ASUS ROG Phone 9 FE vs Nothing Phone (3)
A close call. Their chips, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (flagship) and the 8s Gen 4 (flagship), are close in speed. The ROG Phone 9 FE starts with more RAM (16 GB against 12 GB). The ROG Phone 9 FE has the bigger battery (5,500 mAh against 5,150 mAh). The ROG Phone 9 FE has the smoother screen (185 Hz against 120 Hz).
ASUS
ROG Phone 9 FE
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Nothing
Phone (3)
3DSnapdragon 8s Gen 4What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
A close call
Neither phone is clearly better for what you chose. The cards show the trade-offs.
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
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Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Memory: 16 GB against 12 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 1080p@30fps against 4K 60 fps.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
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Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Graphics: Adreno 750 (4 nm) against Adreno 825 (4 nm).
- Screen: 185 Hz against 120 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
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Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 8K@30fps against 4K 60 fps.
- Front camera video: 1080p@30fps against 4K 60 fps.
- Editing and export: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5. Storage: not listed against UFS 4.0.
- 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
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Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Memory: 16 GB against 12 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.78″ LTPO AMOLED against 6.67″ AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
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Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.78″ LTPO AMOLED against 6.67″ AMOLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): not listed against yes.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
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Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: dual-band GPS (L1 + L5) against dual-band GPS (L1 + L5). Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
ROG Phone 9 FE5,500 mAh65 W charging
Phone (3)5,150 mAh65 W charging
Efficiency: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4 of 5
Storage
ROG Phone 9 FE256 GBType not published
Phone (3)256 GB / 512 GBUFS 4.0
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
ROG Phone 9 FESnapdragon 8 Gen 316 GB RAM
Phone (3)8s Gen 412 GB / 16 GB RAM
Everyday speed: 4.5 of 5 against 4.5 of 5
Screen
ROG Phone 9 FE6.78″ LTPO AMOLED185 Hz
Phone (3)6.67″ AMOLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
ROG Phone 9 FEIP68
Phone (3)IP68
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
ROG Phone 9 FEUntil about 20272 Android upgrades, 2 years of security updates
Phone (3)Until about 20325 Android upgrades, 7 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.78″ | 6.67″ |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1080 × 2400 | 1260 × 2800 |
| Refresh rate | 185 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2500 nits | 4500 nits |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 |
| RAM | 16 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB / 512 GB |
| Storage type | — | UFS 4.0 |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Zoom | None | 3× periscope |
| Video recording | 8K@30fps | 4K 60 fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP | 50 MP |
| Front video | 1080p@30fps | 4K 60 fps |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5500 mAh | 5150 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65 W | 65 W |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 15 W |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | No |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | Yes | Yes |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | No | Yes |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 225 g | 218 g |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm | 9 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Spec | ROG Phone 9 FE | Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| OS upgrades | 2 years | 5 years |
| Security updates | Not stated | 7 years |
Quick answers
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for camera and content creation?
- For camera and content creation, there’s no real difference between them. Video recording: 8K@30fps against 4K 60 fps.
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for work, study and ai?
- For work, study and ai, there’s no real difference between them. Heavy work: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4.5 of 5, 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5.
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.78″ LTPO AMOLED against 6.67″ AMOLED.
- Is the ROG Phone 9 FE or the Phone (3) better for everyday life?
- For everyday life, there’s no real difference between them. 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.
ASUS ROG Phone 9 FE specsNothing Phone (3) specsCompare with another phone