Apple iPhone SE (2020) vs Nothing Phone 3
The Verdict
The Apple iPhone SE (2020) and Nothing Phone 3 sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Apple iPhone SE (2020) is the cheaper of the two at $399 versus $799, a difference of about $400. The Nothing Phone 3 is the newer release, which usually means a faster chipset and longer software support. Apple iPhone SE (2020) stands out for incredibly affordable at $399 with flagship a13 chip, 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 SE (2020) if…
- →Incredibly affordable at $399 with flagship A13 chip
- →Compact and lightweight design
- →Touch ID home button
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 SE (2020)
Pros
- Incredibly affordable at $399 with flagship A13 chip
- Compact and lightweight design
- Touch ID home button
- Wi-Fi 6 support
- Long software support from Apple
Cons
- Tiny 1821 mAh battery with poor endurance
- Dated design with thick bezels
- Single rear camera with no ultrawide
- 750p LCD display
- No 5G support
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 SE (2020) | Nothing Phone 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | iOS 13 | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 148 g | 218 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, glass back | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back |
| IP rating | IP67 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 12 MP, f/1.8, OIS | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF |
| Front camera | 7 MP, f/2.2 | 50 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@60fps | 4K@30/60fps |
| Telephoto | — | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS |
| Ultrawide | — | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 3 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage options | 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 1821 mAh | 5150 mAh |
| Charging | 18W wired (adapter sold separately) | 65W wired |
| Wireless charging | 7.5W Qi | 15W wireless, 5W reverse |
| Display | ||
| Size | 4.7 inches | 6.67 inches |
| Type | Retina IPS LCD | OLED, HDR10+ |
| Resolution | 1334 x 750 | 1260 x 2800 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 625 | 4500 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x2.65 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 A13 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 |
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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.
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