Nothing Phone (3a) vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
35.1Performance90
58.8Display62.7
54.7Camera74
59.2Battery61.2
73.3Features94.7
3 spec wins — Nothing Phone (3a)12 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra wins this phone face-off, 76 to 52.4, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+55) and features (+21). Nothing Phone (3a) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Nothing Phone (3a)
- 167% higher Front camera: 32 MP vs 12 MP
- 15% higher Peak brightness: 3,000 nits vs 2,600 nits
- Lower launch price: $379 vs $1,299
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
- Stronger performance score: 90 vs 35
- Stronger display score: 63 vs 59
- Stronger camera score: 74 vs 55
- Stronger features score: 95 vs 73
- 525% higher Ultra-wide: 50 MP vs 8 MP
Display
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.77 ″ | 6.9 ″+2% |
| Panel type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1080x2392 | 3120x1440 |
| Pixel density | 387 ppi | 498 ppi+29% |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 3,000 nits+15% | 2,600 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 87.4 % | — |
| AnTuTu 10 (CPU) | — | 1,017,509Top 7% |
| AnTuTu 10 (GPU) | — | 1,344,505Top 4% |
| AnTuTu 10 (Memory) | — | 390,717Top 7% |
| AnTuTu 10 (UX) | — | 685,076Top 7% |
Performance
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| AnTuTu 10 | 800,000Top 61% | 3,437,807+330%Top 2% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 1,150Top 61% | 3,850+235%Top 1% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 3,250Top 61% | 11,900+266%Top 1% |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 128/256GB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.2 | UFS 4.1 |
Camera
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 200 MP+300% |
| Main aperture | f/1.88 | f/1.7 |
| Ultra-wide | 8 MP | 50 MP+525% |
| Telephoto | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Optical zoom | 2 x | 5 x+150% |
| Max video | 4K@30fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP+167% | 12 MP |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 50 W | 60 W+20% |
| Wireless charging | 0 W | 25 W |
| Active use endurance | 11 h | — |
Design
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 201 g+6% | 214 g |
| Thickness | 8.4 mm | 7.9 mm+6% |
| IP rating | IP64 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum | Titanium |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | Android 15 (Nothing OS 3.1) | Android 16 (One UI 8.5) |
| OS update pledge | 3 years | 7 years+133% |
Audio
| Spec | Nothing Phone (3a) | Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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