Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Xiaomi 15

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

Xiaomi 15

The 6.36-inch 1.5K LTPO OLED is sharp, vibrant, and incredibly bright at 3,200 nits peak (tested up to 3,593 nits HDR). Ultra-narrow 1.38mm bezels and high-frequency PWM dimming above 3,000Hz round out an excellent display package, though OLED smear at lower brightness is a noted concern.

• Peak brightness tested at 3,593 nits in HDR — among the brightest compact phone displays available
• Ultra-narrow 1.38mm bezels with excellent color accuracy in Original Color PRO profile
• OLED smear visible at lower brightness levels (0-70% range) — a recurring user complaint

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

Xiaomi 15

The Snapdragon 8 Elite with 12GB RAM delivers flagship-tier performance that's smooth and snappy for everyday use, gaming, and multitasking. However, the compact body struggles to dissipate heat under sustained loads, causing notable thermal throttling during extended gaming sessions.

• Snapdragon 8 Elite scores ~2,990 single-core and ~9,114 multi-core on Geekbench 6 — genuinely fast
• Thermal throttling is a real issue — fails to complete 3DMark GPU stress tests and gets uncomfortably hot
• CPU throttles to 72-77% of peak under sustained load — compact chassis limits cooling capacity

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

Xiaomi 15

The triple 50MP Leica system shines with its main sensor and improved 2.6x telephoto, earning a DxOMark score of 146. Leica color profiles produce natural, pleasing images with excellent dynamic range. The ultrawide camera is the clear weakness, with noticeably more noise in low light and no autofocus.

• 50MP main Leica Summilux camera delivers excellent photo quality with natural colors and strong dynamic range
• 2.6x optical telephoto is a meaningful upgrade over the Xiaomi 14 — sharp and versatile
• Ultrawide camera is the weakest link — subpar quality, no autofocus, noticeably more noise in low light
• DxOMark camera score of 146 — good but not class-leading among 2025 flagships

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

The 5,000mAh battery provides reliable all-day endurance with 50W wired charging reaching full in about an hour. GSMArena measured 13 hours 37 minutes of active use. Light users can stretch to two days. The notable absence is wireless charging — every single reviewer flags this as a missing feature at the $459 price point.

• 5,000mAh delivers reliable all-day battery with 13h37m active use measured — light users can get two days
• 50W wired charging reaches 60% in 30 minutes and full charge in about 1 hour
• No wireless charging at $459 — universally flagged as a missing feature when Pixel 8a includes it

Xiaomi 15

A standout category for the Xiaomi 15. The 5,400mAh silicon-carbon battery is a huge upgrade from the Xiaomi 14's 4,610mAh, delivering 16+ hours of active use in GSMArena's tests and consistently 7-8 hours of screen-on time. 90W wired charging goes from 0-100% in about 50 minutes.

• GSMArena Active Use Score of 16:28 hours — excellent endurance for a compact flagship
• 5,400mAh silicon-carbon battery is a massive upgrade from the Xiaomi 14's 4,610mAh — real-world 7-8 hours SOT
• 90W wired charging does 0-100% in about 50 minutes; 50W wireless charging also supported

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

Nothing OS 3.1 on Android 15 is a clean, bloatware-free experience with a visually distinctive monochrome dot-matrix aesthetic. The Smart Drawer app organization and Glyph customization add genuine utility. The Essential Space AI hub divides reviewers — some find it innovative, others overcomplicated. Update policy of 3 OS versions and 6 years of security patches trails Samsung and Google.

• Nothing OS 3.1 is clean, bloatware-free with a distinctive monochrome aesthetic — among the best mid-range software experiences
• Essential Space AI hub divides reviewers — innovative note organization for some, overcomplicated gimmick for others
• Only 3 Android OS updates (through Android 18) — significantly trails Samsung (6 years) and Google (7 years)

Xiaomi 15

HyperOS 2 based on Android 15 is fast and fluid with snappy animations and useful AI features. Xiaomi promises 4 major OS updates and 5-6 years of security patches. However, bloatware remains a persistent concern with 193+ removable packages identified, and some system apps contain advertisements.

• HyperOS 2 is fast, fluid, and full of character — one of the more polished Android skins in 2025
• 4 major OS updates + 5-6 years of security patches — competitive but behind Samsung's 7-year commitment
• Significant bloatware with 193+ identifiable packages — some system apps contain advertisements