The Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro are making waves, starting at just $379 and $459 respectively. These phones surprisingly feel like high-end flagship devices, with only a few minor differences. The Pro version mainly offers an upgraded camera system, making both models a great value for their price.
A Unique Look
Nothing phones have a distinct design, and the 3a and 3a Pro are no exception. The blue color on the 3a is pretty cool. They still have the split design with the glyphs around the cameras, but some things have been changed up, like screw placements and shapes. The 3a Pro is similar but monochrome, with a bigger camera bump. Some people might not like the camera design because it's not symmetrical, but it's still nice and even provides a good spot to rest your finger.
Flagship Feel on a Budget
It's impressive how much this $379 phone feels like a $1,000 flagship. Nothing has grown as a company, allowing them to use better parts. This means a glass back instead of plastic, and an IP64 rating instead of IP54. The AMOLED display is much brighter, reaching up to 800 nits normally and 3,000 nits peak for HDR. It's a big phone, with a 6.77-inch display and even bezels all around. The high refresh rate makes it feel like other high-end phones.
Sure, it's not as bright as some Ultra phones, and the fingerprint reader can be a bit slow, but these are small trade-offs for the price.
Performance and Software
The Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro use a Snapdragon 7S Gen 3 chip with 12 gigs of RAM. While it's not a "spec monster," the software makes it feel super quick and smooth. Nothing OS 3.1, based on Android 15, offers up to six years of software updates. The animations are optimized to feel smooth, even if it might stutter a bit with heavy apps or gaming. The lock screen customization is also a nice touch, letting you add widgets.
Key Takeaways
- Design: Unique, eye-catching aesthetic with a glass back and IP64 rating.
- Display: Bright 6.77-inch AMOLED display with high refresh rate.
- Performance: Smooth software experience thanks to Nothing OS 3.1 and a capable Snapdragon chip.
- Software Updates: Long-term support with up to six years of updates.
The AI Button
Nothing isn't pushing a lot of AI features like other companies, but they do have one interesting new AI feature: a dedicated AI button. This dome-shaped button, located under the power button, opens up the "essential space." This area is for saving screenshots and voice recordings. You can press the button once to save a screenshot, or hold it down to record a voice note that gets transcribed and summarized. It can even set reminders for you. It's a cool idea, but it's not multi-platform, so you can't access it on other devices.
Battery and Charging
Both the 3a and 3a Pro have a 5,000 mAh battery with excellent battery life. They support 50W wired charging, which gets you from 0 to 100% in about an hour. However, they still don't have wireless charging, which might be a deal-breaker for some.
Camera Differences
The main difference between the 3a and 3a Pro is the cameras. The Pro is for those who care more about photography. Both have 50-megapixel main cameras, but the Pro has slightly better autofocus. The pictures from both are decent, with good background blur for close-ups and natural colors. The 8-megapixel ultrawides are pretty average on both. The Pro's 3x periscope telephoto lens offers a more usable zoom and better macros than the 3a's 2x zoom. Despite the Pro's larger camera bump, the difference in photo quality isn't as dramatic as you might expect.
Final Thoughts
The Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro offer a lot of value. Compared to some other budget phones, these phones are packed with features: triple cameras, a big, bright AMOLED display, high refresh rate, and great battery life. Nothing has done a great job with the software, making these phones feel much more expensive than they are. It makes you wonder what a true flagship Nothing Phone 3 could be like if they added top-tier specs like a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, silicon carbide battery, and wireless charging. Hopefully, we'll see something like that soon.
