Nothing and OnePlus are smartphone companies that share similar roots and DNA. The philosophical underpinnings of Nothing and OnePlus are similar in that both were created to shake up the smartphone industry by the same man, Carl Pei. While the companies share common traits, their approach to design and implementation are different. This is readily apparent in our battle today: the Nothing Phone 1 and the OnePlus Nord N20.

Nothing and OnePlus are smartphone companies that share similar roots and DNA. The philosophical underpinnings of Nothing and OnePlus are similar in that both were created to shake up the smartphone industry by the same man, Carl Pei. While the companies share common traits, their approach to design and implementation are different. This is readily apparent in our battle today: the Nothing Phone 1 and the OnePlus Nord N20.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Design and build

The Nothing Phone 1 borrows heavily from Apple’s recent design language. It has a flat glass design on the front and back with a flat metal frame and curved edges. The metal frame is made from recycled aluminum which helps keep the weight to a relatively light 193.5g. You’ll find the power button on the right side of the frame, and two volume controls on the left side.

Flipping the phone over reveals a translucent back and a design unique to the Nothing Phone. The translucent back reveals the internal components, which are covered by white plates, creating different layers under the back glass. It’s filled with white LEDs creating the Glyph Interface. The LEDs are spread throughout the back of the phone, surrounding components like the rear camera and wireless charging coil. Each area of the Glyph Interface can light up independently of the others and can be used for things like notification alerts or as a battery charge indicator.

The OnePlus Nord N20 takes a much more traditional approach with its design. It has a plastic frame as well as a plastic back with an accent strip along the bottom. Even though both phones have similar dimensions, the OnePlus Nord N20 is 20g lighter than the Nothing Phone due to its plastic construction. You can find the volume buttons along the left side and the power button on the right. Unlike the Nothing Phone, you can find a headphone jack at the bottom of the Nord N20.

Both phones offer some resistance to water and dust. The Nothing Phone 1 has an IP53 rating and the OnePlus Nord N20 has an IP52 rating. Both phones are similar in size. The dimensions of the Nothing Phone are 159.2-by-75.8-by-8.3mm while the Nord N20 is 159.9-by-73.2-by-7.5mm. Color options for both are limited. The Nothing Phone comes in black or white, while the OnePlus Nord N20 comes in blue smoke.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Display

Nothing outfitted the Phone 1 with a 6.55-inch 1080x2400 OLED display. It features a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz that will automatically choose the best refresh rate depending on the content you are viewing. The display is HDR10+ compatible and has 10-bit color support. With a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits, you won’t have any issues seeing the display outside. The display has relatively thin bezels and a hole punch in the top left corner of the display for the front-facing camera.

The OnePlus Nord N20 has a 6.43-inch, 60Hz, 1080x2400 OLED display. The display has a peak brightness of 450 nits. You’ll still be able to see the display outside but pales in comparison to the max level of the Nothing Phone. The Nord N20 has thin bezels on the top and sides of the device, while the bottom has a small chin. It also has a hole punch for its front-facing camera in the top-left corner of the display.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Cameras

The Nothing Phone 1 has two 50MP rear cameras and a 16MP front camera. The primary camera is quite capable with its Sony IMX766 sensor. In good lighting, the Nothing Phone is capable of taking great and consistent photos. Once the light begins to dim the images can look a bit grainy. It does have a night mode, but you will have to turn this on and off manually. The 50MP ultra-wide gets good, but not great shots using its Samsung JN1 sensor with slightly inferior photos compared to the primary camera. The Glyph interface can be used as a light source for photos and videos.

The OnePlus Nord N20 features a 64MP main shooter capable of decent shots with its OmniVision OV64B sensor. By default, the 64MP main camera on the Nord N20 uses pixel binning to output a 16MP photo. The photos produced have generally good colors, but the dynamic range and exposure can be inconsistent. The main camera struggles with color balance without adequate lighting. In dim or dark environments, it produces unusable photos. The monochrome and macro lenses aren’t worth using. They produce muddy and dull photos and aren’t worthy of use.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Hardware and battery life

The Nothing Phone 1 utilizes a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset with a few memory configurations. You can get the device with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 12 of RAM and 256GB of storage. Nothing worked closely with Qualcomm to enable the Nothing Phone to support wireless and reverse-wireless charging. It has 5G (sub-6GHz), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and NFC onboard.

