Nothing Phone (3) vs Apple iPhone 16e
Overall: Nothing Phone (3). Their chips, the 8s Gen 4 (flagship) and the Apple A18 (flagship), are close in speed. The Phone (3) starts with more RAM (12 GB against 8 GB). The Phone (3) has the bigger battery (5,150 mAh against 4,005 mAh). The Phone (3) has the smoother screen (120 Hz against 60 Hz).
Nothing
Phone (3)
3DSnapdragon 8s Gen 4
Apple
iPhone 16e
Apple A18What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
Overall: Nothing Phone (3)
Better for everyday life. Score: Phone (3) 1, iPhone 16e 0 (clear win 2, slight edge 1, same 0).
Backed by facts100% of areas
Pick this for…
Who wins for each way you use a phone. Tap a card for the evidence.
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 5 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 8 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 4K 60 fps against 4K@60fps.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 4 of 5.
- Graphics: Adreno 825 (4 nm) against Apple GPU (5-core graphics) (3 nm).
- Screen: 120 Hz against 60 Hz.
- Light games run well on both. The gap shows in heavy 3D games. How long a phone holds its speed when hot needs testing, so it is not judged.
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 4K 60 fps against 4K@60fps.
- Front camera video: 4K 60 fps against 4K@60fps.
- Editing and export: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 4.5 of 5. Storage: UFS 4.0 against not listed.
- Photo and video quality need side-by-side testing, so we do not judge them from megapixels.
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 4.5 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 8 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.1″ OLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.1″ OLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): yes against not listed.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
Slight edgePick Phone (3)OfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) against single-band GPS. Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
Phone (3)5,150 mAh65 W charging
iPhone 16e4,005 mAh
Efficiency: 8s Gen 4 4 of 5, Apple A18 5 of 5
Storage
Phone (3)256 GB / 512 GBUFS 4.0
iPhone 16e128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
Phone (3)8s Gen 412 GB / 16 GB RAM
iPhone 16eApple A188 GB RAM
Everyday speed: 4.5 of 5 against 5 of 5
Screen
Phone (3)6.67″ AMOLED120 Hz
iPhone 16e6.1″ OLED60 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
Phone (3)IP68
iPhone 16eIP68
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
Phone (3)Until about 20325 Android upgrades, 7 years of security updates
iPhone 16eNo promise publishedLaunched February 2025
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.67″ | 6.1″ |
| Type | AMOLED | OLED |
| Resolution | 1260 × 2800 | 1170 × 2532 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 4500 nits | 1200 nits |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Apple A18 |
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 4.0 | — |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 48 MP |
| Zoom | 3× periscope | None |
| Video recording | 4K 60 fps | 4K@60fps |
| Front camera | 50 MP | 12 MP |
| Front video | 4K 60 fps | 4K@60fps |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5150 mAh | 4005 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65 W | — |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 5 W |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | No | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | Yes | No |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 218 g | 167 g |
| Thickness | 9 mm | 7.8 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Spec | Phone (3) | iPhone 16e |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 15 | iOS 26 |
| OS upgrades | 5 years | Not stated |
| Security updates | 7 years | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 5 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 4 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for camera and content creation?
- For camera and content creation, there’s no real difference between them. Video recording: 4K 60 fps against 4K@60fps.
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for work, study and ai?
- For work, study and ai, there’s no real difference between them. Heavy work: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, Apple A18 4.5 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.1″ OLED.
- Is the Phone (3) or the iPhone 16e better for everyday life?
- The Phone (3) has a slight edge for everyday life. Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
What we don’t judge on
Security patch level, charging watts, megapixels, benchmark scores and guessed values.
- Security patch level and other software settings change with every update, so one reading can’t judge a phone. We use the maker’s written update promise.
- Charging watts, megapixels, screen size and weight are shown, never scored as better: faster charging doesn’t make a battery last longer, and more megapixels don’t make better photos.
- Chip estimates (1 to 5) come from published design facts: core design and year, graphics, manufacturing and video features. Photo quality and how long a phone holds its speed when hot need testing, so they aren’t judged.
- Values with no source show “not published” and stay out of the verdict.
Nothing Phone (3) specsApple iPhone 16e specsCompare with another phone