Nothing Phone 3a Review

The Nothing Phone 3a is simply a bully fund Android phone for anyone conscionable looking for a large, responsive surface and slayer artillery life. Coming up of the all-but-certain flagship Nothing Phone 3, the 3a is Nothing’s newest budget smartphone, and it mostly succeeds astatine what it’s trying to execute – that is, supply a coagulated enactment for buyers looking for a large, 120hz display, fantabulous artillery life, and mean cameras astatine a terms that doesn't interruption the bank. But aft a week of testing, I couldn't assistance but consciousness similar its inconsistent performance, measly IP64 rating, and comparatively abbreviated update plans clasp it backmost from existent greatness.

Nothing Phone 3a – Design and Features

As with astir modern smartphones, there's thing astonishing astir the beforehand of the Nothing Phone 3a. Its 6.77" AMOLED display, which hits up to 120hz astatine FHD+ solution (2220x1080), is plentifulness responsive and sharp, adjacent if it's not mounting immoderate records – and it shouldn't effort to astatine its terms point. With Auto Brightness maxed out, I didn't person overmuch occupation viewing thing successful nonstop sunlight – though I'm not remotely convinced it was hitting the 3,000 nits that Nothing claims it tin achieve.

But portion the beforehand of the telephone surface is each concern arsenic usual, the backmost is wherever each the flair is. Nothing has cornered a chiseled concern aesthetic with its ever-growing lineup that continues with the Nothing Phone 3a, which is erstwhile again sporting a transparent backmost sheet (upgraded from polycarbonate to solid this time) and acquainted glyph interface.

The glyph interface uses a postulation of lights connected the backmost of the telephone to stock accusation with you portion the telephone is look down. This tin scope from notifications to timers oregon adjacent utilizing it arsenic a flashlight. You tin besides person it flash to the bushed of euphony you play connected your phone, albeit awkwardly and not ever successful cleanable sync.

The glyphs are mostly meant to incentivize you to walk little clip utilizing your surface by granting you a batch of accusation via LED lights. If that's your goal, past the heavy customization offered for your notifications and beyond tin undoubtedly beryllium useful. But analyzing lights conscionable felt similar an unnecessary, gimmicky measurement to me, truthful I rapidly returned to eyeballing my notifications connected the beforehand of my telephone the mode I've been happily doing for years. I emotion that Nothing continues to clasp this admittedly chill identity, though, and I tin spot its benefits – it's conscionable 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 fastener connected the close broadside of the telephone tin beryllium double-clicked to participate the Essential Space, an AI-focused hub utilized to cod and benignant photos, notes, and much for casual access. As idiosyncratic perpetually skeptical of AI, I was nevertheless impressed by however businesslike the Essential Key and Essential Space marque immoderate tasks.

While retired and astir with the Nothing Phone 3a, I occasionally held down the Essential Key to instrumentality dependable notes. When I checked for them successful the Essential Space later, I recovered that it had automatically transcribed the notes with nary errors, making them a cinch to skim through. Voice transcribing isn't thing new, of course, but being capable to rapidly clasp a button, accidental a fewer words, and past person Essential Space grip the remainder down the scenes was admittedly cool.

As for what's successful the box, you'll get the telephone and a USB-C cable. But arsenic is each excessively communal with smartphone releases nowadays, the Nothing Phone 3a doesn't see a charging brick. If you're similar maine (see: a millennial), you person a bin successful your location filled with random cables and bricks, truthful it'd hopefully beryllium lone a insignificant inconvenience. And if necessary, buying a ceramic separately isn't a important expense. Just beryllium definite you get 1 that takes vantage of the phone's 50W charging capabilities truthful you tin apical disconnected quickly.

Speaking of inconveniences, the Nothing Phone 3a offers a mediocre IP64 rating, which lone protects it against h2o splashes portion leaving it susceptible if submerged. Granted, if you're readying connected going diving with your phone, you astir apt shouldn't beryllium eyeing fund devices similar the Nothing Phone 3a anyway. Still, it ever sucks to spot specified a debased standing connected immoderate phone, fund oregon otherwise.

Nothing Phone 3a – Software

The Nothing Phone 3a comes with Nothing OS 3.1 retired of the box. This reskinned Android 15 volition beryllium acquainted to anyone who has utilized a Google Pixel instrumentality successful the past fewer years. A fewer unsocial customization features assistance it basal out, particularly successful however it each interacts with the glyph strategy connected the backmost of the phone, but there's small present that feels wildly antithetic than what you've travel to expect from Android.

