The launch of the Nothing Phone (3) has sparked quite the debate online, and not for the reasons Nothing might have hoped. Priced at a hefty ₹79,999 for the base variant (12 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage), the phone is drawing criticism, not for its features or design, but for what powers it under the hood.
Despite being touted as Nothing’s first true flagship, the Phone (3) comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC, a powerful but not flagship-tier chip. At this price, many expected the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or at least the new 8 Gen 4 ‘Elite’ chip. Instead, the Nothing Phone (3) competes in performance with phones costing less than half as much.
If performance is your top priority, here are four smartphones with the same Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC that offer much better value:
POCO F7 (₹31,999 onwards)
Launched last month, the POCO F7 offers tremendous value for money.
- CPU: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
- RAM/Storage: 12 GB + UFS 4.1
- Battery: Massive 7,550 mAh
- Others: Premium glass-metal design, triple IP rating
If gaming and raw performance are your thing, this one is a no-brainer for the price.
iQOO Neo 10 (₹31,999 onwards)
Another budget flagship killer, the iQOO Neo 10 delivers where it counts.
- CPU: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
- Display: 144 Hz refresh rate
- Battery: 7,000 mAh
- Cooling: Advanced vapour chamber for sustained gaming
This phone is aimed squarely at gamers and power users.
OnePlus 13R (₹39,999 onwards)
Positioned as a premium mid-range phone, the OnePlus 13R delivers the clean OnePlus experience with strong internals.
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Battery: 5,500 mAh with 100W fast charging
- Camera: Sony IMX890 sensor with OIS
- Software: OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14
For those looking for balance, gaming, photography, clean UI, this is the best-rounded choice at this price.
OnePlus 13s (₹54,999 onwards)
Smaller size, zero compromise; positioned as a compact flagship killer, the OnePlus 13s is the best bang for the buck if you are looking for top-tier performance (Snapdragon 8 Elite).
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM/Storage: Up to 12 GB + 512 GB
- Battery: 5,850 mAh
- Software: OxygenOS 14 based on Android 14
The OnePlus 13s stands out as a refined flagship-lite smartphone that hits the sweet spot between premium design, flagship-level performance, and next-gen AI-driven utility, all in a sleek, compact form factor.
The Nothing Phone (3), while stylish and packed with innovative features like the Glyph Matrix and long-term software support, seems out of sync with its pricing, especially when phones like the POCO F7 and iQOO Neo 10 offer the same core performance at half the price.
Unless you’re sold on Nothing’s design philosophy, UI, or ecosystem, it’s hard to justify spending nearly ₹80,000 for a chip found in ₹32 – ₹40K phones. For most users, performance-per-rupee is far better elsewhere.
