Nothing has swiftly carved a unique space in the competitive smartphone landscape by daring to be different, injecting a much-needed dose of innovation and visual flair into a market often dominated by iterative designs. Following the success of their previous models, Nothing is back with the Phone (3a) and, for the first time, a Pro variant, the Phone (3a Pro). These newcomers promise to deliver distinctive aesthetics and a compelling set of features without breaking the bank, but do they live up to the buzz and stand out as the new leaders in the mid-range category?
Design That Dares to Be Different
The most immediately striking aspect of any Nothing phone is its bold design, and the 3a series is no exception. The signature transparent back returns, offering a glimpse into the phone's internal components, a design element that undeniably sets it apart from the competition. Complementing this unique look is the Glyph Interface, an array of LED lights on the rear that serve various functional and aesthetic purposes, from notification alerts to visual cues for timers and volume adjustments. You can even customize these light patterns and link them to specific apps. The Phone (3a) introduces a fresh blue colour option alongside more traditional choices.
Both the Phone (3a) and 3a Pro have undergone a material upgrade, now featuring a glass back (Panda Glass), which is reported to offer similar scratch resistance to Gorilla Glass 5, lending a more premium feel compared to the previous plastic backs. The frame of the standard 3a is smooth, while the Pro model boasts a slightly rough, powder-coated aluminum frame, further enhancing its tactile experience.
One notable difference between the two models is the camera bump. The 3a Pro sports a significantly larger and more unconventional camera module to accommodate its advanced optics, a design choice that has elicited mixed reactions. While some may find it visually jarring, others appreciate its distinctiveness, and it can even serve as a natural finger rest when holding the device. Despite their robust feel, both phones carry an IP64 rating, meaning they are protected against splashes and dust but should not be submerged in water. Given that the display might be susceptible to scratches, investing in a screen protector is a wise precaution.
Immersive Display and Smooth Performance
Both the Nothing Phone (3a) and 3a Pro feature a large 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, ensuring fluid scrolling and a responsive user experience. The displays are sharp with a Full HD+ resolution and support 10-bit colour and HDR10+ video playback, delivering vibrant and detailed visuals. Brightness is also a strong point, with both phones capable of reaching up to 3,000 nits peak brightness for HDR content, ensuring excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. The refresh rate can dynamically adjust between 30Hz and 120Hz to optimize power efficiency, although it doesn't dip all the way down to 1Hz, meaning ultimate power savings in static scenarios aren't realized. While the screens look excellent for general use and media consumption, neither phone currently supports high frame rate gaming.
Under the hood, both devices are powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, a solid mid-range chipset. This represents an upgrade from the previous 2A model and translates to generally smooth performance for everyday tasks, multitasking, and even gaming. While demanding games might require adjusting graphics settings for optimal frame rates, the overall experience is quite capable. You can expect configurations with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, depending on the region and model. Nothing is committed to providing three years of full Android updates and six years of security patches, ensuring the phones remain up-to-date and secure for an extended period.
Clean Software with Thoughtful Additions
The Nothing Phone (3a) series runs Nothing OS 3.1, based on the latest Android 15, offering a clean and near-stock Android experience with distinctive Nothing design elements. These include monochrome icons, unique Nothing widgets, and a signature dot matrix font that can be enabled in the settings. The software is well-optimized, contributing to the smooth performance.
A new hardware addition is the Essential Key, a dedicated button on the side of the phones intended to provide quick access to Essential Space, a new AI-powered feature. Pressing the button takes a screenshot, holding it down allows for voice memos to be recorded along with a screenshot, and double-clicking opens Essential Space. This space acts as a repository for your thoughts, journal entries, reminders, and captured snippets, with AI capabilities to transcribe voice notes and summarize text from screenshots, turning them into actionable to-do items. While the concept is intriguing, the practical usefulness of the Essential Key and Space might vary depending on individual note-taking habits and how the feature evolves with future updates.
The Glyph Interface continues to be a standout feature, offering customizable light patterns for notifications, incoming calls, timer progress, charging status, and even integration with certain third-party apps. You can personalize these patterns and even create your own using the Glyph Composer.
