Nothing Phone (3a) Lite VS Xiaomi 15T

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T are both water-resistant smartphones, with the Xiaomi 15T offering a higher level of protection. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has an IP54 rating, which means it can handle splashes and light exposure to water, while the Xiaomi 15T has an IP68 rating, making it fully waterproof and better suited for submersion in water.

In terms of weight, the Xiaomi 15T is slightly lighter at 194 g compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s 199 g. The thickness of the two devices also differs, with the Xiaomi 15T being thinner at 7.5 mm versus the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s 8.3 mm. As for their overall dimensions, both phones have similar width (78 mm), but the Xiaomi 15T is a fraction shorter, measuring 163.2 mm in height compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s 164 mm.

The volume of the two phones shows a more significant difference: the Xiaomi 15T has a smaller overall volume of 95.472 cm³, whereas the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s volume is 106.1736 cm³. Neither phone has a rugged build, and both are non-foldable.

The display specifications for the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T show several similarities and some key differences. Both devices feature OLED/AMOLED displays, ensuring vibrant colors and deep blacks. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a 6.77-inch screen, while the Xiaomi 15T has a slightly larger 6.83-inch display.

In terms of pixel density, the Xiaomi 15T has the edge with 435 ppi compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite's 388 ppi, offering sharper visuals. The resolution also differs, with the Xiaomi 15T boasting a higher 1220 x 2712 px resolution versus the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite's 1080 x 2392 px. Both phones share a 120Hz refresh rate, providing smooth scrolling and gameplay, though the Xiaomi 15T has a significantly higher touch sampling rate at 480Hz, compared to 1000Hz for the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite.

Additionally, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite does not feature branded damage-resistant glass, while the Xiaomi 15T includes it for extra durability. Both phones support HDR10 and Always-On Display, but the Xiaomi 15T has the added advantage of supporting HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. In terms of contrast ratio, the Xiaomi 15T has a lower ratio of 5000000:1 compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite's 1000000:1, indicating a potentially less impressive display performance. Neither phone has a secondary screen, and both include touch screens.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T are both equipped with MediaTek chipsets, but they differ in terms of performance. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, while the Xiaomi 15T features the more advanced MediaTek Dimensity 8400. The CPU speeds also differ, with the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite using 4 cores at 2.5 GHz and 4 at 2 GHz, while the Xiaomi 15T runs 1 core at 3.25 GHz, 3 at 3 GHz, and 4 at 2.15 GHz, providing a higher overall clock speed.

In terms of RAM, the Xiaomi 15T has 12GB, which is 4GB more than the 8GB found in the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. The storage capacities also differ, with the Xiaomi 15T offering 512GB, double the 256GB of internal storage in the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. The Geekbench 6 results further highlight the performance gap: the Xiaomi 15T achieves 6033 in multi-core and 1571 in single-core scores, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite scores 2932 in multi-core and 1026 in single-core.

Both phones use the same 4nm semiconductor size, support 64-bit architecture, and include integrated graphics with DirectX 12 support. They both also feature big.LITTLE technology, 8 CPU threads, and support HMP (heterogeneous multiprocessing). The Xiaomi 15T can support up to 24GB of RAM, compared to the 16GB maximum on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. Additionally, the Xiaomi 15T has a faster GPU clock speed of 1300 MHz compared to the 1047 MHz of the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a faster RAM speed at 6400 MHz versus the Xiaomi 15T's 4267 MHz.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T both feature dual-lens main cameras, but the Xiaomi 15T offers more lenses and higher resolution. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a 50 MP and 8 MP dual-lens setup, while the Xiaomi 15T comes with a 50 MP, 50 MP, and 12 MP setup. The wide aperture for the main camera on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is 2.2f and 1.9f, while the Xiaomi 15T has slightly larger apertures of 1.7f, 1.9f, and 2.2f.

For front cameras, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a 16 MP front-facing camera with a 2.5f aperture, whereas the Xiaomi 15T has a 32 MP front camera with a 2.2f aperture. Both phones offer optical image stabilization (OIS) for both front and main cameras, and both feature continuous autofocus during video recording, phase-detection autofocus for photos, and manual settings for exposure, ISO, white balance, and focus.

When it comes to video recording, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite can record 2160p at 30 fps, while the Xiaomi 15T offers the ability to record at 2160p but at a higher 60 fps. Both devices support slow-motion video recording, and both are capable of creating panoramas in-camera. However, the Xiaomi 15T supports HDR10 recording, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite does not. Neither phone supports Dolby Vision recording, and neither has a front-facing LED flash or 3D photo/video recording capabilities.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T both run Android operating systems, with the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite using Android 15 and the Xiaomi 15T running Android 16. Both devices share a variety of features, including clipboard warnings, location and camera/microphone privacy options, and theme customization. They both support blocking app tracking, on-device machine learning, notification permissions, media pickers, and dark mode. Additionally, both devices can play games while downloading, offload apps, and offer customizable notifications, Live Text, full-page screenshots, and split-screen support.

When it comes to additional features, both phones include battery health checks, extra dim mode, dynamic theming, PiP (Picture in Picture), and support for widgets. Both also have offline voice recognition, voice commands, and the ability to track the current position of a mobile device. Both are multi-user systems and offer sharing intents, child locks, and are free and open source. Neither device supports Quick Start or can be used as a PC.

While the core functionality and features are very similar, the major difference between the two is that the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite runs Android 15, while the Xiaomi 15T runs Android 16. Neither phone receives direct OS updates, and neither has Wi-Fi password sharing or Mail Privacy Protection.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T both feature non-removable, rechargeable batteries, but there are some differences in their battery specifications. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, while the Xiaomi 15T has a slightly larger 5500 mAh battery.

Both phones support fast charging, but the Xiaomi 15T offers a faster charging speed at 67W compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite's 33W. Neither phone supports wireless charging, and neither comes with a charger in the box. Both devices have a battery level indicator to monitor charge status.

While the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T share similar battery features, the Xiaomi 15T's larger battery capacity and faster charging speed stand out as key differences.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T both lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, meaning neither phone offers a direct wired connection for headphones. In terms of audio output, the Xiaomi 15T is equipped with stereo speakers, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite does not have stereo speakers. Both phones do not support any of the aptX audio technologies, including aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, or aptX Lossless. Neither phone includes support for LDAC audio codec, nor do they feature a radio.

Overall, the Xiaomi 15T offers better audio capabilities with stereo speakers, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite lacks both stereo speakers and wired audio output options.

Both the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T support 5G connectivity and have dual SIM capabilities. They also both support NFC, GPS, and a compass. In terms of Wi-Fi, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite supports Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), while the Xiaomi 15T also supports these versions but adds Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) for even faster connections.

Bluetooth connectivity is another area of difference: the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite uses Bluetooth version 5.4, whereas the Xiaomi 15T is equipped with the newer Bluetooth 6. The Xiaomi 15T also has faster download speeds at 5170 MBits/s compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s 3270 MBits/s.

Additional features on both phones include fingerprint scanners, gyroscopes, accelerometers, cellular modules, and support for Galileo. The Xiaomi 15T has an infrared sensor, which the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite does not have. However, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite offers an external memory slot, while the Xiaomi 15T does not. Neither device includes emergency SOS via satellite, crash detection, or DLNA certification, and neither has an HDMI output or a built-in projector.

Both the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and Xiaomi 15T come with a video light, making them capable of enhancing video capture in low-light conditions. Neither device features sapphire glass displays, curved displays, or e-paper displays.

In terms of design and unique features, the two phones are identical in this category, with no significant differences between them.