Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20

Many of you are opting to buy mid-range smartphones, as there are a lot of great options out there. In this article, we’ll compare two of such options, the Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G. In all honesty, the Pixel 6a got announced recently, but it’s not yet available. It will be available at the end of July. Still, we do have a lot of information about it, so it’s worth making this comparison early.

The OnePlus Nord N20 5G, on the other hand, is already available out there. Do note that the Nord N20 is more affordable than the Pixel 6a will be, though, considerably more affordable. It costs only $282, but it’s available exclusively via T-Mobile. The Pixel 6a will cost $449, and it will be available from the Google Store, and various other sources. Having said that, let’s kick off the Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G comparison, shall we? There’s a lot to talk about here.

Specs

Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G: Design

The Google Pixel 6a looks considerably different in comparison to the OnePlus N20 5G. These two phones have very little in common design-wise. The Pixel 6a offers a boxier frame look, at least when you look at it from the front, as the Nord N20 has flat sides. So the in-hand feeling will be completely different. The build materials are also different. The Pixel 6a frame is made out of metal, while there’s plastic on its back. The OnePlus Nord N20 5G comes with a plastic frame and plastic backplate. It feels more premium than it sounds, though.

The Pixel 6a has a centered display camera hole, while the Nord N20 5G’s punch hole is in the top-left corner. The bezels are thin on both phones, while the displays are flat. All the physical keys sit on the right-hand side of the Pixel 6a, while the OnePlus Nord N20 5G’s are separated on both sides. Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, no, the Nord N20 5G does not have an alert slider.

Even when you flip the two phones around, you’ll notice major differences. The Pixel 6a features a recognizable camera visor on the back, while the OnePlus Nord N20 5G includes two easily noticeable camera circles. The camera design approaches are completely different in comparison. The Pixel 6a is the smaller of the two devices. It is shorter,
narrower, and thicker than OnePlus’ offering. Despite all that, it’s slightly heavier, mainly due to the build materials.

The OnePlus Nord N20 5G is not particularly grippy, and the Pixel 6a likely won’t be either. We cannot know, though, as the device hasn’t been released just yet.

Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G: Display

The Pixel 6a features a 6.1-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) OLED display. This is an HDR panel, and it’s flat. It’s also a 60Hz display, so it doesn’t offer a high refresh rate. This panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass 3, which is not the best protection, as it’s prone to microscratches. The display aspect ratio on the device is 20:9, and we’re looking at a ppi of around 429 here. An optical fingerprint scanner is placed under the display.

The OnePlus Nord N20 5G, on the other hand, includes a 6.43-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display. This is also a 60Hz display, so this phone doesn’t offer a high refresh rate either. It also has a 20:9 display aspect ratio, and a ppi of around 409. It’s worth noting that an optical fingerprint scanner sits under this display, though we don’t know what sort of display protection is on offer.

So, we’re looking at two 60Hz OLED panels here. We can say that the OnePlus Nord N20 5G’s display is not the brightest out there. It could be brighter outdoors. Having said that, the display itself is really nice. The touch response is good, the colors are great and punchy, while the blacks are deep. The viewing angles are also really good. It’s not a high refresh rate display, but it’s fairly good for the money.

The Pixel 6a is expected to offer a compelling display as well, perhaps even a similar one. We’re hoping it will be brighter outdoors, though, but we’ll have to wait and see. The fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus Nord N20 5G works great, and we’re hoping the same will be the case with the Pixel 6a’s. The Pixel 6a is coming with a new fingerprint scanner, not the same as in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, which is a good thing.

Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G: Performance

The Pixel 6a is equipped with the Google Tensor SoC, while it comes with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage. The OnePlus Nord N20 5G, on the other hand, utilizes the Snapdragon 695 SoC, 6GB of LPDD4X RAM, and 128GB of UFS 2.2 flash storage. In other words, spec-wise, the Pixel 6a has an edge here. That is to be expected considering the price difference.

What about real-life use? Well, the Pixel 6a is not out yet, so we can’t know for sure. It should offer comparable performance to the Pixel 6, and if that happens, then there’s nothing to worry about. Great specs complemented by Google’s stock Android usually result in a great performance. Let’s just hope that bugs will stay out of the equation, as they were plaguing the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

What about the OnePlus Nord N20 5G? Well, the phone actually offers really good performance. The Snapdragon 695 on the inside is not the most powerful SoC, but it’s powerful enough to run this phone smoothly, it seems. This phone is not made for gaming, but it can handle games really well, even some more graphically-challenging games work fine. The phone shines when it comes to regular tasks.

Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G: Battery

The Google Pixel 6a comes with a 4,410mAh battery, while the OnePlus Nord N20 5G includes a 4,500mAh. OnePlus’ handset does have a larger battery, but only barely, while its display is considerably larger. How does that reflect on battery life? Well, the OnePlus Nord N20 5G offers great battery life, while we still can’t tell for the Pixel 6a, but based on its specs, and its siblings, it will do the same.

Battery life likely won’t be a concern for you regardless of what phone you end up getting. In fact, most people will likely be able to squeeze out more than one day of battery life out of these devices. Those of you who use them more aggressively should be fine until the end of the day, at the very least.

What about charging? Well, that’s where the OnePlus Nord N20 5G wins. It offers 33W wired charging, while the Pixel 6a supports 18W charging. You’ll be able to recharge the OnePlus Nord N20 5G much quicker, without a doubt. If you’re planning to charge overnight, though, it really makes no difference. 18W charging is also enough for a quick top-up, at least for most people, so… there you have it. It’s worth noting that the Pixel 6a won’t include a charge, unlike OnePlus’ offering.

Google Pixel 6a vs OnePlus Nord N20 5G: Cameras

The Pixel 6a has two cameras on the back, while the OnePlus Nord N20 5G includes three. A 12.2-megapixel main camera is backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the Pixel 6a. On the OnePlus Nord N20 5G, you’ll find a 64-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth unit. We can only guess what image quality will the Pixel 6a provide, as it has not been released yet. We’re expecting those pictures to be comparable to the ones from the Pixel 5a 5G, though slightly better due to Google’s very own SoC.

In other words, the Pixel 6a will likely offer great photos, as we’ve seen a number of Pixel phones with the same camera setup. You’ll get quite detailed photos with excellent dynamic range, photos that offer that Pixel-y look. Great low light performance is also expected. The OnePlus Nord N20 5G cameras, on the other hand, can also do a good job, in good lighting. Well, its main camera, mostly.

That is quite impressive for its price range, to
be quite honest. The pictures turn up very detailed, with good focus. The dynamic range is actually not the best, but things become problematic in low light. A lot of noise creeps into the shots, while the software starts to oversharpen images. Truth be said, we’re expecting the Pixel 6a to offer better camera performance once it gets released.

Audio

Those of you who still use wired headphones with your smartphones, and are missing a headphone jack on most devices, well, you’ll be glad to know that the OnePlus Nord N20 5G does offer one. The Pixel 6a, on the other hand, does not. You’ll have to use a Type-C port at the bottom, or Bluetooth headphones.

Having said that, the Pixel 6a does offer stereo speakers, which is something that the OnePlus Nord N20 5G doesn’t have. That will likely be more important to the vast majority of people. The speakers on the Pixel 6a will likely be comparable to the ones on its predecessor, which means they’ll be more than good enough. Mono speakers simply cannot compete.