Apple iPhone 12 mini vs Nothing Phone 3
The Verdict
The Apple iPhone 12 mini and Nothing Phone 3 sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Apple iPhone 12 mini is the cheaper of the two at $699 versus $799, a difference of about $100. The Nothing Phone 3 is the newer release, which usually means a faster chipset and longer software support. Apple iPhone 12 mini stands out for lightest 5g iphone at just 133 g, while Nothing Phone 3 is praised for unique glyph interface design with customizable led patterns. Use the side-by-side spec table below to compare cameras, displays, battery life and connectivity in detail and decide which one fits your priorities.
Who Should Buy
Buy the Apple iPhone 12 mini if…
- →Lightest 5G iPhone at just 133 g
- →Compact form factor perfect for one-handed use
- →Same A14 Bionic as larger iPhone 12 models
Buy the Nothing Phone 3 if…
- →Unique Glyph Interface design with customizable LED patterns
- →50 MP triple camera with 3x periscope telephoto
- →Clean Nothing OS with 5 years of Android upgrades
Pros & Cons
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Pros
- Lightest 5G iPhone at just 133 g
- Compact form factor perfect for one-handed use
- Same A14 Bionic as larger iPhone 12 models
- Beautiful OLED display despite small size
- MagSafe accessory support
Cons
- Very small 2227 mAh battery with poor endurance
- No telephoto camera
- 60Hz display refresh rate
- 5G usage drains battery quickly
- Discontinued after poor sales
Nothing Phone 3
Pros
- Unique Glyph Interface design with customizable LED patterns
- 50 MP triple camera with 3x periscope telephoto
- Clean Nothing OS with 5 years of Android upgrades
- 65W fast charging and 15W wireless charging
- IP68 water and dust resistance
Cons
- 218g is on the heavier side
- USB 2.0 instead of USB 3.x
- Camera post-processing behind top flagships
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple iPhone 12 mini | Nothing Phone 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | iOS 14 | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 133 g | 218 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, Ceramic Shield front | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 12 MP, f/1.6, OIS | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF |
| Front camera | 12 MP TrueDepth, f/2.2 | 50 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@60fps, Dolby Vision HDR | 4K@30/60fps |
| Ultrawide | 12 MP, f/2.4 | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree |
| Telephoto | — | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 4 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage options | 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 2227 mAh | 5150 mAh |
| Charging | 20W wired | 65W wired |
| Wireless charging | 15W MagSafe | 15W wireless, 5W reverse |
| Display | ||
| Size | 5.4 inches | 6.67 inches |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED | OLED, HDR10+ |
| Resolution | 2340 x 1080 | 1260 x 2800 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 1200 | 4500 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz + 4x1.8 GHz) | Octa-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x3.0 GHz A720 + 2x2.8 GHz A720 + 2x2.0 GHz A720) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core) | Adreno 825 |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | Lightning | USB-C 2.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 6.0 |
Want to compare a third product?
Add another product for a 3-way comparison.
Related Comparisons
This comparison is based on verified manufacturer specifications covering display, performance, camera, battery, and build quality. Scores are generated by analyzing specs across weighted categories on a 10-point scale. Learn more about our methodology.
Explore more in phones, see all Apple products or all Nothing products. View full details for the Apple iPhone 12 mini or the Nothing Phone 3.