Confused between Google Pixel & Nothing for your next mid ranger
I love tech! and more than tech, I love getting my hands on a new gadget. But I am not a gadget reviewer and writing a review is not my primary source of income. I am a consultant and only give opinions for investments in R&D, tech, and businesses. My phone usage is average and usually doesn’t involve gaming.
I occasionally click photographs, listen to music, and engage in some social media. Most of the time, I only check notifications, read news, follow my trading accounts, and surf Reddit & Twitter.
I use Mac for most parts apart from my office laptop but when it comes to phones, I am using a Nothing 2. I got it 2 months back and this is a decent device. Before that, I had Pixel for about 3 years. My family also has pixel phones and we love them.
I am not an iPhone fanboy. Though I own an iPad and a Mac, I never really liked the idea of owning an iPhone because they cost too much and don’t provide value. Moreover, most of the subscriptions I want are costlier when bought on the Apple Store than their Android counterparts. You can read my blog to understand more about the difference in subscription costs in Android and iOS ecosystems
For me, $400 — $600 is a sweet spot if one wants to own a phone. This range covers good devices that have decent cameras, no lags, 2–3 years of software updates, and good battery life.
I got my Moto, Nokia, and Google Pixel devices in the same range. It wasn’t until I used Pixel, that I understood the goodness of stock Android. When you use Android on Pixel phones, it is by far the best experience. The phones are tweaked in a way that you cannot dislike them.
They do everything right apart from the battery and hardware glitches that start happening after the first year. Perhaps, it was the choice of midranger that created the issues but Pixel phones do struggle with battery after a year or two. Also, based on what I could gather from feedback on various forums and portals, there are issues with charging ports.
Anyhow, Pixel phones are great and a recommendation for anyone looking to own a good Android device.
Now coming to Nothing, after experiencing Pixel phones, I wanted a phone with better battery life and I had limited options. Either I increase my budget to $800-$900 to own a Pixel 8 pro or opt for Nothing. Oneplus and Samsung were not options because of the stock Android requirement. And those who haven’t tasted stock Android cannot understand the feel of it.
Nothing phone is a decent device and probably very close to imitating the pixel experience. Though there are certain things that Pixel does better for day-to-day use, Nothing is a great recommendation.
For comparison sorts, I will be touching on simple pointers:
Operating System
Nothing OS and pixel experience are a bit similar with minor differences in certain parts. Pixels are intuitive and smarter due to the integration of Google services. They will show you upcoming events like your train journey, timely reminders with platform numbers, and traffic updates right on the lock screen.
Something like this doesn’t happen in other Android devices. The phone will still show you a reminder for your train journey but won’t notify the platform because it doesn’t take data from online servers to get your platform and doesn’t include your traffic info in the lock screen message.
On the other hand, Nothing OS is highly customizable and gives you tons of options to play with widgets, get your quick settings on the home screen and lead in customization.
If you want a smart device and don’t want to deal with any customization you should be going for a pixel device because they are the actual smart devices and there is no doubt about that. But if you are someone who loves to play around with the customization options and want a lot in terms of personalized experience, then go for nothing.
Hardware
When it comes to Hardware, the Nothing devices are great and offer better hardware than the pixel counterparts in the same price range. However, keep in mind, that hardware doesn’t usually define the user experience. It is defined by the polished software.
Despite this fact, certain things such as battery, screen brightness, more RAM, bigger screen, and durable hardware are not just noticeable but also create some impressions on the ownership. Nothing phones are leading in this segment and are recommended over the Pixel counterparts
Nothing leads pixel
Camera
There is no shred of doubt here. The Pixel camera is way better than any phone in the market. I don’t need to write anything about it. Just go and see the images clicked by Pixel users and you will envy why are you even considering buying another device
Pixel offers a better camera experience
Network Reception & Stability
I have used both Pixel and Nothing phones and I have read reviews about both on various forums. Frankly, both are good but No
thing phones are better. Pixel phones still create issues in network reception if you are living in remote areas and struggle with network availability.
The speeds that I get while using the same WiFi for pixel and Nothing are also different. Nothing phones lead in that aspect.
Nothing phones are better if you are continuously moving or live in a region with low network reception
Look, feel & Finish
It is a personal preference, I prefer Pixel over Nothing phones.
Utility & Usage
While pixel devices provide a better experience in software finish and overall usage, the utility of Nothing phones is next to none. They replicate the pixel experience and then lead by providing so much customization.
For instance, I use my glyph interface to practice Pomodoro techniques in my workout, office timings, and even during other tasks.
I have quick widgets on my lock screen and home screen and I now hate using any other phone. Nothing has identified what are basic things that require your attention in a day and provides you an option to get them on your home screen. You can turn on & off your data, wifi, hotspot, auto-rotation with one click
The camera and DND sit right on your lock screen, the face unlock is fast and reliable, and so is the fingerprint reader.
You can create multiple apps and use multiple accounts with different notification settings for them. I use my 3 trading accounts on one phone and I have hidden the apps from my child. It is something that I could not do with Pixel or any other devices and I needed it.
You can customize your ring tones, glyph interface, app experience, and whatnot.
It wouldn’t be wrong if I said that Nothing phone is all about utility and this personalized experience. Every time you use your phone, it feels good to have control over every aspect of the user experience. The price of the Nothing phone is not for the hardware but for this user experience.
In a nutshell, if you want to buy a phone without the need for duplicate apps, app locking & hiding, and customized experience, go for pixel devices. They are smart & snappy and take care of all day-to-day tasks. They truly provide an unparalleled experience.
If you want customization in the UI, hide some apps from kids, lock some apps from your family members, control access to certain things, want to duplicate apps because you want more accounts in your phones, and want to actually use your phone to its maximum potential, you should be going for a Nothing device.
Also note, nothing Nothing devices are better in gaming, battery, and network reception but struggle with camera performance.
