Nothing Phone (3a) Review

Just a year after launching the Nothing Phone (2a), the company has unveiled the new Nothing Phone (3a). This is the company’s latest mid-range device right now.

This is Nothing Phone (3a) — a smartphone with a unique design for a decent price. How does it compared to last year’s device? Are the specs okay? We’re gonna find out in this review!

Design and Construction

If we compare it to the design of the Nothing Phone (2a), they are actually quite similar. No complaints here on my end when it comes to Nothing’s signature design. It stands out really well and makes heads turn indeed. You can spot the very slight changes on the industrial pattern to distinguish itself from the Nothing Phone (2a).

Beside the new design pattern on the lower half, you’ll see that there are three sensors on the camera island compared to two that its predecessor had. But, other than that and the LED being placed near the middle, not much has changed. The Glyph Interface and logos are still in the same placement like the last year’s model.

The Phone 3a has an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance, so should any droplets accidentally hit the device, you should be good. Just don’t jump in a pool with the phone.

For I/Os, you have the volume buttons on the LEFT side of the phone which Nothing users are surely familiar with. Meanwhile, the right side has a power button and a new button called the “Essential Key”. It can take screenshots for you in one click and record audio when you long press. More on this later in the review.

You have a mic and one of the two stereo speakers hidden on the earpiece on the top part. While the bottom has the USB-C port, main microphone, SIM card slot, and the second loudspeaker.

If you’re like me and you haven’t held a Nothing smartphone before, chances are that the button placements might be odd to you. I’ve accidentally pressed the power button and Essential Key a bunch of times just trying to adjust the volume or lock the screen, so there is a learning curve at first. I constantly forgot that the volume buttons are on the left instead of the usual right side that I have on my own phone.

Display, Biometrics, Multimedia

Flipping the Phone (3a) to the front, you’re faced with a 6.77-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with up to 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits of peak brightness.

Compared to the 1,300 nits of the 2a, it’s quite a jump. However, it is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 whereas the 3a uses Panda glass. The latter is cost-effective but Gorilla Glass is more drop and scratch resistant, so there’s that caveat.

Still, you get quite a viewing experience, as you have vibrant colors, deeper blacks, and decent viewing angles. You can be sure to enjoy watching videos and going through social media using the Phone (3a).

As for audio, it’s pretty loud. You get great clarity from its stereo speakers, but the bass isn’t as punchy as I want it to be. Mids are also lacking in my opinion, but it’s able to get the job done. It might not be your cup of tea for listening to music through the speakers of the device, but it still has a great appeal to watch movies or TV shows with how clear the audio is.

For biometrics, you have the under-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock which are quick to register. It doesn’t take that much time to unlock the phone, taking a split second to reveal the home screen before you.

Cameras

When it comes to cameras, the Nothing Phone (3a) retains the same sensors as its predecessor: a 50MP main and an 8MP ultrawide. The difference now is that there’s a new addition to its setup: a 50MP telephoto. For the selfie camera, you get the same 32MP shooter.

In well lit environments, it tends to lean towards cooler tones, being able to capture detail from up to 2x zoom and highlighting reds and yellows. However, in low lighting, the phone starts to focus on warmer tones, having more greens and blues.

The Phone (3a) relies on its post processing a lot to revamp its shots, so there are times where it can get a bit inconsistent for me. There are moments where colors are washed out while others look good enough to post online. It’s more of a trial and error here.

For video recording, the device shoots at 4K at 30fps using the rear camera while the front can only shoot at 1080p at 60fps.

Rear camera: https://youtu.be/K_Dkbb7q4a0

Front camera: https://youtu.be/1iPFZB87MbY

Here are our sample shots for you to check for yourself!

Processor

The Nothing Phone (3a) is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip. It comes in two storage options: 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB. There’s RAM Booster that extends up to an additional 8GB of RAM as well.

It was able to hit around the 700 thousand mark in our AnTuTu score which isn’t bad for gaming. It got a result of 82,018 in AnTuTu’s Storage Test too so it’s pretty decent.

When I entered Zenless Zone Zero’s New Eridu to try the new event and do my dailies, I could only bump the quality up to Medium graphics to not experience any stutters. Attempting to go any further than that results in obvious lag, making me not enjoy the new animations from characters like Pulchra and Soldier Zero – Anby.

This applies as well for games like Wuthering Waves, not being able to handle to max out the graphic settings to the top. You can, however, still go through the story at Balanced settings.

