Nothing Phone (3a)
#399
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Discovery
#481Category Breakdown
Nothing Phone (3a)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Discovery
Performance
86.292.1
Camera
85.594.5
Display
96.092.2
Battery
33.729.8
Build
74.778.7
Connectivity
83.187.8
Audio
87.687.6
Overall
79.176.3
Summary
- The Nothing Phone (3a) features a glass front and back with a plastic frame, while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Discovery has a more premium aluminum frame.
- The Nothing Phone's 6.77-inch AMOLED display offers higher peak brightness at 3000 nits compared to the Redmi's 6.67-inch OLED display with a peak of 900 nits, both supporting 120Hz refresh rates.
- In terms of performance, the Nothing Phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, whereas the Redmi utilizes the Mediatek Dimensity 1080.
- The camera setup on the Redmi boasts a 200 MP main sensor, significantly higher than the Nothing Phone's 50 MP, although both support OIS and 4K video recording.
- Battery capacity favors the Nothing Phone with 5000 mAh compared to the Redmi's 4300 mAh, but the Redmi supports faster charging at 210W.
- Software-wise, the Nothing Phone runs Android 15 with a promise of three major updates, while the Redmi operates on Android 12 with MIUI 13.
Side-by-side Specification Comparison
Nothing Phone (3a)
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Discovery
General
Release Date
2025, March 04
2022, October 27
Announced
2025, March 04
2022, October 27
Description
N/A
Also known as Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Discovery edition, Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Explorer
Display
Size
6.77"
6.67"
Type
AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1300 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 900 nits (HBM)
Resolution
1080 x 2392 pixels (~387 ppi density)
1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~395 ppi density)
PPI
1080
1080
Refresh Rate
120Hz
120Hz
HDR Support
✓
✓
Protection
Panda Glass
N/A
Performance
Chipset
Qualcomm SM7635 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm)
Mediatek Dimensity 1080 (6 nm)
CPU
Octa-core (1x2.5 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A520)
Octa-core (2x2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU
Adreno 710 (940 MHz)
Mali-G68 MC4
Memory
128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
256GB 8GB RAM
Expandable Storage
✗
✗
Card Slot
No
No
Camera
Main Camera
50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.57", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS50 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.74", 0.64µm, PDAF (25cm - ∞), 2x optical zoom8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.4", 0.56µm, PDAF, OIS8 MP, f/1.9, 119˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
Main Camera Features
LED flash, panorama, HDR
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama
Front Camera
32 MP, f/2.2, 22mm (wide), 1/3.44"
16 MP, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm
Front Camera Features
N/A
HDR
Video Recording
4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS, OIS
4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps
Selfie Video
1080p@30fps
1080p@30/60fps
Optical Stabilization
✓
✓
Night Mode
✗
✗
Raw Photo Support
✗
✗
Battery
Capacity
5000 mAh
4300 mAh
Battery Details
5000 mAh
Li-Po 4300 mAh
Charging Details
50W wired, 50% in 19 min, 100% in 56 min
210W wired, PD3.0, 66% in 5 min, 100% in 9 min
Fast Charging
✗
✗
Wireless Charging
✗
✗
Build & Safety
Dimensions
163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm (6.44 x 3.05 x 0.33 in)
162.9 x 76 x 9 mm (6.41 x 2.99 x 0.35 in)
Weight
201 g
207.5 g
Materials
Glass front (Panda Glass), plastic frame, glass back
Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
Colors
Black, White, Blue
Black
Foldable
✗
✗
SAR
N/A
N/A
Connectivity
SIM
Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Network
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Network Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G
HSPA, LTE (CA), 5G
5G
✓
✓
4G
✓
✓
WiFi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
5.4, A2DP, LE
5.2, A2DP, LE
NFC
✓
✓
USB
USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
IR Blaster
✗
✗
Headphone Jack
✗
✓
Radio
✗
✗
Positioning
GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
GPS (L1), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c), GALILEO (E1), QZSS (L1)
Audio
Stereo Speakers
✓
✓
Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
Yes, with stereo speakers
Audio Jack
No
Yes
Software & Security
Operating System
Android 15, up to 3 major Android upgrades, Nothing OS 3.1
Android 12, MIUI 13
Fingerprint
✓
✓
Face Unlock
✗
✗
Sensors
Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass