Nothing Phone 3a Lite vs iPhone 16

Name Nothing Phone (3a) Lite Apple iPhone 16
Image Nothing Phone (3a) Lite Apple iPhone 16
More views
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite – frontNothing Phone (3a) Lite – backNothing Phone (3a) Lite – left sideNothing Phone (3a) Lite – right side
Apple iPhone 16 – frontApple iPhone 16 – backApple iPhone 16 – right side
MSRP $279 $799
Released Oct 2025 Sep 2024
Availability Available Available
Check price: Amazon Apple, Amazon
Operating system
Operating system (OS) Android 15 iOS 18
Latest OS update? - iOS 18.2.1
Display specifications
Display type AMOLED OLED
Display size (inch) 6.77″ 6.1″
Resolution (H×W) 2392×1080 2556×1179
Aspect ratio (H:W) 19.93:9 19.5:9
Pixel density (PPI) 388 PPI 460 PPI
HDR support (types) HDR Dolby Vision, HDR10
Refresh rate (max) 120 Hz 60 Hz
Hardware
Chipset Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro Apple A18
GPU Mali-G615 MC2 Apple GPU, 5 cores
CPU cores 8-core 6-core
CPU clock speed (max) 2.5 GHz 4.04 GHz
RAM options (GB) 8 GB 8 GB
Memory options (GB) 128 | 256 128 | 256 | 512
Memory card slot? (microSD) ✔ ❌
Main camera layout
Primary (wide) 50 MP 48 MP
Ultrawide 8 MP 12 MP
Telephoto ❌ ❌
Optical zoom ❌ 2×
Other cameras (macro/depth) 2 MP macro ❌
Main camera features
Photo HDR? ✔ ✔
Video HDR? ❌ ✔
8K video? ❌ ❌
4K video? 30 fps 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p video? 30/60/120 fps 25/30/60/120/240 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ 720p@30 fps
Selfie-camera layout
Primary 16 MP wide 12 MP wide
Secondary ❌ SL 3D
Selfie-camera features
Face recognition? Face unlock Face ID
Selfie photo HDR? ❌ ✔
4K selfie video? ❌ 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p selfie video? 30 fps 25/30/60/120 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ ❌
Connectivity
SIM type? (physical) Nano Nano (USA: none)
Dual SIM? (card slots) ✔ ❌ China only
eSIM? ❌ ✔
Cellular networks 5G 5G
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.4 5.3
NFC? ✔ ✔
Charging & data port USB-C 2.0 USB-C 2.0
Battery, power & charging
Battery capacity (3.7V) 5000 mAh 3561 mAh
Wired charging speed? 33 W ~25 W
Wireless charging? ❌ 25 Watt
Reverse wireless charging? ❌ ❌
Audio
Speakers 1.0 (mono) 2.0 (stereo)
3.5 mm AUX out port? ❌ ❌
Build & materials
IP-Code IP54 IP68
Screen material Panda Glass Ceramic Shield glass
Frame material Plastic Aluminum
Back material Panda Glass Glass
Layout & design
Selfie camera placement? Punch hole Island
Fingerprint sensor? Under display ❌
Special design features? Notification LED (back) Action button, Camera control button
Color options: Black, White Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine
Size & weight
Size (cm H×W×D): 16.40×7.80×0.83 14.76×7.16×0.78
Size (inch H×W×D): 6.46×3.07×0.33 5.81×2.82×0.31
Weight (gram): 199 170
Weight (oz): 7.02 6.00
In the box
Cables? USB-C to C USB-C to C
Charger? ❌ ❌
Adapters? ❌ ❌
Other SIM tool, case SIM tool (outside USA)
More info
Model numbers A001T A3287, A3081, A3286, A3288, iPhone17,3
User guide / manual User Guide User Guide
Official site link: Nothing.tech Apple.com
Check price & reviews
See price and reviews: Amazon Apple, Amazon
Legend:
Great/yes
Good
Not good
Bad/no

Key differences

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is newer (Oct 2025 vs Sep 2024), has a larger display (6.77″ vs 6.1″), has a higher refresh rate (120 Hz vs 60 Hz), has a larger battery (5000 mAh vs 3561 mAh) and charges faster (33 W vs ~25 W).

The Apple iPhone 16 costs $520 more ($799 vs $279), has a sharper display (460 PPI vs 388 PPI), has more storage (up to 512 GB vs up to 256 GB) and is lighter (170 g vs 199 g).

Only on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: memory card slot, other cameras (2 MP macro), Dual SIM and fingerprint sensor (Under display).

Only on the Apple iPhone 16: optical zoom (2×), Video HDR, Selfie photo HDR, 4K selfie video (24/25/30/60 fps), eSIM and wireless charging (25 Watt).

Other differences: operating system (Android 15 vs iOS 18), display type (AMOLED vs OLED), chipset (Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro vs Apple A18), Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth (5.4 vs 5.3). Both have 8 GB of RAM.

More smartphone comparisons