
Nothing
Good

Xiaomi
Excellent
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is universally praised for its transparent back with 26-zone Glyph Interface LEDs — nothing else in the mid-range looks like it. Upgraded from the 2a's polycarbonate to glass with a ceramic-coated aluminum frame, it feels genuinely premium. The dedicated Essential Key button adds hardware-level AI access. However, the massive camera island is divisive, the phone is top-heavy at 211g, and IP64 water resistance falls behind IP67/68 competitors.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
Premium glass-and-metal construction with flat aluminum sides and IP68 water resistance. At 8.35mm thin and 213g, it's impressively slim for housing a 6,100mAh battery. Available in four colors including Spruce Green and Rock Grey.
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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.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
The 6.73-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED is a technical marvel, hitting 3,200 nits peak brightness while consuming 24% less power than the Xiaomi 14 Pro's display. The 1920Hz PWM dimming reduces eye strain, though some users report OLED smear at low brightness levels.
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.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
The Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) delivers a 44% single-core improvement over the previous generation and manages thermals better than most competitors. NotebookCheck awarded a 99% application performance score, placing it among the fastest phones available.
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.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
The triple 50MP Leica Summilux system delivers solid results with a standout 5x periscope telephoto. The main sensor with f/1.44 aperture handles most scenarios well, and AI Zoom makes 20x digital shots usable. However, the ultrawide is the clear weak link, and the system can't quite match the Vivo X200 Pro's imaging prowess.
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.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
The 6,100mAh silicon-carbon battery combined with the ultra-efficient display delivers class-leading endurance. NotebookCheck awarded a 93% battery score, and the phone consumes dramatically less power than its predecessor (4.42W vs 6.17W for display). 90W wired and 50W wireless charging round out the package.
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.
Xiaomi 15 Pro
HyperOS 2 based on Android 15 brings improved fluency over HyperOS 1 and is now receiving the HyperOS 3/Android 16 update. However, the Chinese ROM lacks Google services out of the box, and the community considers HyperOS bloated with unnecessary apps compared to stock Android.