Samsung Galaxy A54 vs OnePlus Nord 2T review: Which is the better buy?

The Samsung Galaxy A54 vs OnePlus Nord 2T, two prominent candidates in the mid-range smartphone market, provide a fascinating assortment of specifications, ensuring they remain at the forefront of this competitive class.

We go further into the fundamental differences between these two gadgets in our comparison, allowing you to make an informed choice on which one is the best option for you.

Differences between Samsung Galaxy A54 and OnePlus Nord 2T

The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2340 x 1080. It has a smooth refresh rate of 120Hz, which ensures fluid animations and a more responsive user experience. The aspect ratio of 19.5:9 creates a tall and thin screen that is perfect for one-handed use.

The screen also includes an embedded fingerprint scanner, which outperforms the one on the Galaxy S23 in our testing. The face recognition mechanism is also fairly reliable, and you may unlock your phone using either technique.

While the A54 lacks a headphone port, it compensates with built-in dual speakers that provide excellent clarity and power. However, they, like other phones, suffer from a lack of bass.

The OnePlus Nord 2T, on the other hand, has a slightly smaller 6.43in Fluid AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400. While it has a lesser refresh rate of 90Hz than the Galaxy A54, screen still delivers brilliant colors and excellent contrast. The aspect ratio of 20:9 makes it appear longer, which some users may appreciate.

This device’s 90Hz display is completely adequate. The screen is sufficiently bright, and text is crisp and sharp even when viewed through the included plastic screen protector. The under-display fingerprint sensor is also outstanding, outperforming comparable Android phones like the Pixel 6 Pro.

Unfortunately, the performance of the speakers is not very outstanding, as they create fairly thin and indistinct sound with poor sound separation. Your audio options are restricted to Bluetooth connectivity without a headphone port, but you can always choose for one of the best true wireless earbuds.

The Galaxy A54 is equipped with Samsung’s Exynos 1380 processor, which provides adequate mid-range performance. It has 6- or 8GB of RAM and 128- or 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card.

The gadget is powered by Android 14 with Samsung’s One UI 6, which provides a feature-rich and user-friendly interface. In addition, the Galaxy A54 has dual-SIM 5G connection, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3.

The OnePlus Nord 2T, on the other hand, is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 CPU and 8GB or 12GB of RAM. It has a quick and snappy user interface with internal storage options of 128GB or 256GB.

Oxygen OS 14, OnePlus’ sleek and speedy custom skin based on Android 14, powers it. You also get dual-SIM 5G support, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 6.

The Galaxy A54 got 2852 points in our Geekbench 5 Multi-core test, whereas the Nord 2T scored 2739 points, so there’s not much in it.

It’s important to note that the tested Nord 2T model came with 8GB of RAM. Choosing the 12GB RAM option would almost certainly have given the OnePlus a performance advantage.

Aside from that, the two phones have a pretty similar feel in everyday usage.

Both phones have significant benefits when it comes to cameras.

The Galaxy A54 features a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 12MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a 32MP front-facing camera. This camera system is versatile and takes detailed photographs in a variety of situations.

The OnePlus Nord 2T, on the other hand, includes a 50Mp primary camera with OIS, an 8Mp ultrawide camera, and a 2Mp mono lens for extra photographic possibilities. There’s also a 32MP selfie camera.

The main camera of the Galaxy A54 takes detailed shots, while the ultrawide and macro lenses give variety. The macro setting, however, is stashed away in the app, and there is some color variance across the lenses.

The selfie camera performs admirably, with portrait and wide-angle choices. OIS helps video recording by providing smooth and colorful footage even at 1080p quality. If desired, you may even record in 4K resolution.

The primary camera of the Nord 2T also takes excellent daytime images that are clean and crisp, with good dynamic range and sharpness. It lacks a specialized telephoto lens yet excels at 2x zoom.

The ultra-wide lens has a wide view but lower quality and the selfie camera excels with moody contrast and bokeh effects. Video quality is good but not at iPhone levels. It’s excellent for video calls.