The Nothing Phone 3 and OnePlus 13 both deliver a compelling flagship smartphone experience, but they approach this from distinctly different angles.
The Nothing Phone 3 continues to focus on unique aesthetics, both in terms of hardware and software, while the OnePlus 13 doubles down on raw performance, impressive battery life and a more conventional, albeit highly capable, premium feel.
We’ve thoroughly tested both the Nothing Phone 3 and the OnePlus 13, and here’s how the two stack up in real-world use.
Pricing and availability
The Nothing Phone 3 is available for £799/$799 complete with 256GB of storage, and it’s available to buy now following its reveal in early July.
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The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, was released back in January 2025 with a price tag of £899 for its 256GB model – though as it has been available for a little longer, you can often find it at a slight discount.
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Design
Nothing continues to carve its own path where the Phone 3’s design is concerned, and we’re genuinely enamoured with it. The ‘bug-eyed’, off-centred cameras and circular elements on the back might sound like they’d be off-putting, especially for those who prefer strict symmetry, but somehow, they just work.
Its bold, retro-futuristic charm sets it apart from the sea of identical slabs of glass and metal. While the iconic Glyph Lights are gone, replaced by the smaller, circular Glyph Matrix, we found this new LED screen to be a delightful addition. It can display time, battery and even mini-games, and the pressure-sensitive button to cycle through options is a fun, tactile touch.
The little red flashing LED near the cameras, acting as a tally light for video recording, is another small detail we really appreciate. However, it is quite a chunky device at nearly 220g and 9mm thick, which does detract slightly from its overall appeal.
The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, largely adheres to a more familiar flagship aesthetic, though it still manages to feel distinct. It features a prominent large camera island on the back, which, unlike some rivals, isn’t perfectly centred.
What truly stands out is the Midnight Ocean vegan leather finish; it’s soft, grippy and feels wonderful in the hand, making it easy to hold onto and less prone to sliding off surfaces. The curves on the front and back also contribute to the comfortable grip, softening what could otherwise feel like a brick.
It also boasts a robust dual IP68 and IP69 rating for excellent dust and water resistance, as well as Ceramic Guard glass protection for added peace of mind.
Our only minor gripe is that the display bezels appear slightly uneven, and the transition between the glass and metal frame isn’t quite as seamless as on some other premium devices.
Winner: Nothing Phone 3
Screen
The Nothing Phone 3’s 6.67-inch AMOLED display is one of its strongest features. It’s vibrant, bright and offers excellent contrast, making it a great canvas for bingeing Netflix and scrolling through apps. We found it more than bright enough for outdoor use, cutting through glare even on sunny days – but it’s not perfect.
Rather surprisingly, given its flagship angle, the screen lacks LTPO technology. This means the refresh rate can’t adapt as granularly as on some competitors – including the OnePlus 13 – and this leads to the occasional stutter when transitioning from static to moving content. It also means that it consumes more battery on static pages compared to LTPO alternatives.
The OnePlus 13 counters this with a larger 6.82-inch LTPO 4.1-enabled AMOLED panel capable of hitting a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and an impressive 4500nits peak brightness. It’s a bright, detailed, and colour-accurate display that really stands out from the crowd.
By default, it’s set to 1080p to conserve battery, but even then, details remain sharp – and it’s only improved by enabling the full QHD+ resolution. The colours in its default natural mode are realistic, avoiding the oversaturated look of some rivals, though you can opt for a more vivid mode if that’s to your tastes.
In fact, the granular customisations in OxygenOS mean you can fine-tune even small elements of the screen experience, like white balance and colour temperature, which is a nice touch not often seen.
Winner: OnePlus 13
Cameras
Spec-wise, the Nothing Phone 3 comes with a trio of 50MP rear cameras – main, ultrawide and a 3x periscope lens – along with a matching 50MP selfie camera.
While it’s capable of taking good, in-focus shots with decent depth of field in well-lit conditions, we found its performance to be surprisingly inconsistent. The ultrawide, for example, often produces cooler, desaturated colours compared to the main and zoom lenses, sometimes adding a slight green tint.
The zoom camera also has its quirks; while 3x optical shots are generally good, pushing to 6x often results in a more contrasty, darker, and uneven look. However, the zoom camera truly shines for macro photography, delivering sharp, detailed close-ups with lovely background blur, so it really is a case of swings and roundabouts.
At night, the main camera performs well, drawing in enough light to make scenes visible without over-brightening them, maintaining a natural low-light feel. The zoom camera, however, struggles significantly in low light, producing blotchy artefacts and noise.
The OnePlus 13 also features a strong 50MP triple camera system, comprised of a similar combination of main, ultrawide and 3x zoom lenses. However, this 3x zoom can be pushed to 6x without significant detail loss, which is a definite plus compared to Nothing’s alternative.
