass tacks - who wins? The Nothing Phone (1) or the Pixel 6a?

The two phones are at least Rs 10,000 apart; does it really makes sense to compare the two? It does not.

While we do have issues with Google deciding that India’s really not a big market for it, bringing in only the cheaper A-series devices here, and that too much later than the rest of the world, it’s hard to fault the Pixel 6a. It’s a great phone for Android lovers and one that comes with very good cameras.

On its end, the Nothing Phone (1) has everything decently going for it. But besides the lights on the back, there’s not much else to play on here that might win this face-off. And if it IS all about the design, the Pixel 6a brings in something new too, we haven’t seen this before, though in comparison it definitely feels plain and muted. In hand, the Nothing Phone (1) feels plasticky and cheap. The Pixel 6a, despite its plastic back (which is a fingerprint magnet), looks and feels better. Let’s admit it, the lights will become boring after a point.

So, if it came to where we’d place our hard-earned money, we’d put it on the Pixel.

Also Read: Pixel 6a vs Nothing Phone (1): Which offers better value?

Also Read: Nothing Phone (1) deliveries are delayed because it is difficult to assemble it, says company