Nothing Phone 3a Lite vs iPhone Air

Name Nothing Phone (3a) Lite Apple iPhone Air
Image Nothing Phone (3a) Lite Apple iPhone Air
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Nothing Phone (3a) Lite – frontNothing Phone (3a) Lite – backNothing Phone (3a) Lite – left sideNothing Phone (3a) Lite – right side
Apple iPhone Air – frontApple iPhone Air – backApple iPhone Air – right side
MSRP $279 $999
Released Oct 2025 Sep 2025
Availability Available Available
Check price: Amazon Apple, Amazon
Operating system
Operating system (OS) Android 15 iOS 26
Latest OS update? - -
Display specifications
Display type AMOLED LTPO OLED
Display size (inch) 6.77″ 6.5″
Resolution (H×W) 2392×1080 2736×1260
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 120 Hz
Hardware
Chipset Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro Apple A19 Pro
GPU Mali-G615 MC2 Apple GPU, 5 cores
CPU cores 8-core 6-core
CPU clock speed (max) 2.5 GHz 4.26 GHz
RAM options (GB) 8 GB 12 GB
Memory options (GB) 128 | 256 256 | 512 | 1024
Memory card slot? (microSD) ✔ ❌
Main camera layout
Primary (wide) 50 MP 48 MP
Ultrawide 8 MP ❌
Telephoto ❌ ❌
Optical zoom ❌ ❌
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 18 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 None
Dual SIM? (card slots) ✔ ❌
eSIM? ❌ ✔
Cellular networks 5G 5G
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.4 6.0
NFC? ✔ ✔
Charging & data port USB-C 2.0 USB-C 2.0
Battery, power & charging
Battery capacity (3.7V) 5000 mAh 3149 mAh
Wired charging speed? 33 W 20 W
Wireless charging? ❌ 20 Watt
Reverse wireless charging? ❌ ❌
Audio
Speakers 1.0 (mono) 1.0 (mono)
3.5 mm AUX out port? ❌ ❌
Build & materials
IP-Code IP54 IP68
Screen material Panda Glass Ceramic Shield 2
Frame material Plastic Titanium
Back material Panda Glass Ceramic Shield
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, Blue, White, Gold
Size & weight
Size (cm H×W×D): 16.40×7.80×0.83 15.62×7.47×0.56
Size (inch H×W×D): 6.46×3.07×0.33 6.15×2.94×0.22
Weight (gram): 199 165
Weight (oz): 7.02 5.82
In the box
Cables? USB-C to C USB-C to C
Charger? ❌ ❌
Adapters? ❌ ❌
Other SIM tool, case ❌
More info
Model numbers A001T A3517, A3260, A3518, A3516
User guide / manual User Guide User Guide
Official site link: Nothing.tech Apple.com
Check price & reviews
See price and reviews: Amazon Apple, Amazon
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Key differences

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is newer (Oct 2025 vs Sep 2025), has a larger display (6.77″ vs 6.5″), has a larger battery (5000 mAh vs 3149 mAh) and charges faster (33 W vs 20 W).

The Apple iPhone Air costs $720 more ($999 vs $279), has a sharper display (460 PPI vs 388 PPI), has more RAM (12 GB vs 8 GB), has more storage (up to 1024 GB vs up to 256 GB) and is lighter (165 g vs 199 g).

Only on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: memory card slot, ultrawide (8 MP), other cameras (2 MP macro), physical SIM (Nano), Dual SIM and fingerprint sensor (Under display).

Only on the Apple iPhone Air: Video HDR, Selfie photo HDR, 4K selfie video (24/25/30/60 fps), eSIM and wireless charging (20 Watt).

Other differences: operating system (Android 15 vs iOS 26), display type (AMOLED vs LTPO OLED), chipset (Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro vs Apple A19 Pro), Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth (5.4 vs 6.0). Both have 120 Hz refresh rates.

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