iQOO Neo 10R vs Poco X7 Pro vs Nothing Phone 3a: Which is best phone under ₹25,000?

With iQOO and Nothing launching their new mid-range offering in a relatively close time frame, the battle for best phone under ₹25,000 has become even more intense. Remmember that Poco had launched its X7 Pro in India earlier in the year which is already hailed as among the most popular option in the segment. Here’s a look at a detailed comparison between the three devices.

iQOO Neo 10R specifications:

iQOO Neo 10R features a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution, supporting a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. The screen offers a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, 3,840Hz PWM dimming, and HDR10+ certification.

It is equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, built on a 4nm TSMC process. The company claims the device has an AnTuTu benchmark score exceeding 1.7 million. The smartphone features a 90fps gaming mode for up to five hours, a 2,000Hz instant touch sampling rate, and an e-sports mode.

For optics, the rear camera system consists of a 50MP Sony primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. The front camera is a 32MP unit. The phone also supports 4K video recording at 60fps.

The device houses a 6,400mAh battery and has a thickness of 7.98mm. It supports 80W fast charging, and the company claims the battery will maintain over 80 per cent health after five years of usage.

Poco X7 Pro specifications:

Poco X7 Pro 5G features a 6.73-inch AMOLED flat display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The screen offers a 1.5K resolution and a peak brightness of 3200 nits, ensuring good visibility in bright conditions. It supports an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and has a touch sampling rate of 240Hz, with an instantaneous 2560Hz rate designed specifically for gaming.

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra processor, built on a 4nm TSMC process, the POCO X7 Pro 5G can reach clock speeds of up to 3.25GHz. It comes with LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 storage.

The phone is equipped with a 6550mAh Silicon-Carbon battery using Solid Electrolyte Technology. It supports 90W HyperCharge, allowing for a full charge in approximately 47 minutes.

For optics, the Poco X7 Pro 5G includes a 50MP Sony LYT-600 primary sensor with an f/1.59 aperture, supported by Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). The ultra-wide camera is 8MP with a 120° field of view, and the front camera is 20MP. The device supports video recording at up to 4K at 60fps.

This smartphone runs on Xiaomi HyperOS, based on Android 15, with a promise of three years of Android updates and four years of security patches. It also has an IP66, IP68, and IP69 rating for water and dust resistance, meaning the phone can handle water jets and submersion up to 1.5 metres.

Nothing Phone 3a specifcations:

Nothing Phone 3a features a 6.77 inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 1300 nits. The phone comes with Panda glass protection on top and is rated IP64 for splash and dust resistance.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor with support for up to 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

For optics, the phone comes with a 50MP primary shooter, an MP ultra-wide angle lens and a 50MP 2x telephoto lens. On the front is a 32MP selfie shooter.

The phone comes with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 50W of fast charging but no adapter inside the box. It runs on Nothing OS 3.1 based on Android 15.

Which is best phone under ₹25,000?

While the three devices are similarly priced, the iQOO Neo 10R and Poco X7 Pro are far superior to the Nothing device in terms of performance and battery life. The two devices come with a much higher resolution display compared to the Full HD+ panel on the Phone 3a. They also come with much faster charging capabilities (80W and 90W respectively), while also bundling the charger in the box.

Meanwhile, the Poco X7 Pro is also the only phone on this list that comes with an IP69 rating for water and dust resistance.

Nothing has a slight edge with its 50MP telephoto shooter, but the London-based company hasn’t had a great reputation in the past in terms of camera optimization, leaving many doubts about camera quality.

One area where the Nothing phone lags behind the competition is in its LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, compared to the LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage used by the Poco and iQOO.