Nothing Phone (3a) review: More than just a looker

Nothing launched the Cellphone (2a) at MWC final yr and it was a right away hit. The telephone introduced the signature Nothing type and have set at a extra inexpensive value level, and for lots of people, it hit the candy spot.

This yr, issues have modified. As a substitute of a successor to the (2a) Plus, we now have a brand-new (3a) Professional that’s much more premium.

The Professional mannequin improves the digicam specs, but it surely additionally comes with a drastic design change and a better price ticket. The Cellphone (3a), alternatively, bears a bit extra resemblance to its predecessor, and it launches on the identical value, ranging from £329 within the UK.

In my view, the usual Cellphone (3a) has a extra engaging design, and naturally, that value is extra tempting too. However, how a lot do you miss out on by choosing the cheaper mannequin? I’ve been utilizing it as my major machine for the previous week – right here’s what I make of Nothing’s newest mid-ranger.

Design & Construct

• Plastic body, clear again
• Glyph interface
• 201g, IP64 score

Regardless of being a mid-range telephone that’s principally created from plastic, the Nothing Cellphone (3a) seems and feels premium all through. In reality, the white mannequin that I’ve in for testing is likely to be my favourite-looking telephone ever.

I wasn’t so eager on final yr’s Cellphone (2a) with its eye-like horizontal twin cameras, however the prolonged triple digicam array jogs my memory of the Pixel-series visor, and I imply that in a great way.

Luke Baker

Nothing is a model that’s clearly not afraid to take dangers within the design division, and whereas this cyberpunk retro-futuristic end is certain to restrict the telephone’s broad enchantment, people who dig it are positive to fall in love – and I depend myself amongst them.

The model’s signature Glyph lighting system is current on this mannequin, and it’s in an analogous place to the (2a). This time, although, each glyph is curved. It’s a small change, however one which makes for a extra cohesive look.

The telephone has a boxy, iPhone-like building with a flat entrance and rear panel. There’s a reasonably important digicam bump that protrudes from the rear panel, but it surely’s positioned centrally and is vast sufficient to make sure that the telephone doesn’t rock about when it’s face up on a desk.

Luke Baker

The buttons are in an analogous place to the older mannequin, additionally similar to the iPhone, with the ability button on the precise aspect and the amount controls on the left. This time, although, there’s an additional button beneath the ability button, with a clean shiny end that makes it stand out from the others.

It’s dubbed the Important Key, and we’ll discover extra about its objective within the software program part. With out going into an excessive amount of element, it’s a solution to rapidly report issues that you might want to bear in mind. I’m a fan of bodily controls and all the time welcome a brand new button, however I used to be disenchanted to be taught that this one’s not very customisable in the intervening time. We’ll see if that is still the case in the long run.

Luke Baker

The telephone has an IP64 score for mud and water resistance. This implies it’s totally protected towards mud ingress and may stand up to sprays of water from all instructions. So, it’ll deal with a day on the seaside with out problem, simply don’t go totally submerging the factor.

Display & Audio system

• 6.77-inch 120Hz OLED
• 1080 x 2392 decision, 3000 nits
• Stereo audio system

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) has a spacious 6.77-inch show that’s totally flat and has symmetrical bezels on all sides. The bezels are a tiny bit chunkier than you’d discover on a flagship machine, however the symmetry provides the telephone a premium sheen that you just gained’t discover on many similarly-priced rivals.

Luke Baker

The show maxes out at 3000 nits, a really respectable determine at this value level, and it’s greater than shiny sufficient to compete with direct daylight. It additionally helps with HDR content material, and the highlights are dazzling in supported apps.

The display has a 120Hz refresh charge, which makes scrolling by means of the OS really feel clean and snappy, and it might dynamically modify right down to 60Hz to preserve battery life. Once more, it’s very spectacular for the value level, particularly when Apple’s new iPhone 16e sports activities a 60Hz panel at nearly twice the fee.

The (3a) has twin stereo audio system, one positioned subsequent to the USB-C port and one other that doubles up because the earpiece. There are many telephones round this value that solely include a mono speaker, so it’s one other welcome addition.

Luke Baker

As for the sound high quality, it’s surprisingly good. The audio system can get very loud, and there’s a great deal of readability within the excessive finish. The bass is missing, however that’s par for the course. If you wish to get the get together began, you’ll possible wish to try the most effective Bluetooth audio system as an alternative. That mentioned, the music visualisation function of the Glyph lights does assist get you in that raving temper.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
• 8GB / 12GB RAM
• 128GB / 256GB storage

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a mid-range SoC from Qualcomm, and it’s one of many first telephones to land in Europe with this chipset. This implies you shouldn’t anticipate efficiency that rivals the highest flagship gadgets, however there’s nonetheless greater than sufficient grunt right here to maintain up with nearly all of customers.

