The mid-range segment this year sees two new entries in the smartphone market – the Pixel 4a and the OnePlus Nord.
One is taking over the hearts of customers by its software optimizations and the other relies more on the specs to get the job done. Taking these different approaches in the mid-range segment, let us see which is the right device for you. You can take a look at the specs below.
The OnePlus Nord brings with it a glass back design, giving it a premium feel. The phone feels great in your hands and a lot like a flagship thanks to its tapered glass back and large size. The buttons have a tactile feel. The phone also has the signature OnePlus mute toggle switch on the right side.
The Pixel 4a rocks a polycarbonate build. The single bold color seems a bit boring but it is not bad by any means. There is a headphone jack at the top of the phone which is great throwback to the past. It houses a rear-mounted fingerprint reader which is faster and more accurate than OnePlus Nord’s in-display fingerprint reader.
The OnePlus Nord sports a larger screen size than the Pixel. When it comes to the size and resolution, the Pixel 4a’s 5.8-inch display has a 2340 x 1080 resolution giving it a pixel density of 443 PPI. On the other hand, the Nord has a 6.44-inch display with a 2400 x 1080p resolution giving it a lower 403 PPI.
What does make a difference is the OnePlus Nord’s higher refresh rate display which, when combined with the increased screen real estate, helps the device feel smoother, snappier, and more like a flagship phone. It will work well for those looking to play games on their smartphone.
The Pixel 4a is powered by the Snapdragon 730, while the OnePlus Nord comes with the Snapdragon 765G under the hood. The difference between the two processors is slight, with the 765G showcasing improved GPU performance.
Both the phones come with 6GB of RAM which should work well for multi-tasking and some gaming. The OnePlus Nord is available with 8GB or 12GB RAM while the Pixel 4a offers only 6GB RAM.
The Nord also has 5G network support and while Google has released the Pixel 4a 5G, it is still not available in India.
The Pixel 4a’s battery is also surprisingly generous. On paper, you wouldn’t expect too much from it, given that it has a 3140mAh capacity compared to the Nord’s 4115mAh. This doesn’t hinder the Pixel’s performance in practice, however, since you can comfortably get a day of moderate use out of both the devices.
The tables are turned when it comes to charging. The Pixel 4a supports fast charging at 18W, while the OnePlus Nord goes up to 30W. This enables the OnePlus device to charge to 70% in around 30 minutes, although it doesn’t make a massive difference in filling up to 100%.
Google’s Pixel devices are known to have an outstanding camera’s. The Pixel 4a employs the same 12.2MP main lens as the Pixel 4 and brings with it the same software tweaks (such as Night Sight), making full use of Google’s artificial intelligence prowess. This might not sound like much on paper, but the 4a takes great photos in virtually every condition.
The OnePlus Nord, on the other hand, has more impressive specs on paper. Its main camera is a 48MP Sony IMX586, bundled with an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. Such hardware sets it up to be a highly versatile camera phone.
The OnePlus Nord lets you shoot 4K video at 60fps while the Pixel 4a supports 4K at 30fps.
The Google Pixel 4a and OnePlus Nord are both great smartphones, so your purchase decision is going to be down to personal preference.
If you judge a phone on a specs sheet or the number of things it can do, the OnePlus Nord certainly gives you more for your money. You get six cameras, a faster user experience, smoother gaming, faster charging, a bigger battery, and 5G.
However, if you want a simple phone that nails the basics, and comes with a camera with stellar picture quality, then the Google Pixel 4a is the one to consider.