The Nothing Phone (2a) (review) appears as a disrupter in India’s sub-Rs 30,000 smartphone segment with its focus on design and software, but faces stiff competition from the likes of Xiaomi, which is aggressively aiming to make a mark with its refreshed Redmi Note 13 series. Recently, we conducted a performance comparison between the Nothing Phone (2a) and POCO X6 Pro (review). Today, we are pitting Nothing’s new smartphone against Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 13 Pro.
Both smartphones focus on camera, design, and battery life. The Nothing Phone (2a) (starting Rs 23,999) and Note 13 Pro (starting Rs 25,999) are available with up to 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. The Redmi Note 13 Pro rocks a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, while the Phone (2a) draws power from a custom MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro SoC. Which smartphone performs better? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
Specifications
| Smartphone | Nothing Phone (2a) | Redmi Note 13 Pro |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 |
| GPU | ARM Mali-G610 MC4 | Adreno 710 |
| Memory | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM |
Geekbench
To be clear, we are comparing the 12GB variant of the Nothing Phone (2a) and 8GB RAM variant of the Redmi Note 13 Pro. In the Geekbench test, which evaluates the CPU performance under heavy load, the Nothing Phone (2a) performed marginally better in the single-core test, while the Redmi Note 13 Pro did a tad better in the multi-core test.
This indicates that while the Nothing Phone (2a) can handle individual tasks better, the Redmi Note 13 Pro will handle multi-tasks better… on paper at least. Single-core tasks may include launching apps or basic web browsing. Multi-core tasks typically include video editing, gaming, demanding photo editing, and more.
AnTuTu
Unlike Geekbench, AnTuTu evaluates CPU and GPU performances. It also evaluates memory and other tasks as well. Surprisingly, the Nothing Phone (2a) performed much better than the Redmi Note 13 Pro on almost all fronts.
Notably, the Nothing Phone (2a) consumed less battery to fetch this score.
Throttle Test
Even in the CPU throttle test, which is a stress test particularly on the SoC’s CPU, the Nothing Phone 2(a) with MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro showed impressive stability in its peak performance.
We ran the test by modifying the settings to 50 threads for a duration of 30 minutes.
Gaming
AnTuTu scores indicate Nothing Phone (2a)’s superiority in GPU, but in the real world, differences can be hard to distinguish. Moderately demanding games (also Top Free Google Play Games), like Clash of Clans, Subway Surfers, and more, will run without stutters.
Both the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Redmi Note 13 Pro boast support for high graphics settings in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). I conducted tests using HDR graphics at 60fps. Both devices maintained steady frame rates, and I encountered no issues with mistouches due to their flat displays. After a 30-minute BGMI session, the internal temperature of the Phone (2a) rose by approximately 8 degrees, whereas that of the Redmi Note 13 Pro increased by 11 degrees. Notably, both phones exhibited identical battery consumption rates, with each consuming 10 percent of battery.
Verdict
Based on benchmarks and real-life experience, the Nothing Phone (2a) and Redmi Note 13 Pro are more or less similar when it comes to performance. The former performed better in Geekbench’s single-core and overall AnTuTu tests. The Phone 2(a) also showed better CPU stability under heavy load. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 13 Pro showed a better Geekbench multi-core result.
When it comes to gaming, both phones consumed the same amount of battery, though the Redmi Note 13 Pro got a little warmer. Do note, the Nothing smartphone we used has 12GB RAM, while our Redmi Note 13 Pro variant offers only 8GB RAM. The latter’s 12GB RAM variant may exhibit better performance.
There are some other aspects of the two phones that you must note. Such as:
- The Nothing Phone (2a) is among the rarest smartphones in the segment to offer a highly clean Android (version 14) experience. You can also make tweaks in the settings to reduce your screen time.
- The Nothing Phone (2a) includes in-built LED lights on the back, called Glyph Interface. You can also customise the lighting.
- On the other hand, the Redmi Note 13 Pro offers faster charging. Its box includes a 67W charger, which the Phone (2a) doesn’t.
