Nothing Phone 3 vs Samsung Galaxy S26
The Verdict
The Nothing Phone 3 and Samsung Galaxy S26 sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. Both launched at roughly the same price ($799 vs $800), so cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor. The Samsung Galaxy S26 is the newer release, which usually means a faster chipset and longer software support. Nothing Phone 3 stands out for unique glyph interface design with customizable led patterns, while Samsung Galaxy S26 is praised for compact 6.2-inch flagship. 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 S26 if…
- →Compact 6.2-inch flagship
- →Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- →7 years of OS updates
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 S26
Pros
- Compact 6.2-inch flagship
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- 7 years of OS updates
- IP68 water resistance
Cons
- Smaller 4000 mAh battery
- Only 25W charging
- 12MP ultrawide is dated
Full Specifications
| Spec | Nothing Phone 3 | Samsung Galaxy S26 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 | Android 16, One UI 8 |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 218 g | 168 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back | Armor Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm | 146 x 70 x 7.6 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 | 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps |
| Telephoto | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS | 10 MP, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom |
| Ultrawide | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree | 12 MP, f/2.2 |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 5150 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired | 25W wired |
| Wireless charging | 15W wireless, 5W reverse | 15W wireless |
| Display | ||
| Size | 6.67 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Type | OLED, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2800 | 1080 x 2340 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 4500 | 2600 |
| 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 | Adreno |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | USB-C 3.2 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.4 |
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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 Nothing products or all Samsung products. View full details for the Nothing Phone 3 or the Samsung Galaxy S26.