Google Pixel 9 Pro vs Nothing Phone (3)

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google

8.3

Excellent

Nothing Phone (3)

Nothing

7.6

Very Good

What Reviewers Agree On

Best-in-class computational photography and photo processing
Google AI features (Circle to Search, Call Screen, Magic Eraser) are genuinely useful
Significant battery life improvement over Pixel 8 Pro
Seven years of OS and security updates is industry-leading
Display is bright, accurate, and smooth at 120Hz

Deal Breakers

UFS 3.1 storage feels outdated at this price point
No Qi2 magnetic charging support

Detailed Comparison

Camera

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Pixel 9 Pro's triple camera system continues Google's dominance in computational photography, with the new 50MP ultrawide and improved telephoto earning praise across the board.

Photo quality is outstanding, especially in challenging lighting conditions where Google's HDR+ processing excels.
The 5x telephoto zoom produces remarkably sharp results, competitive with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Video stabilization is much improved but still not quite at iPhone level for action shots.

Nothing Phone (3)

The triple camera system co-developed with Samsung is a major upgrade, though processing still trails the best in challenging conditions.

The 50MP main camera produces detailed, well-exposed shots in good light that compete with phones costing $200 more
Telephoto lens addition brings welcome versatility with clean 3x optical zoom results
Night mode and low-light processing lag behind Google and Samsung — images lack the computational magic of Pixel phones

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What Reviewers Agree On

Transparent design with evolved Glyph interface remains uniquely eye-catching and now more functional with app integrations
Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers flagship-level performance that finally matches Nothing's design ambitions
Nothing OS 3 based on Android 15 is clean, fast, and thoughtfully customized without bloat
Build quality has improved significantly — IP68 rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and solid aluminum frame
The triple camera system is a major upgrade over the Phone (2) with improved main and telephoto lenses

Deal Breakers

Camera processing still trails Google, Samsung, and Apple in challenging lighting conditions
Only 3 years of OS updates compared to 7 years from Google and Samsung
Limited service center network and after-sales support in many markets

Performance

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Tensor G4 prioritizes AI workloads over raw benchmarks, and reviewers are split on whether that trade-off makes sense at this price.

Day-to-day performance is smooth and responsive — the Tensor G4 handles everything you throw at it without stutter.
In pure benchmark numbers, the Tensor G4 still can't compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is disappointing at $999.
On-device AI processing is noticeably faster than competitors — summarizing articles, processing photos, and real-time translation all feel instant.

Nothing Phone (3)

Snapdragon 8 Elite puts the Nothing Phone (3) in the same performance tier as Samsung Galaxy S25 and OnePlus 13.

Snapdragon 8 Elite provides genuinely flagship-level performance — gaming, multitasking, and app launches are all top-tier
Nothing OS 3 is lightweight enough to let the hardware shine, with smooth animations and minimal background resource consumption
Thermals are well managed with the aluminum frame acting as a heat sink, keeping sustained performance respectable