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.
04:59You can also follow us on social,
05:00at Tom's Guide on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
05:03I'm John B., and I'll see you in my next video.
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