Nothing Phone (3) vs Xiaomi 17T
Xiaomi 17T wins 2 of 5. Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want to spend less. Buy Xiaomi 17T if you want better photos and longer battery life.
The short answer
- CameraXiaomi 17T. Takes the better photos: camera score 8 out of 10, against 7.
- BatteryXiaomi 17T. Lasts longer on a charge: battery score 8 out of 10, against 7. It has a 6500 mAh battery.
- SpeedIt's a tie
- UpdatesIt's a tie
- PriceNothing Phone (3). Costs 36% less.
Overall, Xiaomi 17T wins 2 of 5. The full details are below.
Side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Xiaomi 17T |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹44,999 | ₹69,999 |
| Launched | 2 July 2025 | 28 May 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 | 8/10 |
| Battery | Average battery life for the price; the India model gets a bigger 5500mAh battery. | Long battery life (17 hours 16 minutes in GSMArena's test) with 67W charging. |
| Camera | Three 50MP cameras including a 3x zoom, good for most everyday shots. | Among the best cameras in its class, especially the 50MP 5x zoom. |
| Speed | Fast in short bursts, but it heats up and slows down in long gaming sessions. | Dimensity 8500 Ultra is fast and rarely slows down under load. |
| Catch | Battery life and charging speed are only average, and it throttles heavily under load. | Plastic frame, 67W charging feels slow, and the price has risen from ₹59,999 to ₹69,999. |
| Updates | 5 years | 5 years |
Full specifications (tap to open)
Every spec side by side
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3) | Xiaomi 17T |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.67-inch OLED, 120Hz (not LTPO), 4500 nits peak, HDR10+, Gorilla Glass 7i | 6.59-inch 1.5K (1268 x 2756) AMOLED, 120Hz, 3500 nits peak, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Gorilla Glass 7i |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm) | MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra (4nm) |
| CPU | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.21GHz + 3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.0GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8GHz + 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.0GHz | 1x Cortex-A725 @ 3.4GHz + 3x Cortex-A725 @ 3.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A725 @ 2.2GHz |
| Graphics (GPU) | Adreno 825 | Mali-G720 MC8 |
| 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; RAM type not officially stated) |
| Battery | 5500 mAh | 6500 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired, 15W wireless, 7.5W reverse wired, 5W reverse wireless | 67W wired (PD 3.0, PPS), 22.5W reverse wired; 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 | 50MP main (f/1.7, 1/1.55", OIS) + 50MP 5x periscope telephoto (f/3.0, 1/2.76", OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 120 degrees); 32MP front; Leica tuning |
| Water and dust | IP68 | IP68 (1.5m for 30 mins) |
| Size and weight | 9mm thick, 218g | 8.2mm thick, 200g |
| 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 | 5 years promised |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| NFC | Yes | Only on some versions |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band), Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C 2.0 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC (market dependent), IR blaster, USB-C 2.0, NavIC |
| 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 | Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos (rated Very good by GSMArena, -24.6 LUFS); 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; GSMArena says it rarely throttles and the back gets warm but comfortable |
| Colours | White, Black | Violet, Blue, Black |
Where to buy
- Nothing Phone (3)₹44,999
- Xiaomi 17T₹69,999
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Waiting for a better price?See it here next time you open Tuvvo if any of these phones drops in price.
Common questions
- Which is better, Nothing Phone (3) or Xiaomi 17T?
- Xiaomi 17T wins 2 of 5 areas (camera, battery, speed, updates and price). Buy Nothing Phone (3) if you want to spend less. Buy Xiaomi 17T if you want better photos and longer battery life.
- Which has the better camera?
- Xiaomi 17T takes the better photos.
- Which has the better battery life?
- Xiaomi 17T lasts longer on a charge.
- Which is faster for gaming?
- They are about even on speed.
- How much do they cost?
- Nothing Phone (3) costs ₹44,999, Xiaomi 17T costs ₹69,999.
- Which gets software updates for longer?
- Nothing Phone (3): 5 years, now on Nothing OS 5.0 (Android 17). Xiaomi 17T: 5 years, now on HyperOS 3 (Android 16).