Smartphone launches are becoming boring as you get the same old slab-style design on most phones. Nothing, with its fancy Glyph LEDs to the clean software, wants to change this notion. Its latest mid-ranger the Nothing Phone (3a) series is a testament to this vision. Nothing made some bold claims during the marketing comparing the phone to the iPhone 16 Pro Max during camera tests. So we decided to try the new Nothing Phone (3a) and Nothing Phone (3a) and see if it’s worth all the marketing hype. Here’s a review of the Nothing Phone (3a) and the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.
Table of Contents
Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro Specifications
| Aspects | Nothing Phone (3a) | Nothing Phone (3a) Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm | 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm |
| Weight | 201 grams | 211 grams |
| Colors | Black, Grey | Black, Grey |
| Display | 6.77-inch AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate | 6.77-inch AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate |
| Display Protection | Panda glass | Panda glass |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
| RAM | 8GB,12GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB | 256GB |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP+50MP+8MP | 50MP+50MP+8MP |
| Front Cameras | 32MP | 32MP |
| Video Recording | 1080p at 60 FPS 1080p at 120 FPS 4K at 30 FPS | 1080p at 60 FPS 1080p at 120 FPS 4K at 30 FPS |
| Software | NothingOS 3.1 based on Android 15 | NothingOS based on Android 15 |
| Battery | 5,000mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 50W | 50W |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| IP Rating | IP64 rating | IP64 rating |
| Starting Price (including offers) | ₹22,999 | ₹27,999 |
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Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Design: Polarizing or Game Changing?
To start with perhaps the most controversial change, is the design of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. Compared to its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, the company has changed the design and the branding as well. Gone is the vertical pilled-shaped module that looked like two eyes and you get a typical circular camera module on the back.
Furthermore, Nothing has ditched the plastic back in favor of a glass finish which looks and feels more premium. Moreover, you get a triple camera module this time instead of a dual camera setup. This is to make space for the new 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens (which we will discuss in the camera section).
The rest of the design feels familiar, as you get the three Glyph LEDs on the back, just like the Phone (2a) series, and a transparent design following Nothing’s design philosophy. I have the silver color variant of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro for review. It has an industrial and minimalistic look, although I prefer the design of the Nothing Phone (3a) more as it looks more refined.
The flat sides and rounded corners do make it a bit bulky to hold in the hand. Weighing at 211 grams, it isn’t exactly the lightest phone around and I can only imagine the weight after adding a case to it.
Another new edition is the new button that sits below the power button, called the Essential Key. This key opens up an AI-powered hub and lets you do some interesting things (discussed in the software section). Nothing has also added an IP64 rating so the phone is resistant to occasional splashes of water and dust.
Glyph LEDs
Yes, the Glyph LEDs have been carried over from the Nothing Phone (2a) series and you still get a stripped-down version instead of the full fledge found on the Phone (2). You get Glyph notifications for incoming notifications and essential notifications so you don’t miss out on important messages. The way it works is that the Glyph lights stay up until you have read these notifications while it simply goes away for other notifications.
There’s also a Glyph timer and Glyph progress bar that can slowly deplete the lights to let you know about the remaining time of your timer or Zomato order. Sadly, the charging progress meter found in the Nothing Phone (2a) is still not present on these phones. Still, I found the Glyph interface useful during my Nothing Phone (3a) review.
Nothing Phone (3a) Series Display: Sharp but Not Bright Enough
Nothing Phone (3a) series is the largest phone from the company to date. It has a massive 6.77-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Both phones have a peak brightness of 3000 nits and Panda Glass for protection.
The phone has sizeable if not chunky bezels on all four sides and there is a center punch hole cutout. Its bigger screen is a treat for consuming content as you get bright and punchy colors. While the phone does have HDR 10+ support on YouTube, you don’t get the same on Netflix.
Despite the lack of HDR, I enjoyed watching Season 3 of Reacher while reviewing my Nothing Phone (3a) unit and it was a great experience. However, in a side-by-side comparison with the Realme 14 Pro Plus, I noticed that the Realme had better contrast and more brightness.
The under-display fingerprint sensor works as intended and I did not face any issues. However, the placement could have since it’s located towards the bottom meaning you will need to perform finger gymnastics.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Cameras: Great but Inconsistent
Camera or rather cameras are the main highlight of the Nothing Phone (3a) series. While the company made some bold claims that it can directly compete with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the reality is a bit murkier. Both phones in the Nothing Phone (3a) series have the same 50-megapixel primary and 8-megapixel ultrawide angle sensor. But the new addition this year is the 50-megapixel telephoto lens on the 3a and a periscope telephoto on the 3a Pro. The (3a) can zoom up to 2x while the Pro variant can capture up to 3x shots with optical zoom.
Primary and Ultrawide Lens
The camera needs more optimization as the results are a bit inconsistent. It sometimes takes bright and saturated photos and other times, it takes overexposed shots. While it might lead you to think that these are photos from two different phones, they are actually the same ones.
Maybe Nothing can fix it with a future update. You should buy products based on what they deliver now and not some obscure future promises. Similarly, the ultrawide angle cameras can take good shots although there is a noticeable color shift compared to the primary sensor.
You can shoot videos at 4K up to 30 FPS and there is OIS for stabilization. Another interesting feature is the preset filters that you can access by swiping up on the camera shutter. These work just like the Photography styles on iPhones so you choose one that best fits the scenario.
Telephoto Lens
The 50-megapixel telephoto lens on the Nothing Phone (3a) is a bit of a hit or miss. It has some sharpness issues and the skin tone processing isn’t the best. The skin tones look soft as apparent in these images when using the portrait mode. In the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, there is some inconsistency here as well as the phones tend to oversharpen images with an artificial blur or sometimes the edge detection is all over the place.
