The Nothing Phone 3A and 3A Pro Are Fun, Flashy and Affordable
London-based tech firm Nothing has delighted us before with its light-up Android phones that provide some much-needed frivolity in a world full of plain, gray smartphones that take themselves too seriously. The Nothing Phone 3A and 3A Pro are cut from the same cloth as their predecessors, packing solid all-round specs, affordable price tags and an LED-infused design that stands out from the crowd.
The Nothing Phone 3A is the base model in the new series, starting at $379 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. In the UK, you can pick up a pared-back model with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage for only £329, or get the 12GB/256GB model for £379. The Phone 3A Pro has a more full-featured camera system than the base 3A, but shares the same processor, display and batteries. It costs $459 (£449) for the 12GB/256GB model.
I've been testing the Nothing Phone 3A Pro while on the ground in Barcelona for this year's Mobile World Congress. I'm quite keen on the phone's balance of price and performance and look forward to seeing how it stacks up against other affordable phones like the new Samsung Galaxy A series and the Google Pixel 8A -- as well as pricier budget phones like the iPhone 16E.
The design is the first thing that stands out about these phones. The glass back reveals screws and data ribbons, giving it an industrial look that I find appealing. The LED lights -- which Nothing calls the Glyph -- are strewn around the camera units on both phones and light up to alert you to incoming notifications. They're a fun addition to Nothing's phones that you won't find anywhere else.
Both phones have 6.7-inch displays that looked bright and vibrant during my hands-on time, easily countering Barcelona's gray, overcast weather. Those under the bright midday California sun may have a different experience. With an IP68 water resistance rating, taking calls in the pouring rain (again, not you, California) won't be a problem.
Powering the 3A series is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, which provided decent scores on our benchmark tests, especially considering the price of the phones. While not topping today's flagship phones, the 3A Pro's results are more in line with the Pixel 8A and Galaxy A35 5G, both of which are great phones.
In everyday use, the phone has plenty of power for essential tasks, while games like Alto's Odyssey and Vampire Survivors ran smoothly.
Both phones run Android 15 at their core, but Nothing has heavily customized the interface with a stark, monochrome aesthetic. It looks sleek, but I sometimes struggle to distinguish app icons when they're reduced to minimalist black-and-white buttons. Still, you might be into the mono look, and if not, you can customize the layout to your liking. Nothing promises a total of six years of software and security support, which is good, especially considering the price.
Gemini Advanced, Gemini Live and Circle to Search are all available to use on the phones, and while Nothing hasn't thrown in much of its own AI stuff (for which I'm grateful), it has launched one tool that I quite like. Called the Essential Space, it's designed as a central hub for storing your thoughts, notes, screenshots and ideas throughout the day.
See some shoes you like? Open the camera and use the dedicated Essential Space button on the side of the phone to save a shot -- along with your voice note about them -- to your Space. Need to buy brie, vodka, party hats and snake food on the way home? A long button press will let you dictate your shopping list to add it to your Space to check later.
It's a nice idea in theory, though right now it seems limited in its functionality. Essential Space is essentially a hub for screenshots and voice notes, but I see its potential. It's refreshing to find a feature that's both unique and genuinely useful. Nothing emphasizes that Essential Space is still in beta, with more features on the way -- so keep an eye on this space.
Both phones pack 50-megapixel main cameras and while Nothing says the Pro model has upgraded autofocus and dynamic range, I haven't yet been able to compare them, so my thoughts here are based on my use of the Phone 3A Pro.
While the base 3A packs a 50 megapixel telephoto camera capable of 2x optical zoom, the 3A Pro's 50-megapixel periscope camera offers 3x optical zoom, with 6x "in-sensor" zoom, which effectively crops the sensor out to achieve a longer zoom.
The base Phone 3A has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera and the 3A Pro has a 50-megapixel sensor that's larger to help take sharper shots.
I'm surprised by how little difference there is between the two models. With the same processor, display, and 5,000mAh battery (with 50W fast charging), the main distinctions are the added periscope zoom and the higher-resolution front-facing camera. Is photography important to you? If so, maybe spring for the pro. Otherwise, save yourself a few bucks and go for the base model.
Both phones seem to offer a solid overall experience at a genuinely reasonable price. At $379, it's a great deal for a phone that can handle almost anything -- especially when Apple considers $599 "affordable" for the iPhone 16E. However, unless you need a new phone right away, it may be worth waiting to see how Samsung's newly announced Galaxy A26 and A36 stack up, or if Google's Pixel 9A is just around the corner.
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