Nothing Phone 3a Review: Design Over Everything?

As of 2025, there are only a few smartphone manufacturers that care about artistic design. Gone are the times of refreshing and outlandish Nokia characteristic cellphone and smartphone designs that by no means did not amaze us with their bizarre and wacky shapes and kind components. What excited me again then have been the brand new and experimental designs (N-gage, Nokia 7600), the place the main focus was extra on the expertise and simply doing one thing in a different way. Lately, Apple has single-handedly managed to show each smartphone right into a slab with two sheets of glass.

Even the costliest foldables from premium manufacturers appear as if boring glass slabs. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android might have paved the way in which for what appears to be an excellent software program ecosystem. But we at the moment are caught with a bunch of boring icons, predictable animations, and transitions that really feel far too fundamental. Clearly, they are not constructed to amaze us anymore; they merely exist to ship and serve a bunch of apps.

Nothing as a model stands out on this sea of, nicely, nothings (not less than from a design standpoint). With a product philosophy primarily based on design, it takes these gutsy selections that big-name manufacturers are too afraid to take, paving a path for a refreshing sequence of merchandise that not solely dare to seem totally different (in a tasteful method) but additionally try to stay that method a number of years into the sport. With the newest Nothing Phone 3a, it is evidently clear that its components works and the way!

Nothing Phone 3a Design: Notable enhancements

• Dimensions – 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.3mm
• Weight – 201g
• Durability – IP64

The nostalgic and futuristic design philosophy between the Nothing Phone 2a and the brand new Phone 3a stays the identical. It doesn’t take an excessive amount of effort to identify similarities between the 2. The half on the prime proper nook, which is now product of steel, and the purple sq. have been additionally current on the Phone 2a.

Also apparent is that a lot of the design effort has gone into the brand new Phone 3a Pro mannequin, which will get a greater 3X telephoto digital camera as an alternative of the 2X unit on the Phone 3a.

 

Compared to the Phone 3a Pro, the Phone 3a will get a brand new color choice referred to as Blue. However, we obtained the usual White mannequin for overview.

Despite its design similarities with the Phone 2a, the 3a’s rear panel is now product of glass as an alternative of plastic. It now not is a mud magnet, and we barely observed any fingerprints on the White unit we obtained.

Alongside the standard energy button can also be a brand new Essential Key, which I’ll go into element about within the software program part of this overview.

 

The cellphone’s body is product of polycarbonate and certainly reminded us of the outdated HTC One X and the Nokia Lumias (1020 and 1520) due to its delicate matte end. The glass again has helped bump up the Phone 3a’s water and dirt resistance to an IP64 ranking, which isn’t a lot to speak about however is nice to have. It’s good for splashes or sprays of water however not immersion. Like most producers, it is extremely advisable to keep away from this as a lot as potential, as harm resulting from water ingress just isn’t coated beneath guarantee.

The design of the Nothing Phone 3a is not contemporary going by the corporate’s requirements, but it surely certainly stands out when positioned alongside equally priced smartphones from the mid-range with their done-and-dusted glass, fake leather-based or textured rear panels. Such ranges of creativity are usually not even discovered within the premium section.

I noticed a number of meeting points that is likely to be particular to my overview unit.

 

Thankfully, these are right down to the bits that go beneath the glass rear panel. The shiny steel half (as seen within the above picture) on the prime proper nook is misaligned by a millimetre, because it appears to be rotated within the clockwise path. The purple field can also be misaligned by little or no however tilts within the reverse anticlockwise path. We hope that future batches will deal with these points.

Nothing Phone 3a Display: Excellent for its worth

• Display measurement – 6.77-inch, 1,080 x 2,392 pixels, Full-HD+ (387 PPI)
• Display sort – AMOLED, 60-90-120Hz
• Protection – Panda Glass

The Nothing Phone 3a has a show that’s much like that of the earlier Phone 2a. It additionally has the identical 120Hz refresh fee. It presents 1,300 nits of most brightness and three,000 nits of peak brightness, which makes out of doors use problem-free. The show glass and the versatile AMOLED panel are each flat, which implies you get wonderful viewing angles minus the pointless reflections out there on some competing fashions that provide quad-curved shows.

