The Pixel 7 is easily one of the best affordable premium Android phones out there. The Google-made Android flagship launched in October 2022, starting at just $599.
Now, it seems the Nothing Phone (2) is eyeing to dethrone the Pixel, starting at the same price but allegedly offering a far better price-to-performance ratio. Let’s compare the two devices and see which one is the better pick for you.
Dimensions and Build Quality
The Nothing Phone (2) is taller, broader, and slightly heavier than the Pixel 7 and has almost identical thickness. Both devices have an aluminum frame, but the Pixel 7 has stronger Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back whereas the Nothing Phone uses a weaker variant.
The Pixel 7 also has better ingress protection thanks to its IP68 rating, against its rival’s IP54 rating. Both devices look very recognizable from a distance thanks to their unique designs. Nothing has added a bunch ofnew functionalities to the Glyph interfaceon the rear, while the Pixel 7 has its iconic metal camera bar.
Both devices have an optical fingerprint sensor and neither of the two comes with a headphone jack. The Pixel 7 is available in three colorways: Obsidian, Snow, and Lemongrass. The Nothing Phone (2) comes in just two colors, white and gray.
The Nothing Phone (2) only supports USB 2.0, meaning its data transfer speeds are capped at 480Mbps whereas the Pixel 7 supports USB 3.2 meaning it can transfer data up to 20Gbps. This is a big deal if you’re a creator and regularlytransfer big files from your phone to your PC.
The Nothing Phone (2) has a bigger, brighter, and smoother display with uniform bezels that give a premium vibe. And thanks to its LTPO tech, it can scale down the refresh rate from 120Hz to 1Hz when the screen is inactive in order to save battery life. This is a great feature, especially for those who use the Always-On Display.
The Pixel 7 also has a high refresh rate display, but it’s capped at 90Hz and doesn’t have LTPO. The 1400 nits of peak brightness on it is sufficient, but if you use your phone outdoors a lot, the Nothing Phone’s 1600 nits of peak brightness will be more convenient.
We don’t need to remind you of how good the Pixel’s camera is; it’s how the lineup rose to fame in the first place, after all. What sets it apart from other Android phones even more than its image quality, however, are all theuseful Pixel camera featuressuch as Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, and Motion Mode.
That’s not to say that Nothing’s image quality is lacking. In fact, for the price, the Nothing Phone (1) had one of the best cameras out there with realistic colors and plenty of detail. However, its low-light performance was not as impressive. With the new Sony IMX890 sensor, Nothing is looking to address this issue, so verify to check camera comparisons to see how it does.
The Nothing Phone (2) can take higher resolution selfies than the Pixel 7 but doesn’t allow 4K selfie videos. All things considered, if you want the best camera experience possible on an Android, we would still side with the Pixel any day.
Both devices have plenty of power, but if it’s a performance-centric phone you’re looking for, the 4nm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip on the Nothing Phone (2) will be more appropriate for you. It’s faster, more energy-efficient, and better at heat management—perfect for demanding tasks like gaming or graphics rendering.
The 5nm Tensor G2 on the Pixel 7, although not as powerful, is better at machine-learning tasks such as voice recognition, live translation and transcription, and image processing.
RAM and Storage
Both devices start at 128GB storage and neither comes with a microSD card slot for expandable storage. So if you’re a power user, content creator, or simply plan to keep your phone for a long time, the 512GB storage option on the Nothing Phone (2) can be convenient.
The Pixel 7 goes up to 256GB.128GB is usually enough storagefor regular users, but having 256GB will give you that peace of mind that you probably won’t run out of space in the future.
Both devices have 8GB RAM, but you can scale it up to 12GB on the Nothing Phone (2) if you plan to do a lot of multitasking. However, 12GB RAM is simply not necessary for most people.
The Nothing Phone (2) should deliver longer battery life than the Pixel 7, thanks to not just its bigger 4700mAh cell but also its more energy efficient 4nm processor and LTPO display. The Pixel 7 delivers decent battery life and can last you a full day on moderate use, but it is unlikely to match its rival.
The Nothing Phone (2) also has faster wired charging speeds at 45W while the Pixel 7 is capped at 20W. The former however has slightly slower wireless charging speeds. Both support reverse wireless charging to power your accessories such as a smartwatch or earbuds.
Nothing Beats the Pixel
Let’s summarize. The Nothing Phone (2) is more powerful, lasts longer, charges faster, and has a better display than the Pixel 7. However, the Pixel has a stronger body, a better camera system, more secure ingress protection against water and dust, and receives OS updates before any other Android phone.
Also, note that in the US, Google’s after-sales service is likely to be better than Nothing’s because the latter is still a young company and may lack the bandwidth to help new customers.
Simply put, if you care about performance, battery life, and longevity, pick the Nothing Phone. If you care about the camera, build quality, and having useful software features, pick the Pixel.
