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Nothing Phone (3a) vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes out ahead on 6 counts and the Nothing Phone (3a) on 3.

Which should you buy?

Pick the Nothing Phone (3a) for

  • Faster wired charging: 50 W vs 45 W
  • Lighter: 201 g vs 218 g (17 g less)
  • Brighter display: 3,000 vs 2,600 nits peak

Pick the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for

  • Higher-resolution main camera: 200 MP vs 50 MP
  • Longer optical zoom: 5× vs 2×
  • OS updates for longer, until Feb 2032
  • More RAM: up to 16 GB vs 12 GB
  • More storage: up to 1 TB vs 256 GB
  • Better water resistance: IP68 vs IP64

Size comparison

The Nothing Phone (3a) is 0.7 mm taller, 0.2 mm thicker and 17 g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Its screen is 0.13" smaller.

  • Nothing Phone (3a)163.5 × 77.5 × 8.4 mm
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm

Specs side by side

LaunchNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
AnnouncedMarch 4, 2025January 22, 20251
ReleasedMarch 11, 2025February 7, 20251
Launch price—$1,3001
BodyNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size163.5 × 77.5 × 8.4 mm162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Thickness8.4 mm8.2 mm
Weight201 g (better)218 g
Framepolycarbonate1Titanium
Backglass1—
Water resistanceIP64IP68 (better)
ColoursBlack, White, BlueTitanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Pinkgold1
DisplayNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size6.77"6.9"
TypeLTPS Flexible AMOLEDDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Resolution1080 × 23921440 × 3120 (better)
Refresh rate120 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits (better)2,600 nits
ProtectionPanda GlassCorning Gorilla Armor 2
Performance and softwareNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
ChipsetQualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy
CPUOcta-core (1x2.5 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A520)2x 4.47 GHz Oryon (Phoenix L) and 6x 3.53 GHz Oryon (Phoenix M)1
Process4 nm3 nm1 (better)
Ships withAndroid 16 with Nothing OS 4.0One UI 7
OS updates3 years (to Mar 2028)7 years (to Feb 2032) (better)
Security updates6 years (to Mar 2031)7 years (to Feb 2032) (better)
MemoryNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
RAM8 GB / 12 GB12 GB / 16 GB (better)
Storage128 GB / 256 GB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB (better)
Card slotNoNo1
CamerasNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Rear50 MP Main, OIS 50 MP Telephoto (2× optical) 8 MP Ultrawide200 MP Main 50 MP Ultrawide 50 MP Telephoto (5× optical) 10 MP Telephoto (3× optical)
Main camera50 MP200 MP (better)
Optical zoom2×5× (better)
Front32 MP12 MP
Video4k @30 fps8K at 30 fps
BatteryNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Capacity5,000 mAh5,000 mAh
Wired charging50 W (better)45 W
Wireless charging—15 W1
Reverse wirelessYes1Yes
ConnectivityNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
5GYesYes
Wi-Fi802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi DirectWi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be tri-band)
Bluetooth5.45.41
NFCYesYes1
USBUSB Type-CUSB Type-C 3.2 (5Gbps)
Headphone jackNoNo1
eSIM—Yes1
FeaturesNothing Phone (3a)Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
FingerprintOn-screen optical1Ultrasonic under-display
Stereo speakersYesYes1
Stylus—Yes

Highlighted: the better value where one is clearly better. Sources for each phone are listed on the Nothing Phone (3a) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra pages.

Quick answers

Is the Nothing Phone (3a) bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
The Nothing Phone (3a) is 0.7 mm taller, 0.2 mm thicker and 17 g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Its screen is 0.13" smaller.
Which has the bigger battery, the Nothing Phone (3a) or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Both have a 5,000 mAh battery.
Which gets software updates for longer?
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: its maker promises OS updates until around February 2032, against March 2028 for the Nothing Phone (3a).

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