Nothing Phone 3 vs Xiaomi Redmi 12C
The Verdict
The Nothing Phone 3 and Xiaomi Redmi 12C sit in the same category and end up appealing to slightly different buyers. The Xiaomi Redmi 12C is the cheaper of the two at $119 versus $799, a difference of about $680. The Nothing Phone 3 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 Xiaomi Redmi 12C is praised for ultra-affordable at $119 for a functioning smartphone. 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 Xiaomi Redmi 12C if…
- →Ultra-affordable at $119 for a functioning smartphone
- →Large 5000 mAh battery lasts multiple days with light use
- →50 MP main camera is decent for basic photography
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
Xiaomi Redmi 12C
Pros
- Ultra-affordable at $119 for a functioning smartphone
- Large 5000 mAh battery lasts multiple days with light use
- 50 MP main camera is decent for basic photography
- Large 6.71-inch display for media consumption
- MicroSD expansion up to 1 TB for storage
Cons
- HD+ resolution is noticeably pixelated on the large screen
- Micro-USB port is obsolete — not USB-C
- Only 10W charging takes 4+ hours for a full charge
- No NFC for contactless payments
- Helio G85 struggles with anything beyond basic apps
Full Specifications
| Spec | Nothing Phone 3 | Xiaomi Redmi 12C |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 | Android 12 (MIUI 13) |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 218 g | 192 g |
| Material | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus back | Plastic frame and back |
| IP rating | IP68 | None |
| Dimensions | 160.6 x 75.6 x 9.0 mm | 168.8 x 76.4 x 8.77 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", OIS, PDAF | 50 MP, f/1.8 |
| Front camera | 50 MP, f/2.2 | 5 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Telephoto | 50 MP, f/2.7, 3x optical zoom, periscope, OIS | — |
| Ultrawide | 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree | — |
| Depth | — | 0.08 MP, f/2.8 |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 12 GB / 16 GB | 3 GB / 4 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 5150 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired | 10W wired |
| Wireless charging | 15W wireless, 5W reverse | No |
| Display | ||
| Size | 6.67 inches | 6.71 inches |
| Type | OLED, HDR10+ | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2800 | 1650 x 720 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 60Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 4500 | 400 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3x3.0 GHz A720 + 2x2.8 GHz A720 + 2x2.0 GHz A720) | Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz + 6x1.8 GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 825 | Mali-G52 MC2 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | MediaTek Helio G85 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | USB-C 2.0 | Micro-USB |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.1 |
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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.
Explore more in phones, see all Nothing products or all Xiaomi products. View full details for the Nothing Phone 3 or the Xiaomi Redmi 12C.