ASUS ROG Phone 9 vs Nothing Phone 3
The Verdict
The ASUS ROG Phone 9 and Nothing Phone 3 sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Nothing Phone 3 is the cheaper of the two at $799 versus $999, a difference of about $200. ASUS ROG Phone 9 stands out for 185hz display refresh rate is the highest on any smartphone, 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 ASUS ROG Phone 9 if…
- →185Hz display refresh rate is the highest on any smartphone
- →Snapdragon 8 Elite with advanced cooling sustains peak gaming performance
- →5800 mAh battery handles extended gaming sessions
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
ASUS ROG Phone 9
Pros
- 185Hz display refresh rate is the highest on any smartphone
- Snapdragon 8 Elite with advanced cooling sustains peak gaming performance
- 5800 mAh battery handles extended gaming sessions
- AniMe Vision LED dot-matrix display on the back for notifications
- AirTrigger ultrasonic shoulder buttons enhance mobile gaming controls
Cons
- Heavy at 227 g — feels chunky as a daily driver
- 65W charging is slow compared to Chinese gaming phone rivals
- Camera is competent but not flagship-level for the price
- Gaming-focused design is too aggressive for many users
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 | ASUS ROG Phone 9 | Nothing Phone 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Android 15 | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 227 g | 218 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 163.8 x 77.0 x 8.9 mm | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.9, OIS (Sony IMX906) | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF |
| Front camera | 32 MP, f/2.4 | 50 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps | 4K@30/60fps |
| Ultrawide | 13 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree |
| Telephoto | — | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 16 GB | 12 GB / 16 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 5800 mAh | 5150 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired | 65W wired |
| Wireless charging | — | 15W wireless, 5W reverse |
| Display | ||
| Size | 6.78 inches | 6.67 inches |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED | OLED, HDR10+ |
| Resolution | 2400 x 1080 | 1260 x 2800 |
| Refresh rate | 185Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 2500 | 4500 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Octa-core (2x4.32 GHz + 6x3.53 GHz) | Octa-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x3.0 GHz A720 + 2x2.8 GHz A720 + 2x2.0 GHz A720) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 825 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | USB-C 3.2 | USB-C 2.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 | 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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