Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: You are not a "Pro" just because your name says so
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Intro
For the upper mid-range market, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Galaxy S24 FE are different approaches to the same problem. Nothing has stuck to its signature transparent design and Glyph lighting, whereas Samsung has stuck to a more conventional yet robust design language.
Both the phones come with large OLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, but the screen of Nothing’s is just a little bigger and much brighter at 3,000 nits than the S24 FE’s 1,900 nits.
In terms of performance, the Galaxy S24 FE has an edge with its Exynos 2400e chip that offers flagship level power than the 3a Pro with Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. But, in terms of value, Nothing comes back with a higher resolution 50MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom, faster 50W wired charging, more RAM and storage than the competition at a lower price.
Of course, we have to address the price difference. At $459, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is cheaper than the $649 Galaxy S24 FE, and it can match or even beat it in some important areas. So does Samsung’s stronger chipset and ecosystem benefits justify the extra cost?
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Galaxy S24 FE differences:
| Nothing Phone (3a) Pro | Galaxy S24 FE |
|---|---|
| Similarly big at 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm | 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm |
| Similar weight: 211 g | Weight of 213 g |
| Slightly larger 6.77-inch OLED screen | 6.7-inch OLED |
| Higher peak brightness at 3,000 nits | 1,900 nits display peak brightness |
| FHD+ resolution | FHD+ resolution |
| Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset (4nm) A bit less powerful | Exynos 2400e (4 nm) Flagship-level chipset |
| 12/256 GB configuration | 8/128 GB 8/256 GB |
| 50 MP main camera | 50 MP main camera |
| 50 MP telephoto with 3x zoom | 8 MP telephoto with 3x zoom |
| 8 MP ultrawide camera | 12 MP ultrawide camera |
| 5,000 mAh battery | 4,700 mAh battery |
| 50W wired charging 100% in 56 min | 25W wired charging 100% in 1h 21 min |
| No wireless charging | 15W wireless charging |
| $459 price | $649 starting price |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Unique and fascinating, but not as durable
It's indisputable that Nothing's phones stand out from the rest of the pack with their transparent back panels. It is definitely a device that will catch more attention than the S24 FE's understated and mass aesthetic.
The Phone (3a) Pro also feature the iconic Glyph LED system, which lights up in funky ways when you receive a call or activates when you have a timer.
For all its cool factor, however, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has IP64 certification, while the Galaxy gets an IP68 rating, which means the Samsung is better protected against water damage. It can survive being submerged in water, while the Nothing phone is only certified to resist light rain.
The cameras inside the (3a) Pro are placed in a distinct way and the whole camera system is placed inside a raised round camera island. The (3a) Pro also sports a glass back, an upgrade from previous plastic models.
We should also say that both of these phones are quite big and on the heavier side.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro size and weight:
163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm, 211 grams
Galaxy S24 FE size and weight:
162 x 77.3 x 8 mm, 213 grams
Nothing uses monochromatic colors, but that is kind of expected with the transparent back esthetic. The Galaxy S24 FE comes in more color options: Blue, Graphite, Gray, Mint, and Yellow.
Display Differences
Size-wize, the two screens are similar, with the Nothing Phone sporting a 6.8" screen vs a slightly smaller 6.7" one of the S24 FE.
Samsung uses Gorilla Glass Victus+, which is a bit tougher than the Panda Glass on the Nothing phone.
We can see that the Nothing phone can also hit excellent brightness numbers, which is great for outdoor readability.
And in terms of haptics, you have an in-screen optical fingerprint reader on both phones and both work similarly well. We do, however, prefer ultrasonic fingerprint scanners as they are a bit more advanced and don't light up in your face at night.
Performance and Software
With the higher price comes better performance
Don't let that "Pro" in the name mislead you — there won't be a flagship-level chipset powering the Phone (3a) Pro. It sports the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, not a bad chip, but just not quite as good as the Exynos 2400e processor inside the S24 FE.
GPU Performance:
So, in other words, the Fan Edition is the more powerful phone, but not by a huge margin.
