Tom's Guide compared the Google Pixel 7a vs Nothing Phone (2a) through a 200 photo face-off to decide which is the best budget smartphone for photography. Google’s computing and Nothing's larger camera sensor shine. There are also image processing algorithms that both phones apply to photos.
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00:00In today's market, you can't discount the photo-taking abilities of the best cheap phones.
00:04While you won't find the same larger sensors and the optical zoom lenses,
00:07budget phones can still deliver outstanding results with what they have.
00:11And the Nothing Phone 2a and the Pixel 7a are proof of that.
00:15Now that we've had time capturing 200 photos with the two budget phones,
00:18we have a better idea of how they stack up against one another.
00:21Who comes out on top? Let's find out.
00:23Since they're expected to be doing most of the legwork,
00:25the first set of photos of the James A Farley building reveals
00:28how well the main cameras operate.
00:30The Pixel 7a's stronger contrast helps to reveal
00:33details in the red walkway in the foreground,
00:36which is somewhat washed out by the Nothing Phone 2a.
00:38There's good detail captured with the two,
00:40but upon closer inspection, they're noticeably sharper with the Pixel.
00:44First point goes to the Pixel.
00:46Moving to a different location,
00:47we didn't come close to catching the entire span of the New York Public Library
00:51with both of their respective ultrawide cameras,
00:53but at least the main entrance was in frame.
00:55The Nothing Phone 2a offers a 114 degree field of view,
00:58while the Pixel 7a has a wider 120 degree one.
01:02Despite the difference,
01:03we like how the Nothing Phone 2a pops out more
01:06thanks to the brighter tone of the building's facade.
01:08This one goes to the Nothing Phone 2a.
01:10Times Square is an excellent location for us to test
01:13the camera's dynamic range performance.
01:15In nearly every snapshot we've captured in Times Square,
01:18the Nothing Phone 2a gets the attention more with its stronger dynamic range.
01:22What's evident most is how the Nothing Phone 2a boosts the shadows
01:26to even out the exposure throughout the scene.
01:28The Nothing Phone takes the lead.
01:29Neither phone offers an optical camera,
01:31but it doesn't stop the average Joe from using the zoom when it's needed.
01:35For this test, we took the same set of photos at 2x and 8x zoom.
01:39You can technically get 10x zoom with the Nothing Phone 2a,
01:43but we kept it at 8x for the comparison.
01:46That's because we're noticing bigger differences at 8x zoom,
01:49with the Pixel 7a's image processing algorithm
01:52doing a better job at cleaning the shot.
01:54The Nothing Phone 2a appears to be applying your standard digital zoom,
01:57while the Pixel 7a sharpens the scene with slightly more definition.
02:01To an extent, you could feasibly rely on the Pixel 7a for zoom shots,
02:05but not so much with the Nothing Phone 2a.
02:07All tied up.
02:09Indoors, under artificial lighting, we can see how they handle colors differently.
02:12We like the true-to-life color tones of the Pixel 7a's shots of all the produce items
02:17without applying unnecessary saturation,
02:20resulting in the red tones and the red peppers looking natural,
02:23which doesn't clash with the greens of the nearby pickles.
02:26The Nothing Phone 2a has a penchant to increase the exposure for the entire scene,
02:30which results in the green peppers appearing overblown and washed out.
02:33Winner goes to the Pixel 7a.
02:35This one's a tougher call because the results are very similar
02:38with their respective front-facing cameras.
02:41We took dozens of selfies with decent light,
02:43but it's a tough call every time we look at them side-by-side on the monitor.
02:46These selfies almost look like they were captured by the main cameras,
02:49mainly due to all the small details they capture,
02:52like the individual strands of hair on the forehead,
02:54the fabric material of the hoodie, and the ample field of view.
02:57This one's a tie.
02:58Similarly, there is a lot to like how they handle portrait mode as well.
03:02By default, the Nothing Phone 2a applies the more aggressive bokeh effect to the background,
03:07whereas it's a bit more subtle with the Pixel 7a.
03:10Between them, the Pixel 7a does a better job of identifying background elements
03:14and delivers sharper results.
03:16The Pixel's starting to run away with it.
03:18When it comes to macro photography,
03:19we can get a lot closer to the subjects with the Nothing Phone 2a,
03:23while the Pixel 7a requires a bit more separation to get the focus just right.
03:28But despite that, the Pixel 7a does an exquisite job
03:31of capturing the finer details of this yellow flower.
03:33You have to zoom into the shot to make out the pieces of pollen covering it,
03:37but they're almost non-existent with the Nothing Phone 2a.
03:40When it comes to low light, the Pixel 7a is hands-down the phone to go with.
03:44In the dimmest conditions with barely any ambient light around,
03:47it's still better able to illuminate my backyard.
03:50The Nothing Phone 2a's shot is too dark and soft by comparison.
03:54Not only are the branches on the tree more clearly visible,
03:57but the brick pathway also details the individual bricks better.
04:01This one's going to be the 7a.
04:03We will admit that the Nothing Phone 2a does better in low light
04:05when there's a strong source of light in a scene,
04:08like the string lights around the tree here.
04:10While the shot's noticeably brighter,
04:11the overblown highlights makes the light too overpowering.
04:15In contrast, the Pixel 7a better preserves the details in and around the branches
04:19where the string lights are overlaid.
04:21It's a landslide.
04:22After browsing through the 200 plus photos we captured
04:25between the Nothing Phone 2a and the Pixel 7a,
04:28we can say with complete certainty that the Pixel 7a has the superior camera.
04:32Sure, it's a closer matchup between their main cameras
04:35when there's ample lighting around,
04:36but the Pixel 7a goes the extra distance of performing better under low light,
04:40capturing the macro shots, and using the zoom to an extent.
04:43Google's image processing algorithms make everything look sharper
04:47and better with the Pixel 7a.
04:49Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone 2a is still a superb camera phone,
04:52especially while it undercuts the Pixel 7a on price.
04:55So, do you agree with our take?
04:56Which phone would you rather have?
04:58Let me know in the comments below.
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05:03I'm John B., and I'll see you in my next video.