Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Nothing Phone 3 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
3-way comparisonphones
The Verdict
The Verdict
Premium performance costs $400-500 more, but Nothing Phone offers surprising value while Samsung's price tag demands justification against Apple's ecosystem.
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Pros & Cons
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Pros
- Class-leading A18 Pro performance
- Versatile camera system with 5x tetraprism telephoto
- Premium titanium build
- Bright 2000-nit ProMotion display
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- Very expensive starting price
- Heavy at 227 g
- Slow charging vs Android flagships
- Apple Intelligence features rolling out gradually
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
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Pros
- Class-leading 200 MP main camera with 5x periscope zoom
- Built-in S Pen for note-taking and productivity
- Bright 2600-nit display with Gorilla Glass Armor 2
- Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers top-tier performance
- 7 years of OS and security updates
Cons
- Very expensive at $1299 starting price
- S Pen lost Bluetooth remote features
- Charging speed still capped at 45W
- Large and heavy for one-handed use
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Nothing Phone 3 | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software | iOS 18 | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 | Android 15, One UI 7 |
| Body | |||
| Weight | 227 g | 218 g | 218 g |
| Material | Titanium frame | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back | Titanium frame, Gorilla Glass Armor 2 |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm |
| Camera | |||
| Main camera | 48 MP | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF | 200 MP, f/1.7, OIS |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 50 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@120fps Dolby Vision | 4K@30/60fps | 8K@30fps, 4K@120fps |
| Telephoto | 12 MP 5x | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS | 50 MP 5x periscope + 10 MP 3x |
| Ultrawide | 48 MP | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree | 50 MP, f/1.9 |
| Memory | |||
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB | 256 GB, 512 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| Battery | |||
| Capacity | 4685 mAh | 5150 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 27W wired | 65W wired | 45W wired |
| Wireless charging | 25W MagSafe | 15W wireless, 5W reverse | 15W Qi2 |
| Display | |||
| Size | 6.9 inches | 6.67 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, LTPO | OLED, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X LTPO |
| Resolution | 2868 x 1320 | 1260 x 2800 | 3120 x 1440 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 2000 | 4500 | 2600 |
| Processor | |||
| CPU | Hexa-core | Octa-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x3.0 GHz A720 + 2x2.8 GHz A720 + 2x2.0 GHz A720) | Octa-core (2x4.47 GHz + 6x3.53 GHz) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (6-core) | Adreno 825 | Adreno 830 |
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
| Connectivity | |||
| 5G | |||
| NFC | |||
| USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 6.0 | 5.4 |
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Head-to-Head Matchups
This comparison is based on verified manufacturer specifications. Learn more about our methodology.