Camera
It's the battle of budget triple cameras
This time around Nothing is said to have added a 3x telephoto camera to its more expensive mid-ranger. It is a 50 MP telephoto camera with a periscope lens, to be exact, which will be challenging the S24 FE's 8 MP 3x telephoto camera. That's a big difference in resolution between the two.
With the ultra-wide cameras things are the other way around. The (3a) Pro comes with an 8 MP ultra-wide camera vs a 12 MP ultra-wide snapper on the Galaxy.
For its main camera, the S24 FE is rocking the same 50 MP sensor that powers the flagship S24 series. The Phone (3a) Pro also uses a 50 MP resolution sensor, but of a different kind.
Camera Samples
The main difference in the photos above is the color choice. The Nothing Phone favors stronger, more saturated colors with deeper shadows and more contrast, overall — a look that has more pop. The Galaxy goes for more muted and slightly more realistic colors. We find it hard to pick a favorite, but it's impressive that the Nothing Phone is able to hold its ground against the more expensive Galaxy.
The ultra-wide camera, however, is better on the Galaxy. With the (3a) Pro you can spot noise in the sky even on a daylight photo, while the Galaxy has cleaner detail.
When it comes to zoom quality, the photo from the S24 FE has softer detail, while the Nothing Phone has more sharpening. It's a close call, but the Nothing Phone looks a bit better in our opinion.
Video Quality
There are two big limitations on the (3a) Pro when it comes to video: it does not support 4K60 video at all (it maxes out at 4K30) and you cannot use the ultra-wide camera for 4K recordings.
If you are fine with these, the difference in quality is not huge, but the Galaxy is a step ahead. It's not only that it can do both 4K60 and ultra-wide 4K video, it also has more pleasing detail, while the Nothing is a bit too sharp and dynamic range is not perfect.
Both have very good video stabilization, which is nice to see.
Battery Life and Charging
The Galaxy only has wireless charging going for it
The Nothing phone features a 5,000 mAh battery, a bit more than the 4,700 mAh battery on the S24 FE.
Nothing promises "up to two days" of battery life, so that sounds promising, but we'd have to wait until our battery tests are complete for the full picture.
PhoneArena Battery and Charging Test Results:
On our in-house battery tests, the Nothing beats the Galaxy with a total use time of 6 hours and 42 minutes vs 6 hours and 20 minutes on the Galaxy.
Interestingly, the Galaxy scores longer runtimes on our lighter, web browsing test, but the Nothing gets two hours and a half more in YouTube video streaming, which pushes it ahead.
As far as charging goes, the (3a) Pro supports 50W wired charging against 25W speeds on the Galaxy, so it's much faster.
That said, the S24 FE comes with 15W of wireless charging, while the Nothing Phone lacks wireless charging support entirely.
Specs Comparison
And here is a quick look at the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (2a) Plus specs:
| Nothing Phone (3a) Pro | Galaxy S24 FE |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm, 211 g | Size, weight 162 x 77.3 x 8 mm 213 g |
| Screen 6.8" OLED 120Hz | Screen 6.7" OLED 120Hz refresh rate |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 4nm | Processor Exynos 2400e 4nm |
| Versions: 12/256 GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8/128 GB 8/256 GB LPDDR5X |
| Cameras: 50 MP main 8 MP ultra-wide 50 MP 3x telephoto 32 MP front | Cameras: 50 MP main 12 MP ultra-wide 8 MP 3x telephoto 12 MP front |
| Battery: 5,000 mAh | Battery: 4,700 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 50W wired No wireless charging | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless |
Summary
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro might be a cheaper phone, but it has improved in a big way. You are getting a lot of phone for $460, matching or even topping the $650 Galaxy in areas like the design, camera and charging speeds.
The Galaxy still has a number of advantages, starting with that faster chipset, wireless charging support and pleasing colors from the main camera.
But it's a toss-up between the two, and at this point, it is safe to say that you should get the one that you think looks better and has the software that you prefer.
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