Nothing Phone (4a) vs Samsung Galaxy S26
Verdict
The Nothing Phone (4a) scores higher in 1 of 6 sections (battery), while the Samsung Galaxy S26 leads in performance, design & durability, connectivity & features and camera; they are even on display.
The biggest difference is performance: 61 vs 99 points.
Choose the Nothing Phone (4a) for battery; choose the Samsung Galaxy S26 for performance and design & durability.
- Phone (4a) leads in 6 fields
- Galaxy S26 leads in 15 fields
- 21 ties
42 scored fields compared
Score by section
| Section scores | Phone (4a) | Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||
| Performance | 61 | 99 |
| Camera | 83 | 87 |
| Battery | 69 | 66 |
| Display | 90 | 92 |
| Design & durability | 54 | 87 |
| Connectivity & features | 59 | 77 |
Full specifications
Performance
- Chipset performance index
- Phone (4a): 50/100
- Galaxy S26: 100/100(Better)
- Chipset
- Phone (4a): Snapdragon 7s Gen 4
- Galaxy S26: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- RAM (max)
- Phone (4a): 12 GB
- Galaxy S26: 12 GB
- Storage (max)
- Phone (4a): 256 GB
- Galaxy S26: 512 GB(Better)
- Process node
- Phone (4a): 4 nm
- Galaxy S26: 3 nm
Camera
- Main camera resolution
- Phone (4a): 50 MP
- Galaxy S26: 50 MP
- Main sensor size
- Phone (4a): 1/1.57″
- Galaxy S26: 1/1.56″(Better)
- Optical stabilization (OIS)
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Ultra-wide camera
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Telephoto camera
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Periscope lens
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: No
- Optical zoom
- Phone (4a): 3.5×(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 3×
- Video recording
- Phone (4a): 4K 30 fps
- Galaxy S26: 8K(Better)
- Front camera
- Phone (4a): 32 MP(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 12 MP
- Front camera 4K video
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: Yes
Battery
- Battery capacity
- Phone (4a): 5080 mAh(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 4300 mAh
- Battery endurance (EU label)
- Phone (4a): 51:27 h
- Galaxy S26: 51:00 h
- EU label cycles
- Phone (4a): 1400
- Galaxy S26: 1200
- Wired charging
- Phone (4a): 50 W(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 25 W
- Wireless charging
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: 15 W(Better)
- Reverse charging
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Reverse charging type
- Phone (4a): Wired
- Galaxy S26: Wireless
Display
- Screen size
- Phone (4a): 6.78″
- Galaxy S26: 6.3″
- Panel type
- Phone (4a): OLED
- Galaxy S26: LTPO OLED(Better)
- Refresh rate
- Phone (4a): 120 Hz
- Galaxy S26: 120 Hz
- Pixel density
- Phone (4a): 440 ppi(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 411 ppi
- Peak brightness
- Phone (4a): 4500 nits(Better)
- Galaxy S26: 2600 nits
- Resolution
- Phone (4a): 1224x2720
- Galaxy S26: 1080x2340
- Screen protection
- Phone (4a): Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
- Galaxy S26: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Design & durability
- Weight
- Phone (4a): 204.5 g
- Galaxy S26: 167 g(Better)
- Thickness
- Phone (4a): 8.6 mm
- Galaxy S26: 7.2 mm(Better)
- Dust & water resistance
- Phone (4a): IP5x (splash resistant)
- Galaxy S26: IP68(Better)
- Back material
- Phone (4a): Glass
- Galaxy S26: Glass
- Frame material
- Phone (4a): Plastic
- Galaxy S26: Aluminum(Better)
- EU repairability class
- Phone (4a): C
- Galaxy S26: C
- EU drop resistance class
- Phone (4a): C
- Galaxy S26: A(Better)
- EU energy class
- Phone (4a): B
- Galaxy S26: A
Connectivity & features
- 5G
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- Wi-Fi
- Phone (4a): Wi-Fi 6
- Galaxy S26: Wi-Fi 7(Better)
- Bluetooth
- Phone (4a): 5.4
- Galaxy S26: 5.4
- USB speed
- Phone (4a): USB 2.0
- Galaxy S26: USB 3.x(Better)
- USB port
- Phone (4a): USB-C 2.0
- Galaxy S26: USB-C 3.2
- DisplayPort output
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- NFC
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- eSIM
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: Yes(Better)
- Ultra-wideband (UWB)
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Satellite connectivity
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Stereo speakers
- Phone (4a): Yes
- Galaxy S26: Yes
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Fingerprint reader
- Phone (4a): Under display (optical)
- Galaxy S26: Under display (ultrasonic)(Better)
- 3D face unlock
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Infrared blaster
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- FM radio
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- microSD slot
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
- Card slot
- Phone (4a): No
- Galaxy S26: No
General
- Operating system
- Phone (4a): Android 16
- Galaxy S26: Android 16
- OS updates (major versions)
- Phone (4a): 3
- Galaxy S26: 7
- Launch price
- Phone (4a): € 429.00
- Galaxy S26: $ 474.03
- Year
- Phone (4a): 2026
- Galaxy S26: 2026
Show raw spec textHide raw spec text
Original text from the source spec sheet, for reference.