By default, OnePlus’ colour processing is quite neutral, avoiding the overly saturated look of some competitors, though filters are available if you prefer more vibrant tones.
Despite its generally solid performance, we did encounter some frustrating issues, like the camera often struggling to focus automatically when zooming, particularly during videos, leading to blurry shots. Macro mode also proved difficult to get consistently in focus.
While night mode generally works well, producing sharp and detailed low-light images, occasional blur did creep into shots.
Winner: OnePlus 13
Performance
For months ahead of launch, Nothing teased the Phone 3 would be a “proper flagship”, leading many to expect the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite. Instead, it features the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which is more akin to the previous generation’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in terms of raw power.
While it doesn’t hit the absolute peak benchmark scores of the 8 Elite, it does still deliver a fast, smooth, responsive experience for everyday use and gaming. We found it handled demanding titles like Call of Duty with high refresh rates enabled without breaking a sweat, and the interface felt snappy.
It scores well in benchmarks, placing it firmly in the high-end, though not at the very top, alongside phones like the Honor 400 Pro and Poco F7 Pro – but far behind the OnePlus 13.
The OnePlus 13 truly excels in the performance department with the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It’s a significant leap forward from the 8 Gen 3 in terms of performance, even outperforming Apple’s A18 Pro in some benchmarks – and that’s a considerable achievement. This translates to an incredibly smooth and fluid experience across the board.
The phone doesn’t struggle with anything, even under heavy gaming loads. We were particularly impressed by its ability to sustain high frame rates and responsiveness even when the phone warmed up during extended gameplay sessions. That means you’re unlikely to encounter performance bottlenecks in day-to-day use.
Winner: OnePlus 13
Software
Nothing OS is one of our favourite Android skins available in 2025. It’s refreshingly lightweight, almost entirely bloat-free and incredibly easy to customise.
The consistency with the hardware design is a huge plus, making the entire experience feel more cohesive than most other Android phones. The optional dot-matrix styling for icons and widgets is a fun touch, and the integration of AI features, while present, can be largely ignored if you prefer.
We particularly liked the Essential Space feature, which acts as a digital pinboard for notes and reminders, and the ability to summarise recorded meetings using the Glyph Matrix button is genuinely useful. ChatGPT integration for analysing screenshots is also a nice, if somewhat niche, addition.
OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15, continues its tradition of offering a highly customisable and user-friendly experience. The personalisation options are extensive, allowing you to tweak everything from wallpapers to icon styles with ease.
While it includes some OnePlus-branded apps, it avoids the excessive bloatware seen on some other Android skins. We found the proprietary IR Remote app particularly handy for controlling various devices around the home.
AI features are present but less prevalent than on some rivals, often relying on Google’s default apps like Gemini. The Photos app includes some smart removal tools, though we found Google Photos’ versions to be more effective.
Winner: Nothing Phone 3
Battery life
The Nothing Phone 3 packs a fairly decent 5150mAh battery, which we found to be solid in everyday use. It easily lasted through the busiest of days, even with moderate to heavy use including music streaming, navigation and camera testing. While it’s not quite a two-day battery for heavy years, it’s certainly not far off, and most users should comfortably get a full day’s use out of the phone before needing a top-up.
When the time comes, the phone supports 65W fast charging, allowing for relatively quick top-ups, though you’ll need to supply your own charger as one isn’t included in the box.
The OnePlus 13 kicks things up a notch with its massive 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery. The larger capacity, combined with more efficient power management from the Snapdragon 8 Elite, means it just keeps on going.
We struggled to completely drain the battery even on our busiest days, often finishing with more than half the charge remaining after typical use. This is a significant improvement over many rivals, and makes it a fantastic choice for power users.
When it does need a recharge, the 100W SuperVOOC charging is speedy, capable of recharging the phone in just 36 minutes in our experience – though, like Nothing, there isn’t a charger in the box.
Winner: OnePlus 13
Final thoughts
The Nothing Phone 3 is a phone that truly stands out from the crowd. Its unique design, delightful Glyph Matrix and clean, cohesive Nothing OS make it a joy to use and a refreshing departure from the norm. While camera performance can be inconsistent and its processor isn’t the absolute fastest, it remains a charming all-rounder that gets most things right.
At £799/$799, it might not be a “flagship killer” in terms of raw specs, but its distinct personality and polished software make it a solid choice for those who want something a little bit different.
The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, is a powerhouse that delivers on all the core flagship promises. With its top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, stunning display, and truly exceptional battery life, it’s a formidable alternative to offerings from Samsung and Google.
While its camera system, despite its versatility, suffers from some frustrating inconsistencies with focus and processing, the overall package is still very strong.
If you’re looking for a fast, long-lasting and highly capable Android flagship that offers great value, the OnePlus 13 is an excellent choice, even if it doesn’t quite have the same unique flair as the Nothing Phone 3.