The sub-Rs 30,000 segment is fiercely competitive in the smartphone market, and the Nothing Phone (2a), the latest offering from the brand, has entered this very segment. To establish itself as a value-for-money purchase, the smartphone has to prove its worth. We have thus decided to pit the Nothing Phone (2a) (review) against another popular mid-ranger in the same price segment, the POCO X6 Pro (review), to find out which smartphone offers better performance.
| Smartphone | Nothing Phone (2a) | POCO X6 Pro |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro | MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra |
| GPU | ARM Mali-G610 MC4 | Arm Mali-G615 MC6 |
| Memory | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM |
Table of Contents
Geekbench
The POCO X6 Pro outperforms the Nothing Phone (2a) by a significant margin, owing to its much more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra SoC. Both the single-core and multi-core test scores highlight that the POCO X6 Pro is a more capable smartphone at both gaming, which depends on single-core performance, and multi-tasking, which relies on multi-core performance.
| Nothing Phone (2a) | POCO X6 Pro |
| Single-core score: 1068 | Single-core score: 1239 |
| Multi-core score: 2454 | Multi-core score: 4189 |
AnTuTu
AnTuTu benchmark tests the performance of the device across the board, including CPU, GPU, memory (RAM and ROM), and UX (user experience). Similar to the Geekbench test, the POCO X6 Pro is superior across the board when it comes to the AnTuTu scores and outperforms the Phone (2a) in every metric.
| Nothing Phone (2a) | POCO X6 Pro |
| Score: 7,07,480 | Score: 12,99,678 |
CPU Throttle
For the CPU throttle test, we configured both smartphones to operate at 50 threads for 30 minutes to determine which device sustains superior peak performance. Interestingly, Nothing Phone (2a) wins the round with an impressive 92 percent peak performance output compared to the POCO X6 Pro’s 81 percent peak performance output. This test underlines the Nothing Phone (2a)’s resilience and its ability to maintain maximum performance over an extended period of time.
| Nothing Phone (2a) | POCO X6 Pro |
| 92 percent throttle | 81 percent throttle |
Gaming test
The final test on the list is the gaming test. We played BGMI on both smartphones at HDR resolution and Ultra frame rate settings to compare the gaming performance. As anticipated, the POCO X6 Pro offers a much better gaming experience, is devoid of any stutters or frame drops, and can even support the Ultra HDR resolution. The Nothing Phone (2a), on the other hand, struggles a little, with occasional frame drops, and can only go up to HDR resolution in BGMI.
Verdict
- From the tests above, the POCO X6 Pro is clearly the superior smartphone when it comes to performance. It outperforms the Nothing Phone (2a) in all metrics except the CPU throttle test, and by a significant margin at that.
- The gaming performance on both smartphones also shows a notable difference, with the POCO X6 Pro providing a smoother gameplay experience. The POCO X6 Pro is also able to play BGMI at a higher resolution of Ultra HDR, which the Nothing Phone (2a) doesn’t support.
- For its price, the Nothing Phone (2a) offers commendable performance, a solid set of cameras, excellent software with a stock-Android-like UI, and an eye-catching design.
- The Nothing Phone (2a) is also very stable when performing under stress, outperforming the POCO X6 Pro in sustaining peak performance output.
- The POCO X6 Pro is an obvious choice for those prioritising performance, but it comes with some caveats, such as bloatware-ridden UI and average cameras.
- If you’re looking for a device with a good design, good cameras, and a stock Android experience, the Nothing Phone (2a) is a solid option.
