Compare Nothing Phone (3a) vs OnePlus Nord CE 5: Camera, Battery, Design and more

Nothing Phone (3a) vs OnePlus Nord CE 5: OnePlus launched OnePlus Nord CE 5 5G earlier this month. Smartphone maker OnePlus announced two new additions to its Nord series: the Nord 5 and the Nord CE 5. While the OnePlus Nord 5 caters to the more premium segment, the Nord CE 5 is a more affordable smartphone. Both of these smartphones are available for purchase on Amazon India, OnePlus Store, and other online and offline markets. Before you decide which one to buy, here’s how OnePlus’ latest budget-premium offering compares with a key rival: Nothing’s Phone 3a.

If you are planning to buy the latest OnePlus phone, then we are comparing the more affordable Nord CE 5 with Nothing Phone 3a, as both coming in the same budget. Interestingly, Nothing is the brainchild of Carl Pei, who co-founded OnePlus in 2013 with Pete Lau before parting ways in 2020. This post will help you to know which phone offers better features and specifications in this budget.

The Nothing Phone (3a) series comes with vanilla variant and Pro variant, succeeds the Nothing Phone (2a) series. While, the Nord CE5 is the successor to the OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G smartphone. To recall, the Nothing Phone (2a) and Nord CE 4 were launched last year in global market. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Vivo V30 Pro: How the two affordable premium Android phones compare

Nothing Phone (3a) vs OnePlus Nord CE 5

Both of the Nothing Phone (3a) and OnePlus Nord CE 5 smartphone models comes with a similar price tag. Let’s look at these smartphones one by one. The Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro were released in March this year. Meanwhile, the Nord CE 5 launched earlier this year. Also Read: iPhone 17 Air Leak Hints at Ultra-Thin Design, Sky Blue Finish, and 48MP Camera: Here’s Everything We Know

Price and Storage

Nothing launched the Phone (3a) smartphone at a price tag of Rs 24,999, available on Flipkart. While, the Nord CE 5 comes for Rs 24,998 on Amazon India. Also Read: Moto G96 5G with Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Launched in India for Rs 17,999

The OnePlus Nord CE 5 5G price starts at Rs 24,998 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. While, the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant comes for Rs 26,998 in India. The top-end variant of OnePlus Nord CE 5 packs in 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, available with a price tag of Rs 28,998. Similarly, the Nothing Phone 3a smartphone is priced at Rs 24,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant is available for Rs 26,999 in India.

Compare OnePlus Nord CE 5 vs Nothing Phone (3a) Specifications

Looking physically at both device, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 is 2 grams lighter than Pei’s Phone 3a. Furthermore, the OnePlus handset is also thinner by 0.2 mm than the 3a. It comes with IP65 dust and water resistant (light rain, water sprinkles) in comparison to the IP64 rating for Nothing Phone 3a. Also Read: Google Pixel 6a Battery Performance Program announced with Android 16 Update

Display Specifications

The display and resolution are almost identical, with exact same size of 6.77 inches that both share. OnePlus Nord CE 5 5G has a 6.77-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2392×1080 pixels. The display also offers 120Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate.

While, the Nothing Phone 3a sports a 6.77-inch FHD+ flexible AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080×2392 pixels. The display on Nothing phone offers an adaptive refresh rate varying between 30-120Hz and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. This display can reach a peak brightness of 3000 nits (Nothing’s claim).

Performance

Both Nothing Phone (3a) and OnePlus Nord CE 5 smartphones offer Android 15 platform but, the difference starts with the chipset. OnePlus Nord CE 5 is equipped with the recently launched MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex (4 nm) against the Nothing’s Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm). Also Read: OnePlus Nord 5 vs iQOO Neo 10 – The Best Mid-Range Smartphone 2025

Overall, the processor on the Nord smartphone is faster and offers an improved performance to users. Nothing Phone runs on the Nothing OS 3.1 operating system based on Android 15. While, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 5G runs on OxygenOS 15. Also Read: Ai+ Pulse And Ai+ Nova 5G Phones Launched In India, Price Starts At Rs 4,999: Specs, Features

The Nord CE 5 has a separate memory card slot for a microSDXC that Nothing’s 3a does not offer. Also Read: Honor X9c with Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, 6,600mAh battery launched in India

Camera

The two phones come with distinct camera setups offering distinct capabilities. Starting with the main cameras, the Nord CE 5 features a 50 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, 26mm focal length, and a sensor size of 1/1.95″ with 0.8µm pixels. It supports PDAF and OIS for stability and fast focusing.

In contrast, Nothing Phone 3a also uses a 50 MP main sensor. But this sensor improves upon it with a larger 1/1.57″ sensor, wider 1.0µm pixels, and a slightly narrower f/1.9 aperture at 24mm. More importantly, it includes dual pixel PDAF. This offers quicker and more reliable autofocus, especially in low-light or motion-heavy scenes. The larger sensor and pixel size give Phone 3a an advantage in image quality and light sensitivity.

Both setups offer optical image stabilisation on the main camera, helping to reduce blur from hand movements. Overall, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 is capable and should perform well in most day-to-day scenarios. While, the Nothing Phone 3a offers greater flexibility and stronger hardware, especially for users who value higher-quality photography across different focal lengths.

Video Quality

The Nord CE 5 is offering better video capabilities with the capacity to shoot 4K@30/60fps. While, Nothing 3a is only capable of offering 4K@30fps video recording. Yet, the selfie camera is better for Nothing Phone (3a) smartphone. The Nord CE 5 comes with just a 16 MP when the Nothing 3a offers 32 MP. Also Read: Tecno POVA 7 5G, Tecno POVA 7 Pro 5G Launched in India

Battery

OnePlus Nord CE 5 comes with a 7100 mAh battery pack with 80W fast charging, while the Phone 3a comes with a 5000 mAh battery and with just 50W wired charging. Here, OnePlus Nord CE 5 5G packs a large 7,100mAh battery. Henceforth, the Nord phone is likely to offer extended battery backup.

The 80W SUPERVOOC fasting charging is also faster than the 50W wired charging on the Nothing phone. While both offer similar display sizes and Android 15 platforms, the Nord CE 5 excels with a larger battery and faster charging. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7, Galaxy Z Flip7 FE, Galaxy Z Fold7 Launched

Compare Nothing Phone (3a) vs OnePlus Nord CE 5 : Other Features

Both the OnePlus Nord CE 5 and Nothing Phone (3a) smartphone models feature similar connectivity options. These includes the dual SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C port, and NFC. Beside this, the OnePlus Nord CE 5 is available in more visually appealing colour options including Marble Mist, Black Infinity, and Nexus Blue. While, the more basic Black, White, and Blue variants offered by the Phone 3a.

Conclusion

While on compare Nothing Phone (3a) vs OnePlus Nord CE5, both smartphone models offer similar display sizes and Android 15 platforms, the Nord CE 5 excels with a larger battery and faster charging, whereas the Phone 3a boasts superior camera capabilities and a more powerful chipset, making it ideal for photography enthusiasts. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy F06 vs Vivo T4 Lite detailed comparison