Camera Capabilities: Versatility with a Caveat
The camera systems on the Nothing Phone (3a) and 3a Pro offer a notable step up, particularly with the introduction of telephoto lenses for the first time in the series. Both phones feature a 50-megapixel main camera that captures detailed photos with good dynamic range and pleasing colours in well-lit conditions. Low-light performance on the main camera is also commendable, with automatic night mode processing enhancing detail and brightness. Both also feature an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, which, while capturing decent shots in good light, suffers from a significant drop in quality, especially in darker environments, and lacks autofocus. This downgrade from the 50-megapixel ultrawide on the 2A is a notable step back.
The key difference lies in the telephoto capabilities. The Nothing Phone (3a) sports a 50-megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom, while the 3a Pro boasts a 50-megapixel periscope zoom lens with 3x optical zoom and a larger sensor. This translates to significantly better image quality when zooming on the Pro model, offering sharp and detailed photos even at a distance, with colours well-matched to the main camera. The 3a Pro's telephoto lens also offers the added benefit of macro photography due to its close focusing capabilities. For selfies, the regular 3a features a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, while the 3a Pro boasts a 50-megapixel selfie shooter. While both capture good quality selfies with pleasing skin tones, the difference in detail might not be drastically noticeable.
Video recording on both phones reaches 4K resolution on the main and telephoto cameras, delivering good detail and colours, although low-light video can be somewhat noisy. The ultrawide camera is limited to 1080p video recording. The main camera benefits from always-on stabilization, effectively reducing shake during video capture.
Impressive Battery Life and Fast Charging
Both the Nothing Phone (3a) and 3a Pro are equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, providing excellent endurance that can easily last a full day and often extend into a second day with moderate usage. The efficient Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor contributes significantly to this impressive battery life. Charging is handled via 50W wired fast charging, allowing you to quickly top up the battery. However, neither phone offers wireless charging, which might be a drawback for some users. A USB-C to USB-C cable and a SIM removal tool are included in the packaging, but a separate charger must be purchased.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
Pros:
- Unique and eye-catching design with a transparent back and Glyph Interface.
- Smooth and responsive 120Hz AMOLED display.
- Solid overall performance for daily tasks and gaming, powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3.
- Excellent battery life from the 5,000mAh battery.
- Clean and customizable Nothing OS 3.1 based on Android 15.
- Capable 50MP main camera delivering good quality photos.
- Competitive pricing for the features offered.
- The 3a Pro offers a versatile 3x optical zoom periscope telephoto lens.
- Commitment to 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches.
Cons:
- Mediocre 8MP ultrawide camera with poor low-light performance and no autofocus.
- No wireless charging.
- Limited water resistance with an IP64 rating.
- The Essential Key and Essential Space may not be universally useful.
- The display may be prone to scratches.
- The camera bump on the 3a Pro is quite prominent and might not appeal to everyone.
Which Nothing Phone (3a) is Right for You?
Deciding between the Nothing Phone (3a) and the 3a Pro largely comes down to your priorities and budget. If you value a superior zoom camera for capturing distant subjects and enjoy the added versatility of macro photography, the Nothing Phone (3a Pro is the clear winner. You'll also benefit from a slightly better selfie camera. However, this comes at a slight price premium.
If your budget is a primary concern or if you don't have a strong need for a dedicated telephoto lens, the Nothing Phone (3a) still offers a fantastic overall package. You get the same striking design, smooth display, solid performance, excellent battery life, and a capable main camera. You'll be sacrificing some zoom capabilities and a slightly higher-resolution selfie camera, but the core experience remains compelling.
Ultimately, both phones cater to users who appreciate distinctive design, a clean and optimized software experience, and impressive battery life without breaking the bank. If camera versatility, particularly zoom, is a top priority, the 3a Pro is the better choice. However, if those features are less critical, the standard 3a offers exceptional value.
Final Thoughts: A Strong Contender in the Mid-Range Arena
The Nothing Phone (3a) and 3a Pro successfully build upon Nothing's unique identity, offering a compelling blend of eye-catching design, smooth performance, and a surprisingly feature-rich experience for their respective price points. While the underwhelming ultrawide camera and lack of wireless charging are notable drawbacks, the strengths of these devices, particularly their design, display, battery life, and the Pro's impressive telephoto lens, make them serious contenders in the competitive mid-range smartphone market. Nothing continues to demonstrate that affordable phones don't have to be boring, delivering devices that are both exciting and genuinely good.