Nothing Phone (3) vs Nothing Phone (3a) Lite
Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5. Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want better photos, more speed for games and the longest software support. Buy Nothing Phone (3a) Lite if you want to spend less.
The short answer
- CameraNothing Phone (3). Takes the better photos: camera score 7 out of 10, against 5.
- BatteryIt's a tie
- SpeedNothing Phone (3). Faster for games and heavy apps: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, speed score 7 out of 10, against 5.
- UpdatesNothing Phone (3). 5 years of updates promised.
- PriceNothing Phone (3a) Lite. Costs 38% less.
Overall, Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Nothing Phone (3a) Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹44,999 | ₹27,999 |
| Launched | 2 July 2025 | 27 November 2025 |
| Software now | Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17), launched with Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) | Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16), launched with Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) |
| Rating | 8/10 | 7.4/10 |
| Battery | Average battery life for the price; the India model gets a bigger 5500mAh battery. | 5000mAh battery lasts a full day (15 hours in GSMArena's test); 33W charging fills it in about 67 minutes. |
| Camera | Three 50MP cameras including a 3x zoom, good for most everyday shots. | Large 50MP main sensor takes good photos and 4K video, plus an 8MP wide-angle. |
| Speed | Fast in short bursts, but it heats up and slows down in long gaming sessions. | Dimensity 7300 Pro with 8GB RAM is smooth for daily use and fine for casual games. |
| Catch | Battery life and charging speed are only average, and it throttles heavily under load. | Smaller battery than rivals, a single speaker, and the price rose from about ₹20,999 to ₹27,999. |
| Updates | 5 years | 3 years |
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Nothing Phone (3a) Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.67-inch OLED, 120Hz (not LTPO), 4500 nits peak, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass 7i | 6.77-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2392) AMOLED, 120Hz, 1300 nits HBM, 3000 nits peak, Panda Glass |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm) | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro (4nm) |
| CPU | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.21GHz + 3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.0GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.0GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.5GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Adreno 825 | Mali-G615 MC2 |
| AI chip (NPU) | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (TOPS not officially stated) | MediaTek NPU (TOPS not officially stated) |
| RAM and storage | 12GB RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.0) | 8GB RAM, 128GB (Not officially stated; microSDXC slot) |
| Battery | 5500 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired, 15W wireless, 7.5W reverse wired, 5W reverse wireless | 33W wired (GSMArena measured max 27W draw), 5W reverse wired |
| Cameras | 50 MP main (1/1.3", f/1.7, 24mm, OIS) + 50 MP periscope telephoto (1/2.75", f/2.7, 3x optical, OIS) + 50 MP ultrawide (1/2.76", f/2.2, 114 degrees); 50 MP selfie | 50 MP main (1/1.57", f/1.9, 24mm, dual pixel PDAF) + 8 MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 120 degrees) + 2 MP macro; 16 MP selfie (f/2.5) |
| Water and dust | IP68 | IP54 |
| Size and weight | 9mm thick, 218g | 8.3mm thick, 199g |
| Software | Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) at launch, Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17) now | Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) at launch, Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16) now |
| Updates | 5 years promised | 3 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band), Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C 2.0 | Wi-Fi 6 (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB-C 2.0, no 3.5mm jack |
| Modem | Integrated Snapdragon 5G modem (model not officially stated) | Integrated MediaTek 5G modem (model not officially stated) |
| Speakers and haptics | Good stereo speakers (rated Very good by GSMArena); rear Glyph Matrix LED display; haptics not detailed | Single bottom-firing speaker (average loudness in GSMArena test); haptics not detailed |
| Screen flicker (PWM) | 960Hz PWM; touch sampling not officially stated | 2160Hz PWM; touch sampling not officially stated |
| Cooling | Not officially stated; GSMArena found poor thermal management with heavy throttling | Not officially stated |
| Colours | White, Black | Black, White, Blue |
Where to buy
- Nothing Phone (3)₹44,999
- Nothing Phone (3a) Lite₹27,999
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Common questions
- Which is better, Nothing Phone (3) or Nothing Phone (3a) Lite?
- Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want better photos, more speed for games and the longest software support. Buy Nothing Phone (3a) Lite if you want to spend less.
- Which has the better camera?
- Nothing Phone (3) takes the better photos.
- Which has the better battery life?
- They are about even on battery.
- Which is faster for gaming?
- Nothing Phone (3) is faster for games and heavy apps.
- How much do they cost?
- Nothing Phone (3) costs ₹44,999, Nothing Phone (3a) Lite costs ₹27,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Nothing Phone (3): 5 years, now on Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17). Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: 3 years, now on Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16).