Nothing Phone (3) vs Nothing Phone (4a)

Nothing Phone (3)

A bright, fluid 6.67-inch AMOLED that's excellent in practice, even if the 4,500-nit headline figure is HDR-only and it lacks full LTPO.

• The 2800×1260 30–120Hz AMOLED cranks to a claimed 4,500-nit peak (1,600 nits full-screen outdoors), great for outdoor visibility.
• Despite being FHD+, the display is excellent both indoors and in bright summer daylight, with a delightful tap-origin light-up animation.
• Independent measurement found real-world brightness around 700 nits SDR and ~1,550–1,600 nits HDR despite the 4,500-nit HDR headline.
• It switches only between 60 and 120Hz rather than true LTPO, so static content drains more battery — a downside at this price.
• The screen is crisp and vibrant and holds up really well both indoors and in direct sunlight.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A genuine highlight for the price — a big 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED that's bright, sharp and HDR-capable, beating similarly priced rivals.

• 6.78-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR10+, 800 nits typical / 1,600 nits HBM / 4,500 nits peak at 1224x2720 (440ppi).
• The 6.78-inch display is 23% brighter than the 3a, reaching 1,600 nits outdoors with a 4,500-nit HDR peak.
• Brightness goes up to 4,500 nits peak, remaining easily readable outdoors — the display is very strong for this price range and one of the standout features.
• In the real world it hits around 700 nits peak SDR and ~1,550–1,600 nits in HDR, with 460ppi and dynamic 120Hz.

Nothing Phone (3)

A well-equipped quad 50MP system with a 3x periscope and strong video specs, but image quality is solid-not-spectacular and still trails the Pixel 9.

• It runs a quad 50MP setup — f/1.68 main, f/2.2 114° ultrawide, f/2.68 3x periscope and a 50MP selfie.
• The main camera captures solid binned 12.5MP photos in good lighting; 4K bitrate is a bit low but overall video quality looks excellent.
• It's a shame the camera doesn't stack up against the Pixel 9 series — solid but not class-leading.
• It's not the best camera on the market, but it's consistent, quick to launch and takes great everyday pictures — and produces amazing results edited in Lightroom.
• Unlike its cheaper siblings, all four cameras shoot 4K60 (and 4K60 HDR), plus 4K60 selfie video and 240fps slow-mo — a genuine video step up.
• Low-light processing in early hands-on seemed pretty close to Google's Pixel, and the camera app is faster than past Nothing devices.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A standout 3.5x periscope telephoto at this price and a solid main camera, undercut by an under-optimised zoom and a basic ultrawide.

• A triple setup — 50MP main, a 50MP periscope telephoto and an 8MP ultrawide — undoubtedly one of the best experiences at this level.
• The telephoto has been tweaked to a much better 3.5x (80mm) zoom factor.
• A telephoto with optical zoom at this price is great, but this is the worst optimisation I've seen on a 3.5x camera — expect disappointment if you buy for the zoom.
• The 3.5x optical-zoom telephoto is one of the biggest highlights, adding much more flexibility than most competitors in this price range, and the cameras are surprisingly capable.
• Each camera here feels better than what you'd get on Samsung at the price, and the main is solid with nice detail.

Nothing Phone (3)

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is fast and butter-smooth in daily use and gaming, but it's flagship-lite — the most-repeated criticism at a $799 flagship price — and it runs warm under sustained load.

• It runs a 4nm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 — on paper underwhelming for a flagship, but in practice everything is absolutely butter.
• 8s Gen 4 is not the 8 Elite — at $799 the manufacturer arguably should have offered the flagship chip.
• Geekbench scores well — better than 86–96% of devices on the market depending on the test — and it beats Google's Tensor G5 in multi-core and every 3DMark graphics benchmark.
• Gaming is strong — BGMI holds a stable 120fps and Genshin runs at 60fps on max settings — but Genshin pushes the surface past 45°C.
• It doesn't do a particularly good job of cooling the chip under sustained load.
• With 16GB RAM (on the $899 model) it keeps everything open and launches apps faster than an iPhone 16 in lab tests.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A capable mid-range chip that handles everyday use and casual gaming well — not a powerhouse, but appropriate for the price.

• Gaming is absolutely possible on this device, with solid everyday performance for the class.
• There's no shortage of substantial hardware upgrades over the 3a, even if the design doesn't stand out as much as the Pro.
• After 24 hours the home screen is extremely customisable and feels massively more functional than iOS, with no responsiveness complaints.
• Gesture-based navigation is fully supported and the overall experience is good thanks to Nothing's optimisations.

