Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Front camera | 12 MP | 50 MP |
| Wired charging | 20 W | 50 W |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| AnTuTu | 1620000 | 850000 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| Weight | 170 g | 211 g |
Between the iPhone 16 and Phone (3a) Pro, the iPhone 16 comes out ahead in antutu / weight, while the Phone (3a) Pro wins on front camera / wired charging. Overall, the iPhone 16 scores 60.1 and the Phone (3a) Pro scores 63.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Phone (3a) Pro edges ahead on the Mars Score (60.1 vs 63.1), but the 3.0-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the iPhone 16 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are antutu, weight, pixel density, among others. The single most decisive one: AnTuTu — 90.59% more. 1620000 vs 850000.
Pick the Phone (3a) Pro if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. Its strongest claims are front camera, wired charging, refresh rate, among others. The single most decisive one: Front camera — 316.67% more. 50 MP vs 12 MP.
Both ship with comparable 5g support, optical image stabilization, headphone jack, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - iPhone 16 or Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro?
Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro leads the current Mars Score by 3.0 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, ram, pixel density, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - iPhone 16 if…
Apple - iPhone 16 has the measurable edge on antutu score, weight g, pixel density ppi.
Choose Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro if…
Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro has the measurable edge on front cam mp, wired charging w, refresh rate hz.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - iPhone 16 wins
- ▲AnTuTu — 90.59% more. 1620000 vs 850000.
- ▲Weight — 41.00 g less. 170 vs 211.
- ▲Pixel density — 18.86% more. 460 ppi vs 387 ppi.
- ▲Water resistance: IP68 (vs IP64).
- ▲Promised OS updates: 5 (vs 3).
- ▲Wireless charging: 15 W vs 0 W.
Why Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro wins
- ▲Front camera — 316.67% more. 50 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Wired charging — 150.00% more. 50 W vs 20 W.
- ▲Refresh rate — 100.00% more. 120 Hz vs 60 Hz.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Battery capacity — 40.41% more. 5000 mAh vs 3561 mAh.
- ▲Screen size — 10.98% more. 6.77 " vs 6.1 ".
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 170 glead | 211 g |
| Thickness | 7.8 mmlead | 8.4 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68lead | IP64 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.1 " | 6.77 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppilead | 387 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 60 Hz | 120 Hzlead |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2000 nits | 3000 nitslead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| RAMⓘ | 8 GB | 12 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 128 GB | 256 GBlead |
| AnTuTuⓘ | 1620000lead | 850000 |
| CPU total clockⓘ | 17.0 GHzlead | 11.0 GHz |
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacityⓘ | 3561 mAh | 5000 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 20 W | 50 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 Wlead | 0 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 16 | Nothing - Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 5 yearslead | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 16 or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro has 40.4% more battery — 3561 mAh vs 5000 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 16 or Phone (3a) Pro?+
iPhone 16 is 41g lighter — 170g vs 211g.
Is iPhone 16 waterproof?+
iPhone 16 has an IP68 rating.
Does Phone (3a) Pro support 5G?+
Yes, Phone (3a) Pro supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 16 or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 16 or Phone (3a) Pro?+
Phone (3a) Pro has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.