The Nothing Phone 3a is an effective price range Android cellphone for anybody simply on the lookout for a big, responsive display screen and killer battery life. Coming forward of the all-but-certain flagship Nothing Phone 3, the 3a is Nothing’s latest price range smartphone, and it largely succeeds at what it’s making an attempt to realize – that’s, present a strong possibility for patrons on the lookout for a big, 120hz show, glorious battery life, and common cameras at a value that does not break the financial institution. But after per week of testing, I could not assist however really feel like its inconsistent efficiency, measly IP64 score, and comparatively quick replace plans maintain it again from true greatness.
Nothing Phone 3a – Design and Features
As with most fashionable smartphones, there’s nothing shocking concerning the entrance of the Nothing Phone 3a. Its 6.77″ AMOLED show, which hits as much as 120hz at FHD+ decision (2220×1080), is lots responsive and sharp, even when it isn’t setting any data – and it should not attempt to at its value level. With Auto Brightness maxed out, I did not have a lot hassle viewing something in direct daylight – although I’m not remotely satisfied it was hitting the three,000 nits that Nothing claims it might obtain.
But whereas the entrance of the cellphone display screen is all enterprise as normal, the again is the place all of the aptitude is. Nothing has cornered a definite industrial aesthetic with its ever-growing lineup that continues with the Nothing Phone 3a, which is as soon as once more sporting a clear again panel (upgraded from polycarbonate to glass this time) and acquainted glyph interface.
The glyph interface makes use of a group of lights on the again of the cellphone to share info with you whereas the cellphone is face down. This can vary from notifications to timers and even utilizing it as a flashlight. You may also have it flash to the beat of music you play in your cellphone, albeit awkwardly and never at all times in excellent sync.
The glyphs are largely meant to incentivize you to spend much less time utilizing your display screen by granting you plenty of info through LED lights. If that is your objective, then the deep customization provided to your notifications and past can undoubtedly be helpful. But analyzing lights simply felt like an pointless, gimmicky step to me, so I rapidly returned to eyeballing my notifications on the entrance of my cellphone the way in which I’ve been fortunately doing for years. I really like that Nothing continues to embrace this admittedly cool identification, although, and I can see its advantages – it is simply not for me.
Taking a cue from the iPhone 16’s Action Button, the Nothing Phone 3a comes with a brand-new Essential Key. This button on the best aspect of the cellphone might be double-clicked to enter the Essential Space, an AI-focused hub used to gather and type images, notes, and extra for simple entry. As somebody perpetually skeptical of AI, I used to be nonetheless impressed by how environment friendly the Essential Key and Essential Space make some duties.
While out and about with the Nothing Phone 3a, I often held down the Essential Key to take voice notes. When I checked for them within the Essential Space later, I discovered that it had routinely transcribed the notes with no errors, making them a cinch to skim by. Voice transcribing is not something new, in fact, however with the ability to rapidly maintain a button, say a number of phrases, after which have Essential Space deal with the remainder behind the scenes was admittedly cool.
As for what’s within the field, you may get the cellphone and a USB-C cable. But as is all too widespread with smartphone releases these days, the Nothing Phone 3a would not embrace a charging brick. If you are like me (see: a millennial), you’ve a bin in your house crammed with random cables and bricks, so it’d hopefully be solely a minor inconvenience. And if vital, shopping for a brick individually is not a major expense. Just make sure you get one which takes benefit of the cellphone’s 50W charging capabilities so you may prime off rapidly.
Speaking of inconveniences, the Nothing Phone 3a presents a mediocre IP64 score, which solely protects it towards water splashes whereas leaving it weak if submerged. Granted, if you happen to’re planning on going diving together with your cellphone, you in all probability should not be eyeing price range gadgets just like the Nothing Phone 3a anyway. Still, it at all times sucks to see such a low score on any cellphone, price range or in any other case.
Nothing Phone 3a – Software
The Nothing Phone 3a comes with Nothing OS 3.1 out of the field. This reskinned Android 15 will probably be acquainted to anybody who has used a Google Pixel machine prior to now few years. A number of distinctive customization options assist it stand out, particularly in the way it all interacts with the glyph system on the again of the cellphone, however there’s little right here that feels wildly completely different than what you have come to anticipate from Android.
Nothing guarantees 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of safety updates for the Nothing Phone 3a, which is considerably disappointing in an period the place extra well-known corporations like Samsung and Google provide as much as 7 years of each. I’m the sort to improve telephones each 2-3 years anyway, however if you happen to’re on the lookout for a tool with superb longevity, the Nothing Phone 3a makes for an iffy prospect.
