diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/bindings.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/bindings.ts
index 400aec275e..0fe18bc2ee 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/bindings.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/bindings.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 import {devModeEqual} from '../change_detection/change_detection_util';
-import {assertDataInRange, assertLessThan, assertNotEqual} from '../util/assert';
+import {assertDataInRange, assertLessThan, assertNotSame} from '../util/assert';
 import {throwErrorIfNoChangesMode} from './errors';
 import {LView} from './interfaces/view';
 import {getCheckNoChangesMode} from './state';
@@ -27,13 +27,13 @@ export function updateBinding(lView: LView, bindingIndex: number, value: any): a
 export function getBinding(lView: LView, bindingIndex: number): any {
   ngDevMode && assertDataInRange(lView, bindingIndex);
   ngDevMode &&
-      assertNotEqual(lView[bindingIndex], NO_CHANGE, 'Stored value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
+      assertNotSame(lView[bindingIndex], NO_CHANGE, 'Stored value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
   return lView[bindingIndex];
 }
 
 /** Updates binding if changed, then returns whether it was updated. */
 export function bindingUpdated(lView: LView, bindingIndex: number, value: any): boolean {
-  ngDevMode && assertNotEqual(value, NO_CHANGE, 'Incoming value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
+  ngDevMode && assertNotSame(value, NO_CHANGE, 'Incoming value should never be NO_CHANGE.');
   ngDevMode &&
       assertLessThan(bindingIndex, lView.length, `Slot should have been initialized to NO_CHANGE`);
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/util/assert.ts b/packages/core/src/util/assert.ts
index ea9ed55542..58b93ffb2f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/util/assert.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/util/assert.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ export function assertSame<T>(actual: T, expected: T, msg: string) {
   }
 }
 
+export function assertNotSame<T>(actual: T, expected: T, msg: string) {
+  if (actual === expected) {
+    throwError(msg);
+  }
+}
+
 export function assertLessThan<T>(actual: T, expected: T, msg: string) {
   if (actual >= expected) {
     throwError(msg);