| — | Phone (4a) | Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Network | ||
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - International HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 - India | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 - International 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 40, 41 - India | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA unlocked |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA - India | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - USA unlocked |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (CA), 5G |
| Launch | ||
| Announced | 2026, March 05 | 2026, February 25 |
| Status | Available. Released 2026, March 05 | Available. Released 2026, March 06 |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 164 x 77.6 x 8.6 mm (6.46 x 3.06 x 0.34 in) | 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm (5.89 x 2.82 x 0.28 in) |
| Weight | 204.5 g (7.23 oz) | 167 g (5.89 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 7i), plastic frame, glass back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM IP64 dust tight and water resistant (water splashes) Manufacturer-rated water-resistant (up to 25cm for 20 min) Notification LED (on the back) | · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - INT · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - USA · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM - CN IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor Aluminum 2 |
| Display | ||
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 4500 nits (peak) | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 111.0 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.3 inches, 96.5 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1224 x 2720 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~440 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~411 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i Ultra HDR image support | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Platform | ||
| OS | Android 16, upgradable to Android 17, Nothing OS 5, up to 3 major OS updates | Android 16, upgradable to Android 17, up to 7 major OS updates, One UI 9 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM7635-AC Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4 nm) | Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US/CA/CN Exynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.7 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A520) | Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) - US/CA/CN 10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro & 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 810 | Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) - US/CA/CN Xclipse 960 - ROW |
| Memory | ||
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM UFS 3.1 | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM UFS 4.X |
| Main Camera | ||
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.57", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/2.9, 80mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.75", 0.64µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm | 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, Ultra XDR | Best Face, Horizon Lock, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, Dolby Vision HDR | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 22mm (wide), 1/3.42", 0.64µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR10+ |
| Features | – | HDR |
| Sound | ||
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No High-bitrate audio support |
| Comms | ||
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes (market/region dependent) | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG |
| Features | ||
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) |
| Battery | ||
| Type | 5080 mAh - International 5400 mAh - India | Li-Ion 4300 mAh |
| Charging | 50W wired, 50% in 22 min, 100% in 64 min 7.5W reverse wired | 25W wired, PD3.0, 55% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Misc | ||
| Colors | Pink, White, Black, Blue | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold |
| Models | A069 | SM-S942B, SM-S942B/DS, SM-S942U, SM-S942U1, SM-S942W, SM-S942N, SM-S9420, SM-S942E, SM-S942E/DS |
| Price | € 429.00 / ₹ 36,450 | $ 474.03 / € 599.00 / £ 589.00 / ₹ 87,999 |
| SAR | – | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.20 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | – | 1.21 W/kg (head) 1.10 W/kg (body) |
| EU LABEL | ||
| Energy | Class B | Class A |
| Battery | 51:27h endurance, 1400 cycles | 51:00h endurance, 1200 cycles |
| Free fall | Class C (100 falls) | Class A (270 falls) |
| Repairability | Class C | Class C |