Nothing Phone (3) vs Poco X8 Pro Max
Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5. Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want better photos, the longest software support and to spend less. Buy Poco X8 Pro Max if you want longer battery life and more speed for games.
The short answer
- CameraNothing Phone (3). Takes the better photos: camera score 7 out of 10, against 5.
- BatteryPoco X8 Pro Max. Lasts longer on a charge: battery score 10 out of 10, against 7. It has a 9000 mAh battery.
- SpeedPoco X8 Pro Max. Faster for games and heavy apps: MediaTek Dimensity 9500s, speed score 9 out of 10, against 7.
- UpdatesNothing Phone (3). 5 years of updates promised.
- PriceNothing Phone (3). Costs 10% less.
Overall, Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Poco X8 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹44,999 | ₹49,999 |
| Launched | 2 July 2025 | 17 March 2026 |
| Software now | Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17), launched with Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) | HyperOS 3 (Android 16) (same as launch) |
| Rating | 8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Battery | Average battery life for the price; the India model gets a bigger 5500mAh battery. | Excellent battery life from a 9000mAh battery, with 100W fast charging. |
| Camera | Three 50MP cameras including a 3x zoom, good for most everyday shots. | Capable main camera with good 2x shots, but no zoom lens and a basic wide-angle camera. |
| Speed | Fast in short bursts, but it heats up and slows down in long gaming sessions. | Dimensity 9500s is one of the fastest chips at this price, great for games. |
| Catch | Battery life and charging speed are only average, and it throttles heavily under load. | Somewhat heavy, with no telephoto camera and a basic 8MP wide-angle. |
| Updates | 5 years | 4 years |
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Poco X8 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.67-inch OLED, 120Hz (not LTPO), 4500 nits peak, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass 7i | 6.83-inch 1.5K AMOLED, 120Hz, 2000 nits HBM, 3500 nits peak, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Gorilla Glass 7i |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm) | MediaTek Dimensity 9500s (3nm) |
| CPU | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.21GHz + 3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.0GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.0GHz | 1x Cortex-X925 @ 3.73GHz + 3x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz + 4x Cortex-A720 @ 2.4GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Adreno 825 | Immortalis-G925 (MC11 per GSMArena, MC12 per India launch coverage), ray tracing |
| 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) | 12GB RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.1, LPDDR5X (9.6Gbps)) |
| Battery | 5500 mAh | 9000 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired, 15W wireless, 7.5W reverse wired, 5W reverse wireless | 100W HyperCharge wired (PD3.0, PPS), 27W reverse wired, bypass charging; no wireless charging |
| 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 Light Fusion 600 main (1/1.95", f/1.5, 26mm, OIS) + 8 MP ultrawide (1/4", f/2.2, 15mm); 20 MP selfie |
| Water and dust | IP68 | IP66/IP68/IP69/IP69K |
| Size and weight | 9mm thick, 218g | 8.2mm thick, 220g |
| Software | Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) at launch, Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17) now | HyperOS 3 (Android 16) at launch, HyperOS 3 (Android 16) now |
| Updates | 5 years promised | 4 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band), Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C 2.0 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 (aptX HD, LHDC 5, Auracast), NFC, IR blaster, eSIM, USB-C 2.0 |
| 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 | Loud stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos (rated Excellent by GSMArena); haptics not detailed |
| Screen flicker (PWM) | 960Hz PWM; touch sampling not officially stated | 3840Hz PWM; touch sampling not officially stated |
| Cooling | Not officially stated; GSMArena found poor thermal management with heavy throttling | Not officially stated for the Pro Max (the X8 Pro uses a 5,300 sq mm IceLoop vapour chamber) |
| Colours | White, Black | Black, White, Blue |
Where to buy
- Nothing Phone (3)₹44,999
- Poco X8 Pro Max₹49,999
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Common questions
- Which is better, Nothing Phone (3) or Poco X8 Pro Max?
- Nothing Phone (3) wins 3 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want better photos, the longest software support and to spend less. Buy Poco X8 Pro Max if you want longer battery life and more speed for games.
- Which has the better camera?
- Nothing Phone (3) takes the better photos.
- Which has the better battery life?
- Poco X8 Pro Max lasts longer on a charge.
- Which is faster for gaming?
- Poco X8 Pro Max is faster for games and heavy apps.
- How much do they cost?
- Nothing Phone (3) costs ₹44,999, Poco X8 Pro Max costs ₹49,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Nothing Phone (3): 5 years, now on Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17). Poco X8 Pro Max: 4 years, now on HyperOS 3 (Android 16).