OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1: Which Should You Buy?

OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1: Carl Pei, the Co-founder of OnePlus resigned in late 2020 to start a new tech company called Nothing. His hype strategy at OnePlus was adopted for its first Nothing phone. Which is perhaps the most hyped phone of the year. But looking intently beyond the hyping, is the Nothing Phone 1 better than the OnePlus Nord 2T? Which should you buy? Let’s find out below.

OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1 Specs

Specs	Nothing Phone 1	OnePlus Nord 2T
Display	6.5-inch OLED 120Hz	6.43-inch OLED 90Hz
RAM	8/12GB	8/12 GB
Storage	128/256 GB	128/256 GB
Back Camera	50 + 50MP	50 + 8 + 5MP
Front Camera	16MP	32MP
Chipset	Snapdragon 778G+	Dimensity 1300
Software	Android 12	Android 12
Battery	4,500 mAh (33W)	4,500mAh (80W)

Display, Design, and Durability

The design of the Nothing Phone 1 is outstanding. From afar you can separate it from the bunch. This is because of its unusual design. It is unique with a transparent back cover that has about 900 mini LED bulbs that light up as a notification or fill up for close-up pictures when you want to take macro images. The design of the Nothing Phone 1 is in a league of its own. As for the OnePlus Nord 2T, it has a common design.

In terms of displaying quality, these two midrange phones are cool but the Nothing Phone 1 is a step ahead. It brings a 6.55-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of 1200 nits. When compared to the OnePlus Nord 2T – you will get a more compact size of 6.43” FHD+ Super AMOLED display but with a 90Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+. The Nothing Phone 1 gives you a smoother display experience.

Even the durability box is checked better by the Nothing Phone 1. Although both smartphones are protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5, only the Phone 1 has IP53 splash resistance and is dustproof. Thus, for those who like to be different or stand out from the crowd, the design of the Nothing Phone 1 is what can give you that vibes.

Camera

You can get an awesome photography experience on both smartphones. The primary camera featured on them is Sony’s 50MP sensor with optical image stabilization. However, the Nothing Phone 1 has a better ultra-wide lens. But upfront, the OnePlus Nord 2T with its 32MP front camera looks more crisply for selfies.

The rear camera on both phones can record video in 4K while the front is capped at 1080p. Overall, I’m impressed with what these two smartphones can accomplish when it comes to the camera aspect.

Performance | 5G | Configuration

Performance-wise, the Nothing Phone 1 is a step ahead because of its long-run performance. Even though the OnePlus Nord 2T comes close, the Nothing Phone 1 sustains longer performance. So what plays here are the chipset capabilities that power both smartphones. The Snapdragon 778G+ gave the Nothing Phone 1 an edge. And it is paired with 8/12 GB of RAM + 128/256 GB storage.

On the other hand, OnePlus uses the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 5G chipset to power the Nord 2T. That chip is excellent but is slightly behind the Adreno 642L when it comes to GPU performance. The OnePlus Nord 2T does come in 8/12 GB RAM and 128/256 GB storage.

Software

Right now, the Nothing OS is the most fun skin software to use (thanks to the Glyph interface). It is clean, and fast. We wish they will keep it like this forever. Let’s take a moment to talk about the Nothing OS.

This is the company’s first skin software and it is based on Android 12. It is interesting to also know that the London-based Tech Company has promised three years of major software upgrades and four years of security patches once in two months. According to Nothing, its OS will not have bloatware (free of pre-installed apps). And you remember the 900 mini LED lights on the back of the Nothing phone 1? You can tweak those lights to match your ringing tone or notifications.

OnePlus ColorOS is not as fun and clean as the Nothing OS. It is a heavy sort and OnePlus has promised two years of software updates and three years of security patches too. But overall, both phones are well-to-do when it comes to the software but you’ll choose the Nothing OS over anything OS that is full of bloatware right now.

OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1: Battery

Nothing Phone 1 has a 4,500 mAh battery capacity with up to 45W wired fast charge and a 15W wireless charge. While the OnePlus Nord 2T has a similar 4,500 mAh battery size with 80W faster charge support but no wireless. The Nord 2T charges faster but the Nothing Phone 1 is more user-friendly because of its reverse wireless charging system for earbuds or even smartwatches.

OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1: Price

OnePlus Nord 2T is more budget-friendly. The base variant of 8GB + 128GB storage is priced at £369. While the Nothing Phone 1 is priced at £399 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage. The higher your configuration, the more expensive it gets.

Buy Nothing Phone 1 and OnePlus Nord 2T

Phone 1	Price	Nord 2T	Price
Buy on Amazon	£399	Buy on Amazon	£369
Buy on Giztop	$499

OnePlus Nord 2T vs Nothing Phone 1: Conclusion

One would have thought that the Nothing Phone 1 would look like a OnePlus smartphone. But that’s not the case here. Rather the Nothing Phone is unique and has made a solid entry into the market. To be clear, both phones are great mid-range smartphones. The performance, camera, and battery life across them are cool. However, the design and clean/fast software are a plus on the Nothing Phone 1 part.