Nothing Phone (3)

A reliable all-day 5,150mAh silicon-carbon cell (5,500mAh in India) with fast 65W wired plus 15W wireless and reverse charging — strong in tests, though one heavy user found it disappointing.

• The 5,150mAh silicon-carbon cell easily lasts all day — a typical day dips only into the upper-60s/low-70s%, one of the most reliable batteries in recent phones.
• Battery beat any Pixel tested and even the Galaxy S25 Ultra — heavy 5G days still ended as high as 45%.
• In an extreme drain test it ran 9h34m of screen-on time before dying — impressive even though it was first to die against 6,000mAh+ rivals, with a cool 53°C peak.
• 65W wired charging takes it 1–50% in about 19–20 minutes; there's also 15W wireless and reverse wireless charging (India gets a larger 5,500mAh cell).
• Despite the largest battery in any Nothing phone, one long-term reviewer calls it the worst battery life he's experienced on a Nothing Phone.
• The new silicon-carbon battery doesn't pack as big a capacity boost as expected from the technology.

Nothing Phone (4a)

A ~5,080mAh cell with 50W wired charging — reviewers call endurance strong, but a notable group of owners report disappointing screen-on time.

• The Nothing Phone (4a) features a ~5,080mAh cell which delivers very strong endurance in everyday use.
• The battery grew slightly — about 80mAh in most markets but a more meaningful 400mAh in India — with a 50W PD unit recommended on the box.
• Several owners report only 4–6.5 hours of screen-on time with moderate use — worse than other phones with similar ~5,000mAh batteries.
• Battery life on this phone is excellent in everyday use.

Nothing Phone (3)

Nothing OS is the phone's defining strength — clean, distinctive and best-in-class outside a Pixel — backed by an exceptional 5-year/7-year support promise, with Essential Space the standout AI.

• Nothing OS is one of the best ways to experience Android — reviewers' favourite part of the phone.
• It's promised 5 years of major Android updates and 7 years of security patches — a class-leading commitment.
• After a week of meetings, Essential Space replaced juggling half a dozen note apps — a genuinely useful AI feature.
• Nothing OS 4.0 (Android 16) might be one of the best experiences outside of the Pixel, getting the fundamentals absolutely right.
• Real bugs persist — a dual-SIM recognition issue causing missed calls, and the easily-triggered Essential Key recording everything on an accidental touch.

Nothing Phone (4a)

Near-stock Nothing OS is repeatedly singled out as one of the best, cleanest and most customisable Android experiences at any price.

• The UI is pretty much stock Android, which is the best Android experience — Nothing and Pixel offer the best Android experience.
• While hard to compare to Samsung's far more customisable One UI, Nothing's OS is one of the best ways to experience Android.
• The in-house gallery, voice recorder and weather apps have wonderful design consistency, with everything else left as Google's clean defaults.
• The home screen is extremely customisable with built-in and user-made widgets — fresher, clearer and bolder than iOS.

Nothing Phone (3)

At $799 it goes head-to-head with the Pixel 9, Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 — winning on design, software and support, losing on chip and camera, and frequently discounted.

• At $799 (16GB option $899) it costs exactly the same as a Pixel 9, Galaxy S25 or iPhone 16.
• It's a fantastic, one of the most eye-catching devices on the market — and has already scored a major discount at Best Buy.
• This phone should battle the best Android phones and iPhones rather than the best cheap phones — early signs are good.
• The second you charge $799 you compete directly with Samsung's Galaxy S25 and Apple's iPhone 16 — companies with practically unlimited budgets.
• It still feels like a flagship while cutting costs to undercut the competition a little, and gets 5 years of updates.
• If you like the design and the vibe it's giving off, this could be your next phone and you won't be disappointed.

Nothing Phone (4a)

Aggressively priced below the Pixel 10a with a more distinctive design and a real telephoto — the standout budget pick for buyers who want personality.

• It's a good chunk of change cheaper than the $500 Pixel 10a.
• It fits the perfect budget for buyers who can't afford the ~$1,000 needed for an entry-level iPhone 17, with good hardware and excellent battery.
• A very strong mid-range smartphone that stands out with unique design, great display, solid performance and surprisingly capable cameras — definitely worth a closer look.
• Nothing stands out among the crowd with a brand identity strong enough to turn consumers into fans.