Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The 6.77-inch AMOLED display is a highlight, with 120Hz refresh rate, 3,000 nits peak HDR brightness, and 480Hz touch sampling. A massive upgrade from the Phone 2a's 1,300 nits, it delivers excellent outdoor readability, rich colors, and smooth scrolling. FHD+ resolution is standard for the price class but perfectly adequate.

• 3,000 nits peak HDR brightness with 120Hz refresh — excellent outdoor readability and smooth scrolling
• 480Hz touch sampling rate delivers responsive input — particularly noticeable in gaming and fast scrolling
• Nothing OS monochrome aesthetic underuses the AMOLED's color capabilities — feels understated for such a vibrant panel

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display delivers outstanding brightness, color accuracy, and smoothness. Anti-reflective coating ensures excellent outdoor visibility.

• 120Hz LTPO display is butter smooth with class-leading brightness
• Anti-reflective coating makes it the most sunlight-readable compact phone available

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 handles everyday tasks — social media, browsing, multitasking — without issue. However, it's the weakest area of the phone. Benchmark scores (~810K AnTuTu) trail competitors like the Poco X7 Pro, and gaming at high settings can stutter. Some reviewers experienced occasional lag, while others found it perfectly smooth for non-gaming use.

• Smooth for everyday tasks — social media, browsing, and productivity run without noticeable stutter
• Gaming performance actually worse than the older Phone 2a — Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 trails Dimensity 7200 Pro in GPU tasks
• Occasional sluggishness and lag reported during extended use sessions

Samsung Galaxy S25

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip brings significant performance and efficiency gains. Galaxy AI features run smoothly on-device, and daily performance is exceptional.

• After three years making essentially the same phone, Samsung has nailed it — better than its predecessors in almost every way, beating the iPhone 16 in performance
• Galaxy AI features are genuinely useful and well-integrated into the daily experience
• On-device AI processing is noticeably faster than cloud-based alternatives

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The camera system is the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro's biggest selling point. The 50MP main sensor with OIS delivers detailed, vibrant daylight shots, while the 50MP 3x periscope telephoto is virtually unheard of under $500 — producing excellent portraits and zoom shots. The 50MP selfie camera is above average. However, the 8MP ultrawide is a weak link, low-light performance divides opinion, and video is limited to 4K/30fps.

• 50MP 3x periscope telephoto is a genuine rarity under $500 — excellent for portraits with natural bokeh
• 50MP main sensor with OIS produces detailed, vibrant 12.5MP binned shots with good dynamic range in daylight
• 8MP ultrawide is a clear weak link — cannot record 1080p/60fps and lacks detail
• Video limited to 4K/30fps — no 4K/60fps option, and telephoto lacks 4K video entirely

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto setup delivers reliable results. AI photo editing tools add genuine value, though hardware improvements over S24 are minimal.

• Camera experience is just okay — display is excellent, performance is on point, but cameras need more attention
• Galaxy AI photo editing features like Generative Edit genuinely improve the experience
• Hardware is largely unchanged from S24 — feels like Samsung is coasting on software improvements alone