While spectacular, the Nothing Phone 3a’s AMOLED show lacks HDR10+ certification

 

Colours are a tad bit saturated within the Alive mode for display color however seem pure with the Standard mode. My solely drawback with it’s that it lacks an HDR10 or HDR10+ certification for video streaming, which is obtainable on some competing smartphones in India.

Nothing Phone 3a Software: More artwork than smartphone UI

• Software model – Nothing OS 3.1
• Android model – Android 15
• Software dedication – 3 years of software program, 6 years of safety updates

Unlike most smartphone interfaces that really feel like they’ve been designed for mass consumption and attraction, Nothing OS feels extra hand-crafted and distinctive. It took me a day to recognise the gallery icon (till then, I assumed Google Photos was the default gallery app), however as soon as I discovered it and positioned it on the house display, I used to be capable of finding it immediately on a regular basis.

The widgets on the house display have additionally been given their fair proportion of consideration.

 

I completely dig the Date widget, which merely shows the present date with a daring font. The entertaining bit is that you just get a tiny web page folded in its backside proper nook day-after-day, forcing you to swipe up the web page and reveal the present day’s date (together with agenda objects). It’s this minute consideration to element (even whether it is guide) that made me discover and bear in mind the present date.

The Do Not Disturb widget turns right into a daring purple when activated and stands out from the remainder of the interface when lively. The compass widget with a faucet wakes as much as level north like each good compass ought to. I simply wished that it awakened with the cellphone and remained that method for a number of seconds.

There is a enjoyable News Reporter widget (which seems like an outdated radio speaker) that, upon tapping, wakes up and begins studying out the information (as per your preferences). Each bar of its speaker-like design goes from purple to gray because the information is being learn out. So, even in case you pause it, you’ll know what number of extra hand-picked information objects stay to be learn out. The information choice and voice appear to be AI-generated or not less than learn out by a pre-defined AI-like voice. There’s even a page-turning sound after every byte, giving it a really old-school really feel.

Coming to the fundamentals, there is a new Inter font, that can be utilized because the system font. This signifies that Inter will probably be compelled in each third-party app that doesn’t use its particular font, making the UI and OS seem extra constant. Inter, similar to the opposite fonts utilized in Nothing OS, someway gel very nicely collectively.

And there are some things that Nothing OS does a bit in a different way. The lock display can have as much as 4 widgets, that are scrollable when you elevate the cellphone.

 

Nothing on OS has one of many coolest lock screens I’ve laid eyes on in current occasions, and it is usually shockingly customisable. However, tapping on a notification right here will take you on to the notifications tray. I initially did not prefer it (it is not regular for Android telephones), however I someway received used to it a number of days into the testing course of.

Last however undoubtedly not least is Nothing’s tackle synthetic intelligence (AI). Nothing executives maintain talking about how they need to do AI in a different way in comparison with being a content material formatting device or a gathering summariser, transcribing and the standard picture enhancing/era that everybody (together with Apple) else has executed to dying (with or with out success). Nothing’s tackle AI is Essential Space, which might have one thing to do with Andy Rubin’s startup, absorbed by Nothing again in 2021.

When I began utilizing Essential Space, I assumed it was simply one other try and push AI in your face. But the Essential Key (a bodily button on the left facet) made me curious sufficient to present it a shot.

 

Pressing down the Essential Key as soon as takes a screenshot of what is in your show, after which you might be prompted so as to add typed notes about your present thought or press the report button for a voice notice. Once recorded, press it as soon as once more to cease recording after which as soon as once more to avoid wasting to Essential Space.

The intriguing half is how Essential Space digests and preps this knowledge for recall. Currently, all the pieces features via the usage of screenshots, however there are plans to combine the digital camera with Essential Key to extract data out of your environment for recall. There’s additionally a centered mode deliberate for future launch that may allow you to report a whole assembly. After this, the device is not going to solely recognise audio system and transcribe data; it can additionally create to-dos primarily based on the dialog. With the present implementation, I usually discover myself taking screenshots of issues I would like to recollect and leaving notes on them. The app generated helpful summaries for every screenshot and in addition created to-dos robotically primarily based on what’s within the screenshot and the audio or textual content notice it was tagged with.

