Nothing Phone (3a) Pro VS Samsung Galaxy S25

The most immediately noticeable design difference is size and weight. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is substantially larger — 163.5 × 77.5 × 8.4 mm and 211 g — compared to the Samsung Galaxy S25 at 146.9 × 70.5 × 7.2 mm and just 162 g. That 49-gram gap is significant in daily use: the S25 will feel noticeably lighter in the hand and pocket over a full day, and its slimmer, narrower frame makes one-handed operation considerably more practical. The volume difference tells the same story — the Nothing Phone occupies roughly 43% more physical space than the S25.

On environmental protection, the gap is equally clear. The Galaxy S25 carries an IP68 rating, meaning it is fully waterproof and can withstand submersion in fresh water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is rated IP64, which covers dust resistance and water splashing from any direction, but offers no protection against submersion. In practical terms, the S25 can survive an accidental drop in a sink or toilet; the Nothing Phone cannot. For most everyday scenarios this distinction is manageable, but it is a real-world compromise. One area where the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro does stand out is its rated lower operating temperature of -40 °C, versus 0 °C for the S25 — a meaningful advantage for users in extremely cold climates.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S25 holds a clear design edge: it is lighter, more compact, thinner, and offers superior water protection. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro's advantage in extreme cold tolerance is a niche benefit that won't matter to most users. For anyone who values pocketability, one-handed use, or better durability against water, the S25 is the stronger choice in this category.

Both phones use OLED/AMOLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10 and HDR10+, so the foundational display technology is on equal footing. Where they diverge sharply is screen size and brightness. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro offers a larger 6.77″ canvas — great for media consumption and reading — while the Galaxy S25 is more compact at 6.2″, which aligns with its smaller overall footprint. Pixel density slightly favors the S25 at 416 ppi versus 387 ppi, though at this range both are well beyond the threshold where individual pixels are visible to the naked eye, making it a negligible real-world difference.

The single most impactful differentiator here is brightness. The Galaxy S25 is rated at a remarkable 2600 nits typical brightness, compared to just 800 nits on the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. In practical terms, this means the S25 will remain clearly legible under direct sunlight where the Nothing Phone may struggle significantly. For outdoor users or anyone in consistently bright environments, this is not a minor gap — it is a fundamental usability difference. Additionally, the S25 features branded damage-resistant glass (the Nothing Phone does not), adding a layer of everyday scratch and impact protection that complements its more durable design.

A notable edge for the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is its 1000Hz touch sampling rate versus the S25's 240Hz. While this matters most in fast-paced mobile gaming, the S25's advantages — dramatically superior brightness and protected glass — carry far more weight for the general user. On balance, the Samsung Galaxy S25 holds a clear display edge, driven primarily by its class-leading outdoor visibility and screen protection.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 have notable differences in performance, starting with their internal storage. The Nothing Phone offers 256GB of storage, while the Galaxy S25 doubles that with 512GB. Both devices come with 12GB of RAM, but the RAM speed on the Galaxy S25 is faster at 5300 MHz, compared to the 3200 MHz on the Nothing Phone.

In terms of benchmarks, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has an AnTuTu score of 750,673, while the Galaxy S25 significantly outperforms it with a score of 3,050,000. The CPU speed of the Galaxy S25 is also much higher, with a configuration of 2 cores at 4.47 GHz, 6 cores at 3.53 GHz, compared to the Nothing Phone’s 1 core at 2.5 GHz, 3 cores at 2.4 GHz, and 4 cores at 1.8 GHz. This difference results in much higher Geekbench scores for the Galaxy S25, with a multi-core score of 10,050 and a single-core score of 3,175, compared to the Nothing Phone’s multi-core score of 3,239 and single-core score of 1,162.

Other differences include the GPU. The Galaxy S25 has an Adreno 830 with a clock speed of 1200 MHz, while the Nothing Phone has an Adreno 710 with a clock speed of 1050 MHz. The Galaxy S25 also benefits from a larger maximum memory bandwidth of 85.1 GB/s, compared to the Nothing Phone’s 25.6 GB/s. Additionally, the Galaxy S25 supports a maximum of 24GB of RAM, while the Nothing Phone is limited to 16GB. Both devices support multithreading, have integrated LTE, and use big.LITTLE technology, but the Galaxy S25 is built on a more advanced 3nm semiconductor compared to the 4nm process on the Nothing Phone.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 feature multi-lens main cameras, but with some differences in megapixels and aperture sizes. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a triple-camera setup with 50 MP, 50 MP, and 8 MP sensors, and a main aperture of 1.9f, 2.0f, and 2.2f, respectively. In comparison, the Galaxy S25 also has a triple-camera setup, but with 50 MP, 12 MP, and 10 MP sensors, and a wider main aperture range of 1.8f, 2.2f, and 2.4f. Both devices feature 3x optical zoom, but the Galaxy S25 offers a higher resolution for its secondary cameras.