Luke Baker

The Cellphone (3a) is offered in two varieties. You possibly can both choose 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage. I’ve the 12GB/256GB mannequin in for testing, so I can solely converse to the efficiency of that exact mannequin.

In benchmarks, it’s straightforward to see the distinction between this telephone and a prime performer just like the Galaxy S25 Extremely, however while you’re truly utilizing it, the hole doesn’t really feel very giant in any respect. I’m positive a few of this may be attributed to the slick animation type and effectivity of Nothing OS, however regardless, the telephone feels tremendous fast.

I by no means noticed any stuttering once I was navigating the OS and apps all the time opened rapidly, multitasking was no problem, both. The one time I may actually inform I used to be utilizing a barely lower-tier chip was throughout gaming, however even then, the telephone exceeded my expectations.

Luke Baker

Genshin Affect is a notoriously difficult title to run, particularly at larger graphics presets. The Nothing Cellphone (3a) had no bother working it at 30fps on the Excessive preset, you possibly can even bump that to the Highest in case you don’t thoughts the occasional dip in body charge. 60fps proved more difficult, but it surely’s actually playable on the decrease presets.

The telephone stayed good and funky underneath load, too. The plastic body little doubt helps hold that warmth away out of your palms, and it makes longer gaming periods good and comfy.

Benchmarks:

Cameras

• 50 Mp f/1.88 major digicam, 1/1.57-inch sensor
• 50 Mp f/2.0 2x telephoto, 1/2.74-inch sensor
• 8 Mp f/2.2 ultrawide
• 32 Mp f/2.2 selfie digicam, mounted focus

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) has a triple digicam setup on its rear, including a telephoto to the arsenal in comparison with final yr’s mannequin.

Luke Baker

There’s a 50Mp major digicam with a large 1/1.57-inch sensor, and the brand new 2x telephoto additionally will get the 50Mp therapy, albeit with a considerably smaller sensor dimension. It’s solely the ultrawide that lets the group down, with a measly 8Mp decision and no autofocus.

It’s a really versatile set of lenses, particularly contemplating the value level, as many different telephones will solely internet you a major and an ultrawide digicam. I can’t assist however want the telephoto had a 3x lens like its Professional sibling, although. 2x simply isn’t that a lot attain, and given the excessive decision of the primary sensor, a digital crop would possible be adequate.

The digicam app permits you to zoom as much as 30x, however you undoubtedly shouldn’t push it that far. 10x and beneath seems higher, however capturing on the native focal lengths yields considerably higher outcomes.

Viewing the photographs within the telephone itself, I assumed the picture processing was including an excessive amount of distinction and sharpening. Nevertheless, once I seen the identical photographs on my pc, they seemed much more pure and pleasing. I can’t actually clarify why that occurred, however regardless, the precise photographs look very first rate.

It’s an inexpensive telephone, so you possibly can’t anticipate it to go toe to toe with camera-focused flagships, however for an off-the-cuff consumer these lenses get the job accomplished handily. That’s very true within the daylight, however you’ll want a steadier hand within the evenings, as movement blur and grain change into extra of a difficulty on the auxiliary lenses.

One function that’s distinctive to the Nothing Telephones is the flexibility to make use of the Glyphs as a fill gentle. I fairly like this, because the shadows aren’t fairly as harsh as utilizing the flash, however the white color of the LEDs signifies that it solely works effectively in sure environments.

On the subject of video, it’s a reasonably mediocre displaying. Solely the primary and telephoto can shoot 4K, and at a most of 30fps. If you’d like 60fps, the identical lenses will achieve this at 1080p, whereas the ultrawide and selfie digicam max out at 1080p 30fps. The footage seems first rate sufficient, however in case you’re critical about filming video content material, this isn’t the perfect software for the job.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 50W wired charging
• No charger within the field

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) has a 5000mAh battery inside. This was as soon as a class-leading determine, but it surely’s now more and more frequent. We’re seeing loads of mid-rangers exceeding that determine – just like the Honor Magic 7 Lite and Realme 14 Professional+, each of which boast 6000mAh cells.

Due to this, I wasn’t anticipating something particular when it comes to longevity, however I used to be pleasantly shocked. On common, I used to be in a position to obtain nearly two days of use per cost, effectively over 7 hours of screen-on time based on the software program. It’s fairly nice. After all, battery life all is dependent upon how you employ the telephone, and in case you’re taking part in intensive video games for lengthy stretches, you’ll drain it a lot faster.

Luke Baker

When it’s time to cost, you gained’t be ready an age, because the Cellphone (3a) helps wired charging at as much as 50W speeds. That’ll get you from totally lifeless to round 70% charged in simply half an hour.

There’s no wi-fi charging assist, which is completely comprehensible at this value level, and there’s no charger within the field both. So that you’ll must think about the price of an honest charger in case you don’t have one in your arsenal.