The solely draw back of Essential Space is that you just can’t take away your knowledge. Hopefully, sooner or later, all the knowledge gathered by this characteristic will probably be out there in recordsdata and folders backed as much as the cloud, which might then be offloaded onto one other OS if wanted. Currently, I’ve discover a folder that saves all of the screenshots for Essential Space within the Internal Storage> Pictures> EssentialSpace folder.

Nothing Phone 3a Performance: Great, however removed from one of the best

• Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, 2.5GHz, 4nm
• RAM – 8GB (LPDDR4X)
• Storage – 128/256GB (UFS 2.2)

Everyday software program efficiency is fairly clean regardless of Nothing’s moderately controversial use of UFS 2.2 storage. The adaptive show panel neatly switches the refresh fee between 120-60Hz (relying on the display brightness) when searching via the software program interface however is capped at 90Hz (or 90-60Hz) when opening native and third-party apps. Video and video games are restricted to 60Hz solely.

Gaming efficiency was good, as I managed to run Call of Duty: Mobile at Very High graphics and body fee. The show’s contact sampling fee of 480Hz, which is just out there in Game Mode, appeared nearly enough. I’ve skilled higher contact sensitivity, particularly whereas enjoying video games on competing units.

The vapour chamber cooling system certain does its job of sustaining the cellphone’s efficiency beneath stress

 

The cellphone warms up whereas enjoying video games and will get sizzling when utilizing the digital camera app outside; nevertheless, the digital camera app doesn’t shut down nor present any warnings about limiting use. Indeed, the vapour cooling system was doing its job. However, the cellphone all the time struggled with processing pictures (it takes a second or two after seize), which is one thing I additionally observed on the Realme P3 Pro (has the identical chip). I additionally observed some sluggishness when utilizing the digital camera app, particularly when switching between digital camera modes or switching cameras.

As far as benchmarks go, the Nothing Phone 3a performs as anticipated, as will be seen from the desk under.

 

Nothing Phone 3a Cameras: Well above common

• Primary digital camera – 50-megapixel, OIS, f/1.5 aperture, AF
• Ultrawide digital camera – 8-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, FF
• Telephoto digital camera – 50-megapixel, 2X, EIS, f/2.0 aperture, AF
• Selfie digital camera – 32-megapixel, f/2.2 aperture, FF

Note: Our digital camera samples and observations are primarily based on the newest software program replace (obtained round March 10), and it caused some drastic digital camera enhancements versus the earlier replace the cellphone was examined with. The replace (Asteroids-V3.1-250302-1856-IND) additionally added a number of new options, together with the flexibility to create and share new digital camera filters/presets talked about under.

Nothing introduced the widest choice of cameras out there on this section or worth level. While most smartphones pack a large + ultra-wide mixture, Nothing has managed a 2X telephoto digital camera, which is an fascinating addition given the worth level.

In a current replace, Nothing even added the flexibility to create, share or import another person’s customized preset (by way of dice recordsdata), which is exclusive and will change into well-liked within the Nothing group.

 

Another intriguing characteristic I like is the presets that may be utilized when taking pictures. These presets are usually not simply color, hue, or saturation changes; additionally they outline which digital camera mode (even video) and what magnification can be utilized when chosen. You may add superior settings, like maintaining the flash on, picture high quality (binned or full decision), and even turning the grid on or off, which is good! You can pin these presets to your property display as a widget and launch instantly into a selected customized preset.

Nothing Phone 3a ultrawide digital camera samples (faucet pictures to broaden)

 

Coming to the cameras, the ultra-wide digital camera is the weakest one of many three, however it’s on no account dangerous. It presents respectable efficiency for its worth level, producing pictures which might be a bit low on element however pack good dynamic vary, guaranteeing sufficient element within the darker areas. Lens barrel distortion is beneath management as nicely. Of course, all of this primarily applies to sunlight taking pictures, because the outcomes captured at evening seem delicate and appear to be work.

