UD Versus: POCO F7 vs. Nothing Phone (3)

Welcome to our first-ever UD Versus article, our series where we pit two similarly spec’d or priced smartphones to see which one’s the better choice. And what would be a better way to kick this series off than by pitting two of the most anticipated upper mid-range devices, or dare we say, “flagship killers”, the POCO F7 vs. the Nothing Phone (3).

These brands are known for pushing the boundaries of what you can get without dropping a serious dime on a smartphone. On one side, we have POCO, known for offering raw power at an aggressive price and on the other side, there’s Nothing which revolutionized smartphone design and introduced a unique design language and a unique software experience.

Alright, enough chit chat. Let’s start the face-off, shall we?

Round 1: Design & Display – Aesthetics and Visual Impact

It’s really hard judging a device’s design, it really depends on the user’s preference, whether he/she like a gamer-y aesthetic or just wants something lowkey but elegant. Well, these two couldn’t have offered a more different approach from each other.

Depending on the colorway you choose, the POCO F7 offers a more traditional, yet premium build over the Nothing Phone (3). For protection, the F7 features an aluminum frame, and a Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for the display. Additionally, the phone is also rated for an IP68 dust and water resistance.

On the other side, the Nothing Phone (3) definitely made a statement when it was first unveiled. Some liked it for its uniqueness but the general sentiment seems to be pointed towards being weirded out by the camera placements. Adding insult to injury is the loss of the iconic Glyph Interface, in favor of the new Glyph Matrix that you’ll see on the top right part of the back panel.

For protection, the Nothing Phone (3) offers a more robust set of protection than the F7. These features include the same Gorilla Glass 7i for the display, an aluminum frame, and a Gorilla Glass Victus to protect the back glass.

Display-wise, both are fantastic AMOLED panels:

• POCO F7: Features a large 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution (2772 x 1280 pixels) and a 120Hz refresh rate. It boasts an impressive 3200 nits peak brightness, making it incredibly vibrant and legible even under direct sunlight. It’s protected by Gorilla Glass 7i.

• Nothing Phone (3): Comes with a slightly smaller 6.67-inch OLED display, offering a 1260 x 2800 pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It also reaches a high peak brightness of 4500 nits in HDR, promising stunning visuals. It’s also protected by Gorilla Glass 7i.

Winner: We’ll call this one a draw because after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While the F7 did have an advantage because of the bigger display, the NP (3) fired back with better protection and a higher quality of display.

Round 2: Camera – Capturing Your Moments

Now, this is where things might get a little spicy. The POCO F7 only offers a dual-camera setup while the Nothing Phone (3) ups the game with a triple-camera setup.

For the POCO F7, the camera setup consists of:

• 50MP main camera (Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS)
• 8MP ultrawide camera
• 20MP front camera

Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (3)’s repertoire consists of the following:

• 50MP main camera (OmniVision OV50H sensor with OIS)
• 50MP ultrawide camera
• 50MP periscope telephoto camera (3x optical zoom)
• 50MP front camera

Winner: It’s clear that the Nothing Phone (3) simply offers a more versatile experience than the POCO F7, all because of the additional periscope telephoto lens.

Round 3: Performance – Raw Power vs. Optimized Experience

What makes performance a tricky thing to judge is that both phones are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset. It all boils down on cooling and software optimization.

In AnTuTu Benchmark V10, both the POCO F7 and Nothing Phone (3) blows trades with each other, only inching out the other. Despite the F7’s best efforts, it only garnered 1,856,804 while the Nothing Phone (3) squeezed out a commanding 1,948,966.

While in Geekbench, the POCO F7 achieved a single-core score of 1937 and a multi-core score of 6021. As for the Nothing Phone (3), it managed to get a single-core score of 2076 and a multi-core score of 6577, narrowly edging out the F7.

Despite the Nothing Phone (3)’s decisive victory over the POCO F7, some reddit users have pointed out that the Nothing Phone (3) suffers from thermal throttling in heavy workloads, primarily due to the lack of a dedicated cooling system. Unlike the POCO F7 that has a 6000mm² 3D dual channel IceLoop system.

Winner: The numbers don’t tell everything and despite the Nothing Phone (3)’s higher score, the lack of a dedicated cooling solution makes it a worse choice for performance because it can’t sustain the prolonged workload. So, with that in mind, we pick the POCO F7

Round 4: Battery & Charging – Endurance and Refuel Speed

What good is a powerful chip if you don’t have enough juice to power it through the day?

• POCO F7: Packing a substantial 6500 mAh battery, paired with a 90W HyperCharge charging capabilities and you have yourself a device that charges in an instant.

• Nothing Phone (3): While not as large as the F7’s, it still packs a large 5150 mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. Nothing claims 0-100% in approximately 60 minutes.

Winner: The POCO F7‘s larger battery beats out the Nothing Phone (3) in endurance but losses out in wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Round 5: Price & Software – Value and Experience

We’ve saved the best for last, the price. Despite having similar specs, the price point of these two couldn’t be farther to each other.

• The POCO F7‘s 12GB/256GB configuration retails for PHP 23,999 with an additional 2,000 if you opt for the higher 512GB variant. It’s running HyperOS 2.0 out of the box with support for up to 4 major Android updates and 6 years of security patches. However, one enduring criticism of HyperOS is the ads on some of its apps.

• Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (3), being the company’s first flagship, starts at PHP 44,999 for the same configuration, plus an additional 6,000 for the 16GB/512GB variant. It runs Nothing OS 3.5 and promises up to 5 years of major updates plus 7 years of security patches.

Winner: Again, value depends on the buyer’s preference but if we’re talking about sheer value for money, I’d go for the POCO F7. However, if you prefer a unique and refined software experience, a looker of a design, and a longer software support then maybe the Phone (3)’s price won’t be a problem for you.

UD Verdict: POCO F7

That was certainly an interesting battle, both having their distinct personalities. But only one has to be crowned the winner, and having been won 3 out of the 5 rounds, it’s clear that the undisputed winner of this battle is the POCO F7!

Now, to be perfectly clear, we’re not saying that the Nothing Phone (3) is a bad choice, it’s a perfectly capable smartphone. It’s just that the price is a little too steep for what it offers.

Stay tuned for the next “UD Versus” as we continue to unbox the world of tech!