Given the capable camera hardware, Nothing should be able to max out its potential and iron out the issues with future updates. But given its current state, it’s a bit hard to recommend the Nothing Phone (3a) series if you want a reliable camera experience. Hopefully, things will change in the future as Nothing has a good track record of updates.
Nothing Phone (3a) Series Performance: Good for Casual Tasks but Not for Gamers
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, despite its Pro moniker, doesn’t offer Pro-level performance. It uses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a mid-range chipset found in phones like the Realme 14 Pro Plus and Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is a cut-down version of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 which sits below the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3. Still with me? Basically, it’s a mid-range chip that is great for most tasks.
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During my usage which included taking photos, scrolling through social media, and playing games, I did not face any lags or stutters. Moreover, the 12GB of RAM keeps most apps in memory albeit it does reload some of them. Also, I noticed that it takes a second or two for the app opening animation to start when you press on the icon.
Gaming and Benchmarks
I also tried some games during my Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review. I could play BGMI at HDR and Extreme (60 FPS) and CoDM at Very High and Max (60 FPS). The phone did not heat up and the frame rates were stable and consistent mostly staying around 59-60 FPS. Sadly, you cannot run either game at 90 FPS which is surprising given the cheaper CMF Phone (1) can do so at half the price.
Perhaps, Nothing can add support for a higher frame rate with a future update but as of writing this review, you are stuck with 60 FPS. Oh yes, speaking of games, you do get a dedicated Game mode apart from the usual Game Dashboard. While not as detailed as iQOO’s offering, it lets you block incoming calls, disable notifications, lock the brightness, and record your gameplay.
Coming to benchmarks, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro scores 0.8 million on AnTuTu. In Geekbench 6, the phone scored 1151 in single-core and 3202 in multi-core test. Furthermore, the phone throttles to 95 percent in the CPU throttling test so it’s a green flag just like your crush. These scores are more or less similar to my daily driver, the Realme 14 Pro Plus which uses the same Snapdragon 7s Gen 3.
Nothing Phone (3a) Series Software: AI, AI, and Some More AI!
The Nothing Phone (3a) series ships with NothingOS 3.1 based on Android 15. The company promises three years of OS updates and four years of security patches. Software is one aspect where Nothing has a clear advantage over its competitors. NothingOS has evolved a lot since its inception and I personally like its take on stock Android.
The company has reduced the dot matrix elements in favor of a new font style although you can still change it in the settings. You get a new app drawer that automatically categorizes apps into different folders using AI. There are also folder styles available to help you arrange the icons in the folder.
Nothing also introduced its Gallery app which follows the design language of the company. Moreover, you get customization options for the lock screen as well as the home screen. There’s also Circle to Search so you can circle stuff and find more details about it.
However, during my usage, I also noticed some bugs such as the scaling issues on the WhatsApp video call and some minor glitches in the notification panel. Nothing too serious though as Nothing could iron out these issues with a future software update. I enjoyed using the software during my Nothing Phone (3a) series review.
AI Features and Essential Key
You also get the option to hide apps. Simply add them to a folder and change their cover style to assign an app icon. Now coming to the Essential Key, you can double-press it to access the Essential Hub. It is an AI hub where you can store your screenshots, voice recordings, and notes. Just click and hold the button to start the recording.
The way this works is that you hold the button if you come across any interesting reel or photo and it will save your voice recording along with it. This is the only place you need to visit to store all your thoughts, ideas, and reminders.
For example, I come across a unique gadget on Instagram or YouTube. I can simply describe the product and my thoughts about it. It will detect the name of the product and even provide a summary of the recording. It’s like Google Screenshots that you can access with a press of a button.
Nothing Phone (3a) Battery and Charging
Finally, coming to battery endurance, the Nothing Phone (3a) series packs a 5,000mAh battery. Sadly, there is no Silicon Carbon battery like other manufacturers have started offering but Nothing has optimized the hardware well. During my review of the Nothing Phone (3a) series, I was easily able to reach the end of the day.
It lasted around 6-7 hours of screen time with casual usage such as scrolling through social media apps, taking a lot of pictures, and watching TV shows. There’s also 50W PD wired charging support which can top up the phone to 50 percent in just 19 minutes.
As usual, you need to buy the charger separately since there isn’t one in the box as Nothing is pitching the (3a) series to compete with iPhone 16, which also doesn’t come with a charger. Also, Nothing has removed the transparent ends on its charging cable, so it’s just another USB cable now.
Nothing Phone (3a) Series: Connectivity, Speakers and Haptics
Last but not least is the connectivity of the Nothing Phone (3a). During my review of the Phone (3a) series, I did not encounter any issues with Wi-Fi and downloads were pretty quick. The same goes with mobile data and the call quality as they work as intended.
The speakers on the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro are loud and clear enough to fill an entire room. You get a speaker grill at the bottom and the earpiece acting as the secondary speaker. The haptics, however, leave much to be desired as they are similar to the ones found on cheaper devices.
Verdict: Should You Buy Nothing Phone (3a) Series?
Given the pricing of the Nothing Phone (3a) series, if you want the best software experience or unique look with Glyph LEDs then these mid-range phones are your only option. However, the camera consistency isn’t the best and you won’t get the fastest performance out there.
But the rest of the experience is quite good including the Essential Key which has a few kinks that need to be ironed out. Overall, if you want a great mid-range phone then you will be best served by the Nothing Phone (3a) instead of the (3a) Pro. These share similar specifications except for the camera, which is inconsistent on both.
