Nothing Phone (3) vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
A close call. Their chips, the 8s Gen 4 (flagship) and the 8 Elite for Galaxy (flagship), are close in speed. The Phone (3) has faster wired charging (65 W against 45 W).
Nothing
Phone (3)
3DSnapdragon 8s Gen 4
Samsung
Galaxy S25 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite for GalaxyWhat 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
Same in practiceEither oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 12 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 oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Graphics: Adreno 825 (4 nm) against Adreno 830 (3 nm).
- Screen: 120 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
Slight edgePick Galaxy S25 UltraOfficialEstimateWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 4K 60 fps against 8K@30fps.
- Front camera video: 4K 60 fps against 4K@60fps.
- Editing and export: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 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 oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Memory: 12 GB against 12 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.9″ LTPO AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialEstimateWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.9″ LTPO AMOLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): yes against yes.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
Slight edgePick Phone (3)OfficialWhy? 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
Galaxy S25 Ultra5,000 mAh45 W charging
Efficiency: 8s Gen 4 4 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5
Storage
Phone (3)256 GB / 512 GBUFS 4.0
Galaxy S25 Ultra256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
Phone (3)8s Gen 412 GB / 16 GB RAM
Galaxy S25 Ultra8 Elite for Galaxy12 GB / 16 GB RAM
Everyday speed: 4.5 of 5 against 5 of 5
Screen
Phone (3)6.67″ AMOLED120 Hz
Galaxy S25 Ultra6.9″ LTPO AMOLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
Phone (3)IP68
Galaxy S25 UltraIP68
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
Phone (3)Until about 20325 Android upgrades, 7 years of security updates
Galaxy S25 UltraUntil about 20327 Android upgrades, 7 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.67″ | 6.9″ |
| Type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1260 × 2800 | 1440 × 3120 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 4500 nits | 2600 nits |
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB / 512 GB | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB |
| Storage type | UFS 4.0 | — |
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 200 MP |
| Zoom | 3× periscope | 5x optical |
| Video recording | 4K 60 fps | 8K@30fps |
| Front camera | 50 MP | 12 MP |
| Front video | 4K 60 fps | 4K@60fps |
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5150 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 65 W | 45 W |
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 15 W |
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 218 g | 218 g |
| Thickness | 9 mm | 8.2 mm |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Spec | Phone (3) | Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| OS upgrades | 5 years | 7 years |
| Security updates | 7 years | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: 8s Gen 4 4.5 of 5, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra better for camera and content creation?
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a slight edge for camera and content creation. Video recording: 4K 60 fps against 8K@30fps.
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra 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, 8 Elite for Galaxy 5 of 5.
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.67″ AMOLED against 6.9″ LTPO AMOLED.
- Is the Phone (3) or the Galaxy S25 Ultra 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) specsSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specsCompare with another phone