Nothing Phone 3 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: Which flagship is worth your money?

Nothing Phone (3)

The Nothing Phone 3 and Samsung Galaxy S25 are both positioned as premium Android phones, but they follow very different philosophies. Here's a no-nonsense comparison of specs, features, and real-world usability to help you decide which one deserves your money.

Nothing Phone 3 vs Galaxy S25: Design and display

The Nothing Phone 3 sticks to its signature transparent back design, adding new touches like a haptic action button and a recording indicator LED. It’s built with Gorilla Glass Victus and has an IP68 rating. The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, takes a more minimalist route with a flat matte back, vertical triple-camera layout, and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2. It’s lighter at 162g and also rated IP68.

On the display front, the Phone 3 gets a 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel with a peak brightness of 4500 nits, while the Galaxy S25 has a more compact 6.2-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 2600 nits peak brightness. Both support 120Hz refresh rates, but Nothing offers a brighter, more immersive screen for multimedia use.

Camera setup: Which one’s better?

The Nothing Phone 3 includes a 50MP main sensor, 50MP ultra-wide, and a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens, plus a 50MP front camera. The Galaxy S25 features a 50MP main sensor, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP 3x telephoto lens, along with a 12MP selfie camera.

While Samsung has stronger computational photography and video processing, Nothing offers higher raw sensor specs and more optical zoom flexibility. If you prefer sharper zoom and punchy wide-angle shots, the Phone 3 holds an edge.

Performance and battery

The Galaxy S25 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (Elite Edition), paired with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. Nothing Phone 3 is powered by the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 with up to 16GB RAM and the same storage limit.

Where Nothing clearly leads is battery: a massive 5500mAh cell with 65W fast charging. In comparison, the Galaxy S25 has a 4000mAh battery and supports only 25W charging. For users who prioritise endurance and quick top-ups, the Phone 3 delivers a real-world advantage.

Software and features

Samsung ships the Galaxy S25 with One UI 7 based on Android 15 and promises seven years of software updates. Nothing OS 3.0 on the Phone 3 is leaner, cleaner, and also based on Android 15, with three years of major updates.

Samsung takes the lead in longevity and polished UI features, but Nothing offers a lighter, bloat-free experience that may appeal to purists.

Verdict: Which one should you buy?

Buy the Nothing Phone 3 if you want unique design, brighter display, versatile camera hardware, and long battery life with faster charging. Buy the Galaxy S25 if you prefer compact form factor, superior long-term software support, and polished overall performance.