Between the Phone (3a) Pro and ROG Phone 9, the Phone (3a) Pro comes out ahead in front camera and weight, while the ROG Phone 9 wins on antutu and refresh rate. Overall, the Phone (3a) Pro scores 63.8 and the ROG Phone 9 scores 75.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ROG Phone 9 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 11.3 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the Phone (3a) Pro if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. The biggest gaps in its favor are front camera, weight.
Pick the ROG Phone 9 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. Its strongest claims are antutu, refresh rate, ram, among others.
Both ship with comparable main camera, 5g support, optical image stabilization, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the ROG Phone 9 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro wins
- ▲Front camera — 56.25% more. 50 MP vs 32 MP.
- ▲Weight — 16.00 g less. 211 vs 227.
Why ASUS - ROG Phone 9 wins
- ▲AnTuTu — 203.53% more. 2580000 vs 850000.
- ▲Refresh rate — 54.17% more. 185 Hz vs 120 Hz.
- ▲RAM — 33.33% more. 16 GB vs 12 GB.
- ▲Wired charging — 30.00% more. 65 W vs 50 W.
- ▲Battery capacity — 16.00% more. 5800 mAh vs 5000 mAh.
- ▲Has Headphone jack.
- ▲Water resistance: IP68 (vs IP64).
- ▲Pixel density — 0.26% more. 388 ppi vs 387 ppi.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 211 glead | 227 g |
| Thickness | 8.4 mmlead | 8.9 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP64 | IP68lead |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.77 " | 6.78 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 387 ppi | 388 ppilead |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 185 Hzlead |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 3000 nitslead | 2500 nits |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Front camera | 50 MPlead | 32 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 5000 mAh | 5800 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 50 W | 65 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 0 W | 15 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | truelead |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 3 years | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, Phone (3a) Pro or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 has 16.0% more battery — 5000 mAh vs 5800 mAh.
Which is lighter, Phone (3a) Pro or ROG Phone 9?+
Phone (3a) Pro is 16g lighter — 211g vs 227g.
Is Phone (3a) Pro waterproof?+
Phone (3a) Pro has an IP64 rating.
Does ROG Phone 9 support 5G?+
Yes, ROG Phone 9 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, Phone (3a) Pro or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 offers 16GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, Phone (3a) Pro or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 has a 50 MP main camera vs 50 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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