Software program & Apps

• NothingOS 3.1 powered by Android 15
• New Important House function
• Helps Gemini and Circle to Search

Presumably the very best factor about utilizing a Nothing telephone is that the software program seems simply nearly as good because the {hardware}. Within the mid-range section, you’ll typically discover telephones which are loaded up with adverts and bloatware to offset the price of the machine, however that’s not the case with Nothing OS. It’s a slick, bloat-free expertise that feels premium by means of and thru.

Luke Baker

The eye to element is sort of unmatched, the model’s signature type extends deep into the settings menus, and small particulars just like the web page flip animation on the calendar widget present how a lot thought was put into each facet.

The aesthetics gained’t be for everybody, however that’s true for the surface of the telephone too. Personally, I believe it’s the best-looking Android pores and skin, and I like being able to make all my app icons monochromatic for a slick minimalist vibe.

One thing that’s much less divisive is the efficiency, this working system feels tremendous fast and clean, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing. Nothing has clearly optimised the software program effectively, and it actually makes for a flagship-like expertise.

Luke Baker

The newest Google options can be found on this mannequin, which implies you should use Circle to Search in addition to having Gemini because the default search assistant. These options are rolling out pretty broadly now, however they’re nonetheless not on each Android telephone, and I’m happy to see them right here.

One of many massive additions this yr is the Important House, which has its personal {hardware} button for fast entry. A fast press of the button will take a screenshot, and it’ll provide the alternative to take a word to go together with it. A protracted press will begin a voice recording, and a double press will open Important House, the place all of those snippets are saved.

Contained in the Important House, AI mechanically analyses and summarises your notes and screenshots, and you may add them to totally different collections to maintain issues organised. Nothing says within the reviewer’s information that it’s designed to take “the friction out of logging and recalling content material, it might seize, course of and bear in mind so that you don’t must, identical to a second reminiscence.”

Luke Baker

That is an early entry function that may proceed to enhance as updates roll out. Sooner or later, the Important House will assist digicam seize, AI-powered search and sensible categorisation and extra. As of proper now, it’s useful, and barely much less cumbersome than my normal mixture of screenshots and Google Preserve, however I wouldn’t fairly name it a recreation changer. 

Personally, I’d a lot choose to have management over what the Important Key does. A fast solution to open Google Pockets could be good, or perhaps a shortcut to a particular digicam mode. If I had been to hazard a guess, I believe Nothing needs to get folks attempting the brand new function first, after which we’d see the button open up for various makes use of sooner or later – however I could possibly be fallacious.

One other enchancment that’s price mentioning is the promised assist time period. Nothing guarantees the Cellphone (3a) Collection will get updates for six years beginning on launch day. This contains three years of Android updates and 4 years of safety updates, along with corrective and performance updates. It’s not fairly on par with flagships from Samsung and Google, however on this value bracket, it’s consistent with the competitors.

Worth & Availability

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) is offered in two flavours. The bottom mannequin, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, goes for £329 within the UK. It’s additionally obtainable with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for £379.

On the time of writing, I solely have the UK pricing data, but when the Nothing (2a) is something to go by, it’ll even be obtainable globally, together with the US.

When you’re within the UK, you’ll have the ability to get the Nothing Cellphone (3a) on contract with EE, and naturally, it’s additionally obtainable to buy outright on Nothing’s web site. When you go for the latter possibility, make sure you try our information to the very best SIM-only offers.

Different equally priced rivals within the mid-range area embody the OnePlus Nord 4 and the freshly launched Samsung Galaxy A36.

Must you purchase the Nothing Cellphone (3a)?

The Nothing Cellphone (3a) is likely one of the most fashionable and well-equipped telephones in its value class, and after residing with it for every week, I discover myself with little to complain about.

It feels extremely premium, the software program is speedy and handsome, the efficiency is first rate and the battery life is nice. The cameras aren’t something too particular, however they outclass a variety of equally priced rivals, they usually even finest pricier telephones just like the Honor Magic 7 Lite.

Whereas I’ve not used the Professional, from a worth standpoint the Nothing Cellphone (3a) might be the higher purchase, particularly in case you’re not too fussy with the cameras.

All in all, this is a wonderful all-round mid-ranger from Nothing as soon as once more. If the value and aesthetics enchantment, you actually can’t go fallacious.

Specs

• NothingOS 3.1 powered by Android 15
• 6.77-inch, 1080 x 2392, OLED, 120Hz
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
• 8GB / 12GB RAM
• 128GB / 512GB storage
• Cameras:
• 50Mp major sensor
• 8Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp 2x telephoto
• 32Mp selfie digicam
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 6, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac /ax
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 5000mAh battery
• 50W wired charging
• 163.52 x 77.5 x 8.35 mm
• IP64 licensed
• 201g
• Colors: White, Black, Blue