Nothing Phone 3a main digital camera samples (faucet pictures to broaden)

 

The main digital camera is certainly one of the best and most able to the three. Unlike the Nothing Phone 3a, it is the one one with optical picture stabilisation (OIS). Photographs captured in all taking pictures situations come out sharp and pack loads of resolved element. The main digital camera additionally presents one of the best color accuracy among the many three, though the pictures seem a bit saturated in comparison with the precise scene.

Nothing Phone 3a 2X telephoto digital camera samples (faucet pictures to broaden)

 

The telephoto digital camera feeds on mild. The colors it produces are a bit extra saturated than the first digital camera’s; it additionally provides a little bit of sharpening to pictures, which might seem extreme when taking pictures portrait pictures. Provided there’s good mild, you get loads of element, and a few crispy captures with good pure bokeh. The accuracy of edge detection varies relying on the complexity of your topic’s coiffure.

You start to note a drop in picture high quality beneath synthetic mild or when taking pictures towards a supply of sunshine. When utilizing portrait mode, the digital camera tries its greatest, however the absence of OIS doesn’t permit it to choose up sufficient particulars from faces. Your topics may even have to be completely nonetheless in such lighting situations.

The telephoto digital camera performs higher when not utilizing the devoted Portrait mode. 4X lossless samples are usable, however you’ll discover a drop intimately while you pixel peep. Despite its daylight capabilities, those that plan to make use of Portrait Mode usually are certainly higher off with the Phone 3a Pro’s 3X telephoto digital camera, which is optically stabilised.

Selfies pack good element and correct edge detection in daylight however come out common in low mild (faucet picture to broaden)

 

Video recordings are certainly an space that Nothing must work on. For a low-end, mid-range smartphone, it meets expectations by providing good stabilisation and respectable element when taking pictures video at 1080p and 4K. However, this solely applies when taking pictures in broad daylight, as low-light video seize is sort of poor.

Consistency by way of color copy between the three cameras is one thing Nothing nonetheless must work on. Of course, we’re discussing a Rs. 25,000 cellphone, however it might be nice if Nothing might determine it out with future updates. All digital camera samples have been clicked with the Auto-tone characteristic turned off, because it simply added pointless color saturation.

Nothing Phone 3a Battery:

• Battery capability – 5,000mAh
• Wired charging – 50W
• Charger within the field – No

Despite having a barely smaller battery than most competing smartphones, nothing has managed to squeeze probably the most out of it, because of good software program optimisation. While the cellphone lasted me an entire day and a bit longer with heavy utilization (calls, messaging, digital camera utilization, and a little bit of gaming), it managed rating of 28 hours and 37 minutes, which is best than what the Realme P3 Pro’ manages with a higher-capacity battery.

Our PCMark Work battery check, which replicates common smartphone utilization situations, operating the battery down to twenty p.c, lasted a stable 17 hours and 40 minutes of steady utilization. Again, the determine is a bit shocking, because the Realme P3 Pro, with the identical chipset, an AMOLED show, and a bigger 6,000mAh battery, managed 10 minutes much less.

Charging speeds are comparatively sluggish at 50W, given that the majority telephones on this section provide higher. In our testing, we managed to cost the Nothing Phone 3a to 46 p.c in half-hour and full the charging course of in 1 hour and 26 minutes when plugged right into a 100W GaN charger. For comparability, Realme’s P3 Pro charged a much bigger 6,000mAh battery in 1 hour and 6 minutes.

Nothing Phone 3a Verdict

With its concentrate on design and balanced {hardware} decisions, Nothing actually has give you a winner within the mid-range (price range in international markets). It superbly combines {hardware}, beauty design, and software program. And it is much more applause-worthy, on condition that a lot effort has been put right into a low-end mid-ranger!

That stated, the brand new digital camera {hardware} is an improve over the earlier mannequin. While it really works alright, Nothing ought to work on delivering extra digital camera updates to enhance its efficiency even additional.

Indeed, there are higher performance-oriented options just like the Poco F6 (Review), and spec-heavy choices just like the OnePlus Nord CE 4 (Review) and the just lately launched “flagship killer” iQOO Neo 10R (First Impressions) in India. But in relation to design and software program execution, Nothing’s Phone 3a is a cellphone I can choose up and use once I get tired of different smartphones. It has the software program that I need to use on each Android smartphone.