Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Nothing Phone (3a)

Name Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Nothing Phone (3a)
Image Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Nothing Phone (3a)
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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – frontSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – backSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – left sideSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – right side
Nothing Phone (3a) – frontNothing Phone (3a) – back
MSRP $1299.99 $379
Released Mar 2026 Mar 2025
Availability Available Available
Check price: Samsung, Amazon Amazon
Operating system
Operating system (OS) Android 16 Android 15
Latest OS update? - -
Display specifications
Display type AMOLED AMOLED
Display size (inch) 6.9″ 6.77″
Resolution (H×W) 3120×1440 2392×1080
Aspect ratio (H:W) 19.5:9 19.93:9
Pixel density (PPI) 500 PPI 387 PPI
HDR support (types) HDR10+ HDR10+
Refresh rate (max) 120 Hz 120 Hz
Hardware
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
GPU Adreno 840 Adreno 810
CPU cores 8-core 8-core
CPU clock speed (max) 4.74 GHz 2.5 GHz
RAM options (GB) 12 GB | 16 GB 8 GB | 12 GB
Memory options (GB) 256 | 512 | 1024 128 | 256
Memory card slot? (microSD) ❌ ❌
Main camera layout
Primary (wide) 200 MP 50 MP
Ultrawide 50 MP 8 MP
Telephoto 50 MP Periscope + 10 MP 50 MP
Optical zoom 5× + 3× 2×
Other cameras (macro/depth) ❌ ❌
Main camera features
Photo HDR? ✔ ✔
Video HDR? ✔ ❌
8K video? 24/30 fps ❌
4K video? 30/60/120 fps 30 fps
1080p video? 30/60/120/240 fps 30/60/120 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ ❌
Selfie-camera layout
Primary 12 MP wide 32 MP wide
Secondary ❌ ❌
Selfie-camera features
Face recognition? Face unlock Face unlock
Selfie photo HDR? ✔ ❌
4K selfie video? 30/60 fps ❌
1080p selfie video? 30 fps 30 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ ❌
Connectivity
SIM type? (physical) Nano Nano
Dual SIM? (card slots) ✔ ✔
eSIM? ✔ ❌
Cellular networks 5G 5G
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 6.0 5.4
NFC? ✔ ✔
Charging & data port USB-C 3.2 USB-C 2.0
Battery, power & charging
Battery capacity (3.7V) 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Wired charging speed? 60 W 50 W
Wireless charging? 25 Watt ❌
Reverse wireless charging? ✔ ❌
Audio
Speakers 2.0 (stereo) 2.0 (stereo)
3.5 mm AUX out port? ❌ ❌
Build & materials
IP-Code IP68 IP64
Screen material Corning Gorilla Armor 2 Panda Glass
Frame material Aluminum Plastic
Back material Gorilla Glass Victus 2 Glass
Layout & design
Selfie camera placement? Punch hole Punch hole
Fingerprint sensor? Under display Under display
Special design features? Built-in stylus storage, Privacy Display Transparent back panel, 3 LED light strips
Color options: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold Black, White, Blue
Size & weight
Size (cm H×W×D): 16.36×7.81×0.79 16.35×7.75×0.84
Size (inch H×W×D): 6.44×3.07×0.31 6.44×3.05×0.33
Weight (gram): 214 201
Weight (oz): 7.55 7.09
In the box
Cables? USB-C to C USB-C to C
Charger? ❌ ❌
Adapters? ❌ ❌
Other SIM tool SIM tool
More info
Model numbers SM-S948, SM-S9480 A059
User guide / manual Not available User Guide
Official site link: Samsung.com Nothing.tech
Check price & reviews
See price and reviews: Samsung, Amazon Amazon
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Key differences

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra costs $921 more ($1299.99 vs $379), is newer (Mar 2026 vs Mar 2025), has a sharper display (500 PPI vs 387 PPI), has more RAM (up to 16 GB vs up to 12 GB), has more storage (up to 1024 GB vs up to 256 GB) and charges faster (60 W vs 50 W).

The Nothing Phone (3a) is lighter (201 g vs 214 g). Only on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Video HDR, 8K video (24/30 fps), Selfie photo HDR, 4K selfie video (30/60 fps), eSIM and wireless charging (25 Watt).

Other differences: operating system (Android 16 vs Android 15), chipset (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 7s Gen 3), Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth (6.0 vs 5.4) and charging port (USB-C 3.2 vs USB-C 2.0). Both have AMOLED displays and 120 Hz refresh rates.

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