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WhichPhoneToBuy

Nothing Phone (3) vs Samsung Galaxy A56

The Nothing Phone (3) comes out ahead on 7 counts and the Samsung Galaxy A56 on 2.

Which should you buy?

Pick the Nothing Phone (3) for

  • Faster wired charging: 65 W vs 45 W
  • Brighter display: 4,500 vs 1,200 nits peak
  • Optical zoom (3×), which the other lacks
  • More RAM: up to 16 GB vs 12 GB
  • More storage: up to 512 GB vs 256 GB
  • Better water resistance: IP68 vs IP67
  • Newer: launched July 2025

Pick the Samsung Galaxy A56 for

  • Lighter: 198 g vs 218 g (20 g less)
  • Thinner: 7.4 mm vs 9 mm

Size comparison

The Nothing Phone (3) is 1.6 mm shorter, 1.9 mm narrower, 1.6 mm thicker and 20 g heavier than the Samsung Galaxy A56.

  • Nothing Phone (3)160.6 × 75.6 × 9 mm
  • Samsung Galaxy A56162.2 × 77.5 × 7.4 mm

Specs side by side

LaunchNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
AnnouncedJuly 1, 20251March 2, 20251
ReleasedJuly 15, 2025—
Launch price$799—
BodyNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
Size160.6 × 75.6 × 9 mm162.2 × 77.5 × 7.4 mm
Thickness9 mm7.4 mm (better)
Weight218 g198 g (better)
FrameAluminum1Solid metal frame
BackGorilla Glass Victus1Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Water resistanceIP68 (better)IP67
ColoursWhite, BlackAwesome Pink, Awesome Graphite, Awesome Olive, Awesome Lightgray
DisplayNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
Size6.67"6.7"
TypeAMOLEDSuper AMOLED
Resolution1260 × 2800 (better)1080 × 2340
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness4,500 nits (better)1,200 nits?
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 7iCorning Gorilla Glass Victus+
Performance and softwareNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
ChipsetQualcomm SM8735 Snapdragon 8s Gen 4Exynos 1580
CPUOcta-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A720)1Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz & 3x2.6 GHz & 4x1.9 GHz)1
Process—4 nm
Ships withAndroid 15 with Nothing OS 3.5Android
OS updates—6 years (to Mar 2031)
Security updates—6 years (to Mar 2031)
MemoryNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
RAM12 GB / 16 GB (better)8 GB / 12 GB
Storage256 GB / 512 GB (better)128 GB / 256 GB
Card slotNo1No1
CamerasNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
Rear50 MP Main, OIS 50 MP Periscope telephoto (3× optical), OIS 50 MP Ultrawide50 MP Main, OIS 12 MP Ultrawide 5 MP Macro
Main camera50 MP50 MP
Optical zoom3× (better)None
Front50 MP12 MP
Video4K at 60 fps1UHD 4K (3840 x 2160)@30fps
BatteryNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
Capacity5,150 mAh15,000 mAh
Wired charging65 W (better)45 W1
Wireless charging15 W—
Reverse wirelessYes—
ConnectivityNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
5GYes1Yes
Wi-FiWi-Fi 71802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz+5GHz
Bluetooth6.0Bluetooth v5.3
NFCYes1Yes
USBUSB Type-C 2.0USB Type-C, USB 2.0
Headphone jackNo1No
eSIMYes1Yes
FeaturesNothing Phone (3)Samsung Galaxy A56
FingerprintUnder-display opticalOn-screen, optical1
Stereo speakersYesYes

Highlighted: the better value where one is clearly better. Sources for each phone are listed on the Nothing Phone (3) and Samsung Galaxy A56 pages.

Quick answers

Is the Nothing Phone (3) bigger than the Samsung Galaxy A56?
The Nothing Phone (3) is 1.6 mm shorter, 1.9 mm narrower, 1.6 mm thicker and 20 g heavier than the Samsung Galaxy A56.
Which has the bigger battery, the Nothing Phone (3) or the Samsung Galaxy A56?
The Nothing Phone (3) has the bigger battery: 5,150 mAh against 5,000 mAh. Real battery life also depends on the chip and screen.

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