Nothing Phone 3a – Gaming and Performance
The Nothing Phone 3a’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor and 12GB RAM ought to guarantee strong efficiency for the common person, and that was my expertise – effectively, more often than not. Moving across the cellphone was normally fairly snappy, however I’d get some stuttering right here and there when doing issues like opening my app drawer or switching tabs. It wasn’t a relentless downside, nevertheless it occurred ceaselessly sufficient to persuade me that the Nothing Phone 3a would not meet my wants as somebody used to a flagship machine as my each day driver.
Gaming is a combined bag, too. Benchmark exams constantly place the Nothing Phone 3a in the identical ballpark as flagships from round three years in the past, with comparable outcomes coming from telephones just like the Google Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S21. Since the Nothing Phone 3a prices lower than half of the value of newer flagships, although, that is actually comprehensible. But the numbers nonetheless harm a bit.
Here’s how the Nothing Phone 3a carried out in our suite of benchmark exams:
- Geekbench 6: CPU – Single-core: 1166 / Multi-core: 3268
- Geekbench 6: Vulkan GPU – 4435
- 3DMark: Wildlife Extreme – 1053
- 3DMark: Steel Nomad Light – 379
- 3DMark: Steel Nomad Light stress check – 379
Suffice it to say the Nothing Phone 3a is not a stellar gaming machine. But that is to not say it might’t be used to take pleasure in your favourite video games so long as you are keen to make some concessions. In my expertise, the cellphone dealt with any sport I threw at it as long as I micromanaged some settings and did not attempt to push it too arduous.
I used to be in a position to take pleasure in a number of rounds of Vampire Survivors with out stressing out the Nothing Phone 3a, and I discovered that it is a terrific alternative for any older video games that do not require a lot energy beneath the hood. Unsurprisingly, although, I wasn’t in a position to get video games like Call of Duty Mobile or Fortnite to keep up excessive frames with the most effective graphical high quality for any prolonged play classes. But if you happen to’re effective together with your settings being bumped down a peg or two, you may get satisfactory efficiency with out critical warmth considerations.
Elsewhere, the Nothing Phone 3a’s 5,000mAh battery life is phenomenal. It constantly acquired me by a day and a half of watching movies, scrolling by information, and consistently texting my spouse to argue about what we have been going to eat for dinner. Of course, it is value declaring that days the place I threw in some heavier gaming clearly did not fare fairly as effectively, however that is to be anticipated. The 50W quick charging acquired me from beneath 10% to 100% in beneath an hour, too, which was lots quick. Sadly, the cellphone would not help wi-fi charging, in order that’s type of a bummer.
Nothing Phone 3a – Camera
The Nothing Phone 3a’s cameras aren’t industry-leading, however they provide images that may be arduous to differentiate from these taken on dearer midrange telephones. That being stated, it is vital to keep in mind that a price range cellphone is not an iPhone 16 Pro Max – so if environment friendly, high-quality cellphone pictures is one in all your passions, the Nothing Phone 3a is not the machine you are on the lookout for. For the newbie photographer, although, they will get the job achieved.
Here’s what you are getting with the Nothing Phone 3a:
- 50MP large, f/1.88, 1/1.57” sensor, 84.5° FOV, OIS, EIS
- 50MP telephoto, f/2.0, 1/2.74” sensor, 49.5° FOV, EIS, 2x optical zoom, 4x in-sensor zoom, 30x extremely zoom
- 8MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 120° FOV
- 32 MP selfie, f2.2, 1/3.44” sensor, 89° FOV
If you need a number of extra choices, you may at all times go for the 3a Pro for about eighty bucks extra. Its significant variations are a 50MP periscope lens with 3x optical zoom and a most important digicam that works reasonably higher in low-light situations. As such, the improve is probably going not value the additional cash except you are optimistic that you will make use of those enhancements.
Compared to photographs taken on my Samsung Galaxy S24, I typically discovered that the Nothing Phone 3a’s most important digicam images have been just a little heavy on the distinction however in any other case sharp and punchy sufficient to face toe-to-toe. Low-light images fared okay on the bottom mannequin, however the 3a Pro is certainly the higher alternative if you happen to plan to be often snapping footage in darker settings. Regardless of which model of the cellphone you decide, although, the measly 8MP ultrawide is simply dreadful and never value messing with.
The Nothing Phone 3a may also shoot 4K video at 30 FPS or 1080p at as much as 60 FPS, however as with photograph high quality, you are getting price range outcomes from a price range cellphone. If you are a content material creator or actually like making great-looking reels for social media, you may in all probability be extra disillusioned with the Nothing Phone 3a’s video capabilities than most folk. Some movies might be type of jittery, and something shot in lower than extraordinarily brilliant environments seems noticeably grainy. But it is a suitable high quality for simply capturing recollections of a pet fooling around.
