Key Takeaways
- Priced at $379, the Nothing Phone 3a makes a strong impression with its unique design and fantastic screen.
- It boasts excellent battery life and a refreshingly sensible approach to AI features.
- The new “Essential Space” function is a handy tool for quick notes and voice memos.
- Camera performance is a notable compromise, which is common for phones in this price range.
- Overall, it’s a stylish and practical option that truly stands out in the mid-tier market.
The Nothing Phone 3a, available for $379, is making waves in the competitive mid-range smartphone scene. It catches the eye with a striking look, a superb display, and a notably understated use of AI, a formula that clearly helps it shine.
Nothing’s hardware design is an immediate draw. The brand has quickly built a reputation for its original style, featuring transparent casings that offer a peek at some internal components. While you’re mostly seeing frames and screws rather than chips, it creates a look you won’t find anywhere else.
Adding to this distinctiveness are the Glyph LED lights around the camera. These aren’t just for show; they pulse for calls, timers, and music, blending unique aesthetics with real-world usefulness. It was particularly handy to see the blinking Glyph for notifications when the phone was in a pocket during events like Mobile World Congress 2025.
The camera bar itself has a unique pill shape, neatly housing three sensors. A nice touch is the 3a’s glass back, an upgrade from the previous plastic, adding a bit more elegance. The polycarbonate frame feels good, though it did pick up a small dent from a minor drop—something a metal frame might have resisted.
Volume and power buttons are flat, easy to find by touch, and feel good to press. A standout is the new “Essential Space” button, shinier and slightly more prominent, clearly designed to invite a press.
This design is impressive, not just for its uniqueness, but because it brings a high-end feel to a mid-range Android phone. Style isn’t always a given at this price, but the Nothing Phone 3a makes it a key feature.
The display on the Nothing Phone 3a is another highlight, especially for its cost. The 6.77-inch LTPO OLED screen is exceptional, boasting 3,000 nits peak brightness, vibrant colors, and sharp detail. It’s bright even in direct sunlight, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything look smooth, a treat for the eyes.
What’s also great is the screen’s 2160Hz PWM dimming. This high frequency makes for comfortable viewing over long periods, something even some premium phones don’t manage as well.
Under the hood, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip, paired with 12GB of RAM, handles things capably. While the phone is light on AI features, this processor ensures smooth operation and gaming. Only occasional brief lags were noticed, mostly during low-light photography.
Nothing OS 3.1, built on Android 15, adds subtle tweaks while keeping the core Android feel. You can add Nothing’s own widgets to the lock screen, a nice touch. It will be interesting to see how this evolves when Google reintroduces lock screen widgets for all Android 16 users.
A big new software feature is “Essential Space.” It’s so central that Nothing added a dedicated hardware button for it. Tapping the button takes a quick screenshot and lets you add notes. Holding it captures a screenshot and starts an audio recording, which AI transcribes on the device, making everything searchable.
Initially, it took some getting used to, but it quickly became a valuable tool for jotting down reminders and important moments throughout the day. It’s a feature that grew on me with use.
Essential Space isn’t perfect yet. The interface can get a bit cluttered, and accidental button presses sometimes add to the mess. Still, it’s a promising feature that makes one wish for similar quick-capture buttons on other phones.
When it comes to cameras, the Nothing Phone 3a shows its mid-range roots. In good light with still subjects, photos are decent. However, without optical image stabilization, even slight movements can lead to blurry, grainy shots that don’t look great on larger screens.
The ultrawide camera seems fine on the phone’s screen, but quality drops if you zoom in even a little, revealing the limits of its 8MP sensor. The 2x telephoto performs well, even when cropped, but struggles with dynamic range in bright outdoor scenes, sometimes washing out skies.
Good low-light photos are possible but require a very steady hand. The camera system is where the phone most clearly fits its mid-range category.
Despite camera limitations, the 5,000mAh battery is a fantastic addition to this sub-$400 phone. Getting a day and a half of use from the Nothing Phone 3a is consistently easy.
Support for 50W fast charging is another impressive bonus, especially compared to some pricier competitors. The absence of wireless charging is a reasonable omission for a device in this price bracket.
Battery anxiety was never a concern, even during heavy use navigating Barcelona for Mobile World Congress. It rarely dipped below 30%, proving its reliability when you need it most.
According to ZDNET, despite some understandable camera compromises, the Nothing Phone 3a makes smart choices for a budget device. Its unique design, strong battery life, and phenomenal display make it stand out.
The Essential Space feature is praised for its subtle AI implementation, a refreshing change from competitors who often push AI capabilities more aggressively. The Nothing Phone 3a shows clear vision from a young company. While some might see Nothing’s design choices as just for show, using their devices reveals a unique signature that’s more than skin deep.
This review reflects experiences with the device, which was originally covered around its Mobile World Congress 2025 appearance and has been updated based on further use.