Nothing included stereo speakers using a combination of a bottom-firing speaker and another speaker in the earpiece. Overall the performance of the Nothing Phone was quick and snappy with no issues in day-to-day use.

OnePlus gave its Nord N20 a Snapdragon 695 processor and 6GB of RAM. In terms of storage, the N20 gives you 128GB with the ability to expand it using a microSD card. It also has 5G (sub-6GHz), Wi-Fi (up to ac), Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a single down-firing mono speaker. The Snapdragon 695 is a bit weaker than the 778G+ used in the Nothing Phone, though it helps the N20 take our value spot among the best 5G phones. It is capable of playing some games like Fortnite, albeit at lower resolutions. There are times when it may lag a bit in more intensive applications.

Both phones offer 4500mAh batteries for all-day battery life. The Nothing Phone 1 routinely gets five hours of on-screen time while the Nord N20 can get over six hours of on-screen time. Both phones charge at 33W, capable of charging 50% of your battery in only 30 minutes.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Software

Nothing uses a lightly skinned version of Android 12 called Nothing OS. If you are familiar with the Pixel line of devices, then you will feel right at home here. The only major changes from the Pixel Launcher are slight tweaks of the notification shade and some added widgets. Nothing says the Phone 1 will get three years of Android updates and four years of bi-monthly security patches.

The Nord 20 uses its own Oxygen OS 11 which is based on Android 11. While more skinned and not nearly as Pixel-like as the Nothing phone, the OS feels relatively snappy. OnePlus leaves a bit to be desired in the software update category. They are only promising one Android OS update and three years of bi-monthly security patches. Take this schedule with a grain of salt as OnePlus doesn’t always follow through with its promised updates.

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Pricing and availability

This is where the two phones diverge the most. Nothing decided to skip the U.S. this time around and focus on countries that aren’t as carrier-dependent. Nothing can be found in the UK, Europe, Japan, and India. You can import the Nothing phone to the United States, but it’ll provide spotty coverage at best. You can find the 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage version of the Nothing Phone 1 for £399 ($475).

The OnePlus Nord N20 is a bit easier to find and a bit less expensive. Initially sold as a carrier-locked device through T-Mobile, availability has since opened up a bit. You can now find the device unlocked through the usual outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy for a price of $300 (£248).

Nothing Phone 1 vs. OnePlus Nord N20: Which should you buy?

Both phones offer quite a bit for their respective prices. Overall the Nothing Phone 1 is hands down the winner here. While it costs a bit more, it provides a much more cohesive package overall. You are getting a more powerful chipset, more RAM, better cameras, a better display, and a newer version of Android to start that will be supported much longer. All this adds up to a device that won’t need to be upgraded as quickly and can end up being the cheaper of the two by the end of their lives. Nothing looks like OnePlus in its early days, when it aimed to disrupt the market with a flagship device at a mid-tier price.

If you live in the United States, this may not even be a competition. While you can import the phone, not getting full network support can be a dealbreaker for many people. If you want full network support and the ability to shop locally, then the OnePlus Nord N20 is your only option out of the two. If you are looking for something sold in the U.S. the OnePlus Nord N20 is not only one of the best budget Android phones; it’s also one of the best Android phones you can buy, especially in the sub-$300 market. For elsewhere in the world, the Nothing Phone 1 is the clear winner.

• 

  Nothing Phone 1

  $453 $475 Save $22

  The Nothing Phone 1 has a unique design, capable display, and impressive performance at a midrange price. Its translucent back is filled with LEDs creating a one-of-a-kind design. You can readily find the Phone 1 overseas, but Nothing has yet to bring the device to the United States.

  $453 at Amazon

• 

  OnePlus Nord N20

  $230 $300 Save $70

  At under $300, the OnePlus Nord N20 offers incredible value. This budget device brings capable performance, a good display, and a battery that lasts for days. Just don't expect it to take great pictures.

  $230 at Amazon $230 at Best Buy