Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Front camera | 32 MP | 16 MP |
| Wired charging | 50 W | 100 W |
| Weight | 201 g | 186 g |
| AnTuTu | 820000 | 720000 |
| Battery capacity | 5000 mAh | 5500 mAh |
| Pixel density | 387 ppi | 394 ppi |
Between the Phone (3a) and Nord CE 4, the Phone (3a) comes out ahead in front camera / antutu, while the Nord CE 4 wins on wired charging / weight. Overall, the Phone (3a) scores 62.4 and the Nord CE 4 scores 63.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (62.4 vs 63.6). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the Phone (3a) if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. The biggest gaps in its favor are front camera, antutu, screen size, among others. The single most decisive one: Front camera — 100.00% more. 32 MP vs 16 MP.
Pick the Nord CE 4 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are wired charging, weight, battery capacity, among others. The single most decisive one: Wired charging — 100.00% more. 100 W vs 50 W.
Both ship with comparable ram, main camera, refresh rate, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Nothing - Phone (3a) or OnePlus - Nord CE 4?
OnePlus - Nord CE 4 leads the current Mars Score by 1.2 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, pixel density, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Nothing - Phone (3a) if…
Nothing - Phone (3a) has the measurable edge on front cam mp, antutu score, screen size in.
Choose OnePlus - Nord CE 4 if…
OnePlus - Nord CE 4 has the measurable edge on wired charging w, weight g, battery capacity mah.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Nothing - Phone (3a) wins
- ▲Front camera — 100.00% more. 32 MP vs 16 MP.
- ▲AnTuTu — 13.89% more. 820000 vs 720000.
- ▲Screen size — 1.04% more. 6.77 " vs 6.7 ".
- ▲Water resistance: IP64 (vs IP54).
Why OnePlus - Nord CE 4 wins
- ▲Wired charging — 100.00% more. 100 W vs 50 W.
- ▲Weight — 15.00 g less. 186 vs 201.
- ▲Battery capacity — 10.00% more. 5500 mAh vs 5000 mAh.
- ▲Pixel density — 1.81% more. 394 ppi vs 387 ppi.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 201 g | 186 glead |
| Thickness | 8.4 mm | 8.2 mmlead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP64lead | IP54 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.77 "lead | 6.7 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 387 ppi | 394 ppilead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 3000 nitslead | 1100 nits |
Performance
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| RAMⓘ | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Storageⓘ | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| AnTuTuⓘ | 820000lead | 720000 |
| CPU total clockⓘ | 10.8 GHzlead | 9.0 GHz |
Cameras
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Front camera | 32 MPlead | 16 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacityⓘ | 5000 mAh | 5500 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 50 W | 100 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 0 W | 0 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | truelead |
Operating System
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) | OnePlus - Nord CE 4 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 3 years | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, Phone (3a) or Nord CE 4?+
Nord CE 4 has 10.0% more battery — 5000 mAh vs 5500 mAh.
Which is lighter, Phone (3a) or Nord CE 4?+
Nord CE 4 is 15g lighter — 201g vs 186g.
Is Phone (3a) waterproof?+
Phone (3a) has an IP64 rating.
Does Nord CE 4 support 5G?+
Yes, Nord CE 4 supports 5G.
Which has a better camera, Phone (3a) or Nord CE 4?+
Nord CE 4 has a 50 MP main camera vs 50 MP.