Nothing Phone 3 vs Google Pixel 9: Which is the better smartphone?

The Nothing Phone 3 is the company's first true flagship device, and is being positioned alongside premium smartphones in the category. Set to release worldwide on July 15, 2025, it is said to feature top-of-the-line hardware that should make it a powerful daily driver.

The Google Pixel 9 is another phone priced similarly and is an already well-established name in the industry. So, it'd be interesting to see how the new Phone 3 from Nothing compares against it.

This guide will compare the specs and features of the two phones, accounting for factors like performance, camera quality, battery life, and more, to help you make an informed decision if you're looking to buy either one of them.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and may reflect the writer's views.

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Nothing Phone 3 vs Google Pixel 9: What are the differences?

The new Phone 3 and the Pixel 9 are both excellent flagships in this price segment (Image via Nothing, Google)

The Nothing Phone 3 and the Google Pixel 9 are solid options if you're looking for a flagship daily driver. They're both packed with features, with one being known for its unique design and the other for its clean OS and camera capabilities.

Here's a detailed comparison of their specifications:

Also read: 5 best camera phones for mobile photography (2025)

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Performance

The Nothing Phone 3 features the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which offers superb performance for gaming and multitasking. AI-related tasks and heavy workloads should run well on the device, especially with the 12 GB and 16 GB RAM configurations.

The Google Pixel 9, on the other hand, runs on the Google Tensor G4 chipset, which offers smooth performance and top-tier efficiency. While it can handle most demanding games, it does not come close to the ray tracing performance of the 8s Gen 4. Also, the Pixel comes in a fixed 12 GB RAM configuration.

Thus, if we're looking solely based on performance, the Nothing Phone 3 would be the more powerful option due to better performance in gaming, editing, and AI workloads.

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Display

The new Nothing Phone 3 comes with a stunning 6.77-inch AMOLED display and a 120 Hz refresh rate. This means you get vibrant visuals along with smooth transitions, which is particularly helpful for gaming and multimedia consumption. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 9 features a beautiful 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which also looks incredible when viewing content.

The Phone 3 comes with the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i screen, which is a decent mid-range glass. The Pixel 9, on the other hand, features the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which offers superior durability and scratch resistance.

However, the Phone 3 truly shines when it comes to brightness, in which it peaks at 4500 nits under certain conditions. The Pixel 9 maxes out at 2700 nits, which is super bright as well, but it does not come close to that of the former. Thus, if you're someone who spends a fair amount of time outdoors, Nothing might be a better choice for you.

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Camera

Google Pixel 9's camera beats almost every smartphone in the segment (Image via Google)

Google Pixel cameras have dominated the industry with their high-res photos and videos. The Pixel 9, too, is capable of capturing incredible pictures with its 50 MP main camera and 48 MP ultrawide lens. Sample pictures show that the camera brings out details, capturing bright images with realistic-looking color tones that aren't too saturated. The camera especially excels at landscape shots and portraiture.

The Nothing Phone 3 features a triple camera setup, with three 50 MP cameras. Sample pictures reveal vibrant pictures with very high clarity. While outdoor shots taken on this device look great, its camera truly shines when it comes to close-ups or macros. In a close range, the lens seems to pick up far better detail, and photos look superb overall.

Both phones are capable of shooting up to 4K video at 60 fps, so the picture quality comes down to the sensors that these phones are housing. Based on what we've seen from the samples and the specs, we'd definitely go with the Google Pixel 9, as it simply clicks sharper, more detailed pictures with realistic color tones.

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Battery life

Both phones feature highly efficient processors and large batteries. The Phone 3 houses a large 5150 mAh battery, which lasts an entire day's use, according to reviews. The Google Pixel 9 has a smaller battery on paper, featuring a 4700 mAh unit. However, based on reviews, it lasts close to an entire day's use as well. With the Extreme Battery Saver mode, you can even get a whopping 100 hours of runtime on the Pixel phone.

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Price

The Phone 3 is quite well-priced at $799 (for both models), especially for what it offers. Originally priced at $899 and $799, the Pixel 9 had the same pricing as the Phone 3. However, the $200 discount for unlocked phones makes it a lot more affordable.

Here are the prices of the two phones:

Nothing Phone 3:

• 12GB+256GB: $799
• 16GB+512GB: $799 (discounted, original price is $899)

Google Pixel 9:

• 12GB+128GB: $599 (discounted)
• 12GB+256GB: $699 (discounted)

Also read: Nothing Phone 3 vs Nothing Phone 3a Pro: Which is the better option?

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Final verdict

This concludes the comparison of the Phone 3 and the Pixel 9. It's a little tricky to choose a winner, as both phones perform well in slightly different areas. However, judging by the current pricing, we'd advise you to go for the Google Pixel 9, as it offers great performance, excellent cameras, and a superb battery life.

Its gaming performance may not be as good as that of the Nothing Phone 3, but it's still decent enough. We'd advise you to go for the Phone 3 only if the Pixel 9's price increases once the discount expires.

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Edited by Niladri Roy