When it comes to MoBa and casual games, the Nothing Phone (3a) will handle them just fine. You can amp up the quality to the highest settings and not worry about any delays or stutters when getting your killstreak.

You can check out benchmark scores right here to get a better grasp.

• Antutu v10.3.9 – 784,772

Antutu Storage Test v10.3.9 – 82,018

S.Read – 10,399

Speed: 1045.7MB/s

S.Write – 6,142

Speed: 535.3MB/s

R.Access – 52,357

R.Speed: 672.0MB/s

W.Speed: 504.0MB/s

AI Read – 13,120

Speed: 328.0MB/s

• 3D Mark: Wild Life – 3,997

Average frame rate – 23.94 FPS

• Geekbench 6 CPU

Single: 1,183

Multi: 3,306

GPU OpenCL: 3,319

GPU Vulcan: 4,420

• PCMark Work 3.0 Performance – 12,281

OS, Apps, UI

The Nothing Phone (3a) runs on Nothing OS 3.1 which is based on Android 15. Like its other models, it’s minimalistic and clean, having a unique look for their apps and interface.

One of the new features that the smartphone has is Essential Space. This is Nothing’s AI app where screenshots and audio recordings can be easily accessed thanks to the Essential Key. One click takes a screenshot, and while long-pressing it starts recording the audio the mic can pick up. Double pressing the button takes you to the Essential Space app. Thanks to AI, it can transcribe the voice notes and analyze screenshots.

Although, I’ve pressed the Essential Key one too many times thinking it was a power button. It also ticks me off that you can’t map the key to anything else, nor can it act as a shutter button when in camera mode. Though, I guess it’s nice to keep screenshots in one spot compared to being cluttered in the gallery.

There’s also the Glyph Interface LEDs that are customizable in the Settings. You can trigger it to flash while you’re watching media, playing music, and even light up when notifications pop up on your phone. It’s quite nifty at first, especially seeing the flashing lights match the media you’re consuming.

There is a downfall to this, however. Besides the fact that it may be a leading cause to draining your battery a bit faster, this can get quite distracting especially if you’re watching a video with others nearby or across from you. The lights are so bright that it may make the people around you flinch from the harsh light.

Connectivity, Battery

With the Nothing Phone (3a), you get Wi-Fi 6, 5G, Bluetooth 5.4, dual nano-SIM support, NFC, and GPS.

What keeps the device alive is a 5,000mAh with 50W charging support and 7.5W reverse wired charging. I’ve used this device for a whole day and only charged it at night which was able to get from 20% to 100% in about an hour.

Our PCMark Battery Test got a result of 20 hours and 7 minutes while our video loop test garnered a total of 23 hours and 12 minutes. It looks like the Nothing Phone (3a) is still power-efficient and makes sure that you’re still connected for the whole day. You can be sure that the battery will not drain as fast so long as you don’t have glyphs up for every media consumption.

Price, Conclusion

Overall, the Nothing Phone (3a) is a fair midrange device with Nothing’s eye-catching design and a great display. However, the performance and cameras are fair given the price of this phone – it’s decent at best.

So, how much is the Nothing Phone (3a)? The smartphone goes for 19,999 pesos for the 8GB variant while the 12GB model goes for 22,490 pesos.

If you want to get into the Nothing community by making this your daily driver, you certainly get heads turning thanks to its design and their infamous Glyph LEDs along with an additional button for your screenshots. However, if you’re looking to game intensely with the device, this may not be the one for you.

What we like:

• AMOLED screen
• Unique phone design
• Good battery life
• Great UI

What we didn’t like:

• Average processor
• Button placements may be a learning curve
• Inconsistent post processing photos

Nothing Phone (3a) specs:
6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display
1080 x 2392 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
3000-nit peak brightness, 1300-nit (outdoors)
Screen protection: Panda glass
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
4nm, octa-core, up to 2.5GHz
8GB, 12GB RAM
128GB, 256GB storage
Triple rear cameras:
– 50MP f/1.88 main, OIS
– 50MP f/2.0 telephoto, EIS, AF
– 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 120° FoV
32MP f/2.2 selfie shooter (hole punch notch)
Dual nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.4
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
USB Type-C
NFC
Under-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
IP64 dust and splash resistance
Dual stereo speakers
NothingOS 3.1, Android 15
5000mAh battery
50W charging (wired)
7.5W reverse wired charging
163.52 x 77.50 x 8.35 mm
201g
Black, White (colorways)