Nothing Phone 3 vs Samsung Galaxy A56
The Verdict
The Nothing Phone 3 and Samsung Galaxy A56 sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Samsung Galaxy A56 is the cheaper of the two at $449 versus $799, a difference of about $350. Nothing Phone 3 stands out for unique glyph interface design with customizable led patterns, while Samsung Galaxy A56 is praised for six generations of os updates — longest support in the mid-range. 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 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
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A56 if…
- →Six generations of OS updates — longest support in the mid-range
- →IP67 water resistance is rare at this price
- →Bright 120Hz Super AMOLED display looks great outdoors
Pros & Cons
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 A56
Pros
- Six generations of OS updates — longest support in the mid-range
- IP67 water resistance is rare at this price
- Bright 120Hz Super AMOLED display looks great outdoors
- 45W fast charging is a welcome upgrade over the A55
- Clean One UI 7 software with Galaxy AI features
Cons
- Exynos 1580 is slower than Snapdragon competitors at this price
- No telephoto — only a 5MP macro camera
- Plastic frame feels less premium than glass rivals
- No wireless charging
Full Specifications
| Spec | Nothing Phone 3 | Samsung Galaxy A56 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 | Android 15 (One UI 7) |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 218 g | 197 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back | Plastic frame, Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP67 |
| Dimensions | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm | 162.9 x 77.4 x 8.2 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF | 50 MP, f/1.8, OIS |
| Front camera | 50 MP, f/2.2 | 12 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps | 4K@30fps |
| Telephoto | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS | 5 MP, f/2.4, macro |
| Ultrawide | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree | 12 MP, f/2.2, 123-degree |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 5150 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired | 45W wired |
| Wireless charging | 15W wireless, 5W reverse | — |
| Display | ||
| Size | 6.67 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Type | OLED, HDR10+ | Super AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2800 | 2340 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 4500 | 1800 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x3.0 GHz A720 + 2x2.8 GHz A720 + 2x2.0 GHz A720) | Octa-core |
| GPU | Adreno 825 | Xclipse 540 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Samsung Exynos 1580 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 2.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.3 |
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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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