The front cameras also differ in resolution, with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro offering a higher 50 MP front camera, while the Galaxy S25 has a 12 MP front camera. Both have a 2.2f aperture for the front camera. Both devices offer optical image stabilization, continuous autofocus during video recording, and phase-detection autofocus for photos. They also support slow-motion video recording, have a built-in HDR mode, and can shoot raw images. However, the Galaxy S25 supports HDR10 video recording, while the Nothing Phone does not.

Additional features are largely similar. Both phones have a flash, manual exposure, manual ISO, serial shot mode, and touch autofocus. Neither phone has a front-facing LED flash, but both can create panoramas in-camera. The Galaxy S25 adds a dual-tone LED flash with two LEDs, while the Nothing Phone uses a single LED flash. Neither device supports Dolby Vision recording, and neither has a front-facing camera under the display. Both devices lack laser autofocus and 3D photo/video recording capabilities.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 run the same Android 15 operating system, but there are a few differences in additional features. Both devices share a range of privacy options, such as clipboard warnings, location and camera/microphone privacy options, and the ability to block app tracking. Neither device has Mail Privacy Protection, but both allow theme customization and have the option to block cross-site tracking, although neither device supports it.

Both devices include on-device machine learning, notification permissions, a media picker, dark mode, and the ability to play games while they download. They also support full-page screenshots, Live Text, and split screen, and both have a PiP (Picture-in-Picture) mode. However, the Galaxy S25 offers the added ability to be used as a PC, while the Nothing Phone does not.

For extra convenience, both devices have features like customizable notifications, Wi-Fi password sharing (though neither supports it), battery health check, an extra dim mode, and offline voice recognition. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a child lock and supports widgets, just like the Galaxy S25. Both devices are free and open source and can track the device’s location, support a multi-user system, and have voice commands. However, the Galaxy S25 is the only one that can be used as a PC, and both devices lack the Quick Start feature.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 differ in battery specifications. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a larger 5000 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S25 is equipped with a smaller 4000 mAh battery. Both devices support fast charging, but the Nothing Phone offers faster charging at 50W, compared to the Galaxy S25's 25W charging speed.

Neither device comes with a charger in the box, and neither has a removable battery. Both phones have rechargeable batteries and include a battery level indicator. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro does not support wireless charging, whereas the Galaxy S25 does have wireless charging capability, adding an extra charging option.

Overall, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro features a larger battery and faster charging, while the Galaxy S25 provides the added convenience of wireless charging, albeit with a smaller battery and slower charging speed.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 both lack a 3.5 mm audio jack, meaning neither device offers a wired headphone connection. Both phones are equipped with stereo speakers, providing a similar audio experience in terms of sound output. However, the Galaxy S25 has a more advanced set of wireless audio features. It supports aptX, LDAC, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro does not support any of these audio technologies.

In terms of microphones, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has three microphones, which may help with noise cancellation and clearer audio during calls and recordings. The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, has two microphones, which is one less than the Nothing Phone.

Neither device has a radio, so users will need to rely on other methods for FM or AM radio listening.

Both the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 support 5G connectivity, providing fast mobile network speeds. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro offers Wi-Fi support for Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), while the Galaxy S25 adds support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), in addition to the same Wi-Fi standards as the Nothing Phone. This gives the Galaxy S25 more future-proof connectivity options for Wi-Fi.

In terms of Bluetooth, both phones feature Bluetooth version 5.4. They also both include NFC, USB Type-C with a USB version of 2 on the Nothing Phone and 3.2 on the Galaxy S25, offering faster data transfer and charging on the Galaxy S25. The Galaxy S25 also significantly outpaces the Nothing Phone with download speeds of 10,000 MBits/s, compared to the 2,900 MBits/s of the Nothing Phone.

When it comes to sensors, both phones are equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, GPS, and a fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S25 also includes a barometer, which is not present on the Nothing Phone. Both devices support Galileo for navigation, but the Galaxy S25 stands out by supporting ANT+, an additional connectivity feature not found on the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.

Both the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 come equipped with a video light, which can be useful for low-light video recording. Neither device features sapphire glass displays, curved displays, or e-paper displays, so both phones have standard flat displays with regular glass protection.

The specifications for these features are identical between the two devices, with both offering the same functionality and lacking the advanced display technologies found in some other smartphones.