Nothing Phone (2a) vs. Redmi Note 13 Pro+ Review – Camera

The Nothing Phone (2a), like its predecessors, has two camera modules on the back with a sensor resolution of 50 megapixels with 4-in-1 pixel binning, which delivers 12.5 megapixel photos as standard. That is again a conscious choice by Nothing. The company stated that it would rather install a smaller number of high-quality cameras than a large number of inferior ones. In this price category it is more common for devices not to have a telephoto camera and if there are multiple cameras, then usually only the main camera is of really good quality, the wide-angle camera is of slightly lower quality and any additional cameras are of low quality or have a low resolution .

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ also has a setup with more than two cameras, including ‘inferior quality ones’, as opposed to the setup like Nothing with just two ‘good’ cameras. The main camera of the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ not only has a sensor with four times as many megapixels, it is also a quarter larger (1/1.4″ versus 1/1.56″, which amounts to approximately 63mm² vs 50mm²). In addition, the Redmi has an f/1.7 lens that lets in more light than the f/1.9 lens of the Nothing. Both have OIS, which nowadays applies to more mid-range cars, but is not yet standard in this price range.

Conversely, the Nothing’s ultra-wide-angle camera is more impressive on paper. The 50-megapixel sensor is approximately twice as large: 20.5 mm² versus about 10mm². Although the Redmi’s 2-megapixel macro camera does not promise much on paper, the Nothing has no macro function at all because the ultra-wide-angle camera has a fixed focus and therefore cannot focus close up. This is in contrast to the Nothing Phone 1 and 2.

Practice test

We went out with the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and the Nothing Phone (2a) and compared them with the OPPO Find X5. This device is a bit older, but is now in the same price category and is also equipped with two 50-megapixel cameras. In combination with the Marisillicon X ISP, this device should still be able to take very nice photos. Moreover, several updates have been pushed to the smartphone in recent years that should further improve the quality of the photos.

The main camera of the Phone (2a) takes beautiful, sharp photos, but the colors are boosted just a little too much, giving the grass a brighter green color than in reality. The Note 13 Pro+ is less affected by this and shoots color-accurate photos, just like the 5X. The Redmi captures the most detail, making individual blades of grass and leaves easier to distinguish from each other than with the Nothing and the 5X. If we look at the detail in dark areas, the Nothing performs slightly better than the Redmi, but when there is a lot of backlight, the results are almost the same. The OPPO is a bit more reserved in that area, making shaded areas appear a bit darker.

For 2x zoom, both the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ use digital zoom. The Redmi’s 200-megapixel sensor has a clear advantage here, because a lot more detail is captured. Fine details are smeared a bit, making it look somewhat painterly.

The ultra-wide-angle cameras of the Nothing and the Redmi are quite evenly matched. In terms of color fastness, the Redmi is a little closer to reality and when it comes to the amount of detail captured, the penny is changing with the occasional slight advantage for the Redmi.

When we go out with the devices at night, the Nothing, OPPO and Redmi are quite close to each other in terms of color saturation and white balance. The Note 13 Pro+ manages to capture a little more detail and brings out the dark parts a little more than the Phone (2a). The Redmi opts for a brighter exposure, while the Nothing is a little more reserved, which is also accompanied by a bit of noise. The OPPO falls short in capturing details. The photos are clear and look good, but the noise is smoothed out a bit overzealously, making everything look somewhat painterly. This causes fine details to disappear. When there is little light available, the Nothing and Redmi are closer in terms of brightness. The Phone (2a) captures details in shadowy areas particularly well and shows clear drawings. The Note 13 Pro+ leaves shaded areas darker, so less detail is visible. In general, the Redmi captures the most details. The OPPO takes the clearest photos, but here too it has to deal with a strict smoothing algorithm and sharpening, which makes bushes and lawns in particular look a bit ‘smudged’.

When zooming twice we actually see the same thing, which is not surprising since the Nothing and Redmi do not have a telephoto camera. These two phones therefore involve a digital zoom and we see that the 200-megapixel camera of the Redmi comes in handy to capture the smaller details. The Nothing also does very well, but cannot match the Redmi: it captures less detail and produces slightly more noise. The OPPO’s photos are as clear as those of the Nothing, but more detail is lost.

The ultra-wide-angle camera paints a completely different picture at night. The Nothing produces the most beautiful pictures, albeit with a bit more noise. The color fastness is good, as is the white balance, and quite a bit of detail is visible in the dark areas. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ has great difficulty taking photos in the dark with the ultra-wide-angle lens. Little detail is captured and darker parts are simply invisible. The OPPO Find

Taking selfies is not a strong point of any of the smartphones. The photos are blurry and there are even some errors here and there, causing a distorted image. The old OPPO still takes the best selfies, but they are also blurry and have little detail.

The Redmi’s macro camera isn’t much, but it’s good enough for a simple social media post. The OPPO takes much nicer photos. The Nothing does not have a macro camera or macro mode and that is why there is no photo of this device in this gallery.