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WhichPhoneToBuy

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Nothing Phone (3a)

The Nothing Phone (3a) comes out ahead on 5 counts and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max on 3.

Which should you buy?

Pick the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max for

  • Longer optical zoom: 5× vs 2×
  • More storage: up to 1 TB vs 256 GB
  • Better water resistance: IP68 vs IP64

Pick the Nothing Phone (3a) for

  • Bigger battery: 5,000 vs 4,685 mAh (7% more)
  • Lighter: 201 g vs 227 g (26 g less)
  • Brighter display: 3,000 vs 2,000 nits peak
  • More RAM: up to 12 GB vs 8 GB
  • Newer: launched March 2025

Size comparison

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is 0.5 mm shorter and 26 g heavier than the Nothing Phone (3a). Its screen is 0.13" larger.

  • Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max163 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm
  • Nothing Phone (3a)163.5 × 77.5 × 8.4 mm

Specs side by side

LaunchApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
AnnouncedSeptember 9, 20241March 4, 2025
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2024March 11, 2025
Launch price$1,199—
BodyApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
Size163 × 77.6 × 8.3 mm163.5 × 77.5 × 8.4 mm
Thickness8.3 mm8.4 mm
Weight227 g201 g (better)
Frametitaniumpolycarbonate1
Backtextured matte glassglass1
Water resistanceIP68 (better)IP64
ColoursBlack Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert TitaniumBlack, White, Blue
DisplayApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
Size6.9"6.77"
TypeSuper Retina XDR OLEDLTPS Flexible AMOLED
Resolution1320 × 2868 (better)1080 × 2392
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness2,000 nits3,000 nits (better)
ProtectionCeramic ShieldPanda Glass
Performance and softwareApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
ChipsetA18 ProQualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
CPU6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency)Octa-core (1x2.5 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A520)
Process—4 nm
Ships withiOSAndroid 16 with Nothing OS 4.0
OS updates—3 years (to Mar 2028)
Security updates—6 years (to Mar 2031)
MemoryApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
RAM8 GB8 GB / 12 GB (better)
Storage256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB (better)128 GB / 256 GB
Card slot—No
CamerasApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
Rear48 MP Main, OIS 12 MP Telephoto (5× optical), OIS 48 MP Ultrawide50 MP Main, OIS 50 MP Telephoto (2× optical) 8 MP Ultrawide
Main camera48 MP50 MP
Optical zoom5× (better)2×
Front12 MP32 MP
Video4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps4k @30 fps
BatteryApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
Capacity4,685 mAh15,000 mAh (better)
Wired charging—50 W
Wireless charging25 W—
Reverse wireless—Yes1
ConnectivityApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
5GYesYes
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be)802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth5.35.4
NFCYesYes
USBUSB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s)USB Type-C
Headphone jack—No
eSIMYes—
Satellite messagingYes—
FeaturesApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxNothing Phone (3a)
Fingerprint—On-screen optical1
Stereo speakers—Yes

Highlighted: the better value where one is clearly better. Sources for each phone are listed on the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Nothing Phone (3a) pages.

Quick answers

Is the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max bigger than the Nothing Phone (3a)?
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is 0.5 mm shorter and 26 g heavier than the Nothing Phone (3a). Its screen is 0.13" larger.
Which has the bigger battery, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Nothing Phone (3a)?
The Nothing Phone (3a) has the bigger battery: 5,000 mAh against 4,685 mAh. Real battery life also depends on the chip and screen.

More comparisons