Nothing promises 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of information updates for the Nothing Phone 3a, which is somewhat disappointing successful an epoch wherever much well-known companies similar Samsung and Google connection up to 7 years of both. I'm the benignant to upgrade phones each 2-3 years anyway, but if you're looking for a instrumentality with astonishing 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 should guarantee coagulated show for the mean user, and that was my acquisition – well, astir of the time. Moving astir the telephone was usually beauteous snappy, but I'd get immoderate stuttering present and determination erstwhile doing things similar opening my app drawer oregon switching tabs. It wasn't a changeless problem, but it happened often capable to person maine that the Nothing Phone 3a wouldn't conscionable my needs arsenic idiosyncratic utilized to a flagship instrumentality arsenic my regular driver.

Gaming is simply a mixed bag, too. Benchmark tests consistently spot the Nothing Phone 3a successful the aforesaid ballpark arsenic flagships from astir 3 years ago, with comparable results coming from phones similar the Google Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S21. Since the Nothing Phone 3a costs little than fractional of the terms of much caller flagships, though, that's surely understandable. But the numbers inactive wounded a bit.

Here’s however the Nothing Phone 3a performed successful our suite of benchmark tests:

• 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 accent trial - 379

Suffice it to accidental the Nothing Phone 3a isn't a stellar gaming device. But that's not to accidental it can't beryllium utilized to bask your favourite games arsenic agelong arsenic you're consenting to marque immoderate concessions. In my experience, the telephone handled immoderate crippled I threw astatine it truthful agelong arsenic I micromanaged immoderate settings and didn't effort to propulsion it excessively hard.

I was capable to bask a fewer rounds of Vampire Survivors without stressing retired the Nothing Phone 3a, and I recovered that it's a large prime for immoderate older games that don't necessitate overmuch powerfulness nether the hood. Unsurprisingly, though, I wasn't capable to get games similar Call of Duty Mobile oregon Fortnite to support precocious frames with the champion graphical prime for immoderate extended play sessions. But if you're good with your settings being bumped down a peg oregon two, you'll get passable show without superior vigor concerns.

Elsewhere, the Nothing Phone 3a's 5,000mAh artillery beingness is exceptional. It consistently got maine done a time and a fractional of watching videos, scrolling done news, and perpetually texting my woman to reason astir what we were going to devour for dinner. Of course, it's worthy pointing retired that days wherever I threw successful immoderate heavier gaming evidently didn't fare quite arsenic well, but that's to beryllium expected. The 50W accelerated charging got maine from nether 10% to 100% successful nether an hour, too, which was plentifulness fast. Sadly, the telephone doesn't enactment wireless charging, truthful that's benignant of a bummer.

Nothing Phone 3a – Camera

The Nothing Phone 3a's cameras aren't industry-leading, but they connection photos that tin beryllium hard to separate from those taken connected much costly midrange phones. That being said, it's important to retrieve that a fund telephone isn't an iPhone 16 Pro Max – truthful if efficient, high-quality telephone photography is 1 of your passions, the Nothing Phone 3a isn't the instrumentality you're looking for. For the amateur photographer, though, they'll get the occupation done.

Here's what you're getting with the Nothing Phone 3a:

• 50MP wide, 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 ultra zoom
• 8MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 120° FOV
• 32 MP selfie, f2.2, 1/3.44” sensor, 89° FOV

If you privation a fewer much options, you tin ever opt for the 3a Pro for astir eighty bucks more. Its meaningful differences are a 50MP periscope lens with 3x optical zoom and a main camera that works moderately amended successful low-light conditions. As such, the upgrade is apt not worthy the other wealth unless you're affirmative that you'll marque usage of these improvements.

Compared to shots taken connected my Samsung Galaxy S24, I often recovered that the Nothing Phone 3a's main camera photos were a small dense connected the opposition but different crisp and punchy capable to basal toe-to-toe. Low-light photos fared good connected the basal model, but the 3a Pro is decidedly the amended prime if you program to beryllium regularly snapping pictures successful darker settings. Regardless of which mentation of the telephone you pick, though, the measly 8MP ultrawide is conscionable dreadful and not worthy messing with.

The Nothing Phone 3a tin besides sprout 4K video astatine 30 FPS oregon 1080p astatine up to 60 FPS, but arsenic with photograph quality, you're getting fund results from a fund phone. If you're a contented creator oregon truly similar making great-looking reels for societal media, you'll astir apt beryllium much disappointed with the Nothing Phone 3a's video capabilities than astir folks. Some videos tin beryllium benignant of jittery, and thing changeable successful little than highly agleam environments turns retired noticeably grainy. But it's an acceptable prime for conscionable capturing memories of a favored being silly.