Nothing, a London-based technology company, recently launched the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro in India and around the world. The smartphone’s pricing places it in a highly aggressive segment among popular options from competitor manufacturers such as OnePlus, Redmi, Realme, and others. We had the opportunity to use the gadget for a while, and here’s all you must know about the new Nothing phone.
In This Article
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Review: Design and Display
The moment you set your eyes on the phone, it will capture all of your attention. It measures 163.52 x 77.50 x 8.39 mm and weighs 211g, making the smartphone the ideal size – it’s definitely big and tall! What else would one want? Design-wise, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro clearly stands out. The company’s latest design has a transparent back panel and a 2.5D rear glass panel. This is a substantial departure from the materials used on (2a) devices.
The periscope lens causes a big circular camera module to protrude. The device’s periscope telephoto camera allows it to record images from a distance. However, even with such a huge camera module, it is not tough to slip it into your pocket. Nevertheless, when put on a level surface, the phone’s big camera module wobbles. Saying that, in contrast to the others, the camera module stands out.
This design element has a lot more components. Encircling the projecting circular module is the Glyph Interface, a feature that has come to be associated with Nothing smartphones. Antennas are integrated around the midframe to ensure excellent signal reception, and both sides have a smooth contour with metal frames around them. A dedicated button to activate the new Essential Space feature is on the right, along with the power button. The volume rocker is located on the left side. There is a speaker grille, a USB Type-C port, and a SIM tray at the bottom.
The device is available in two colours: grey and black, and we obtained the former for review.
The phone shares design characteristics with the Nothing Phone 3a, such as the Glyph interface. However, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro features a Glyph interface that surrounds the camera module. The camera device houses a triple rear camera system with an LED flash.
Regarding durability, the phone has an IP64 classification for dust and water protection, meaning it can tolerate splashes of water or moderate rain, but it shouldn’t be used underwater.
We never used a cover or screen protector while we were using it. It is clear that the phone’s back is in excellent condition and is like new. There were no visible scratches on the screens because a screen guard was already placed.
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Now, let’s take a closer look at the display specification. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro boasts a 91.43% screen-to-body ratio and a 6.7-inch flexible AMOLED screen with 1,080×2,392 pixel resolution. The display offers a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits and is protected by Panda Glass. The adaptive refresh rate is 120 Hz, while the standard touch sampling rate is 480 Hz. Additionally, the screen supports up to a 1,000Hz touch sampling rate (gaming mode) and has a 2,160Hz PWM frequency.
A smartphone’s entire experience is enhanced with a higher refresh rate panel, which makes navigating the user interface and social media feeds considerably more fluid. With its adaptive 120Hz refresh rate for fluid scrolling and its 1,000Hz touch sampling rate, the Phone (3a) Pro offers almost instantaneous responsiveness for gaming. Swiping through the Phone (3a) Series is smooth and responsive. Reading in direct sunlight is possible since the auto brightness automatically increases to 1,300 nits. Additionally, it has a better display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, which is 131% brighter than the Phone (2a).
The colour and contrast levels are both fantastic and exceptional. However, the haptics on this phone are not the best; they are not bad, we believe, but they are not among the finest in the segment. Simply put, they could have been better.
We also saw HDR videos on YouTube and OTT. Surprisingly, it does not support HDR videos on Netflix. If you enjoy binge-watching content on YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, this is an excellent pick. The 120Hz AMOLED display is great for watching videos, browsing the web, and even navigating through your favourite social networking apps. The outdoor and indoor screen visibility is great, especially under direct sunshine.
The in-display fingerprint sensor is located somewhat lower on the screen, yet it unlocks the phone quickly and securely.
The speaker output is simply amazing; it is clear, balanced, and loud. We liked viewing videos and listening to music.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Review: Performance and Camera
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 CPU, based on TSMC’s 4nm technology, boosts performance with speeds of up to 2.5 GHz. The processor contains eight cores: one at 2.5GHz (Cortex-A720), three at 2.4GHz (Cortex-A720), and four at 1.8GHz (Cortex-A520). The visuals are handled by the Adreno 810 GPU. While used regularly, the phone performs admirably, and we encountered no difficulties even while running multiple apps and multitasking. The device supports up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS UFS2.2 storage.
Aside from that, gaming is pure bliss. All of the games we played on this device, notably Call of Duty and Asphalt, ran quite smoothly. The gaming experience was smooth, with no lag or failure, and the game performance was exceptional.
We barely noticed any lag or stuttering, and the overall experience was enjoyable. It can effortlessly handle almost all daily tasks.
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Check out the Geekbench 6 scores below
- Single-Core Score- 1,159 points
- Multi-Core Score- 3,260 points
The gadget is running Nothing OS 3.1, which is based on Android 15. The company promises to provide three years of Android updates, six years of security updates, and corrective and functional updates. We haven’t noticed any bugs or issues, and the OS appears to be well optimised.
You receive fantastic customisation options, which are enabled by default. You have these very cool custom widgets, and Nothing automatically installs custom icon packs that can be applied to every single icon on your home screen.
Aside from software customisations, we appreciated the lack of bloatware. As a result, the whole UI and feel are more polished and excellent, even though the phone does not come at a premium price, which we greatly enjoy.
Finally, the Essential Key is a new dedicated button on the side of this phone that is the last software-related feature. There is some real utility in this. If you hit the button once, a screenshot will be taken, and you will be able to save a voice or text note that is associated with the screenshot.
If you long-press this key, it will snap a screenshot and record a voice note, which is then saved when you let off of the key. When you double-press the essential key, it will launch a new app called Essential Space, which will keep all of your screenshots and notes. What’s good is that it’s more than just a collection; it’s an assortment of screenshots in notes for you to go through.
It also uses AI to assist you with the details, so whenever you access any of these screenshots, you will get not only the screenshot and the saved note but also an AI summary of that screenshot. The phone will really examine all of the data it collects. What’s more interesting is that you may additionally utilise it to set reminders. Simply long-press the Essential key and instruct or say Remind me, and it will prepare a reminder with the information you provide.
While we were testing this device, we received a new Camera Capture feature for the Essential Space. It now lets users easily take images using the smartphone’s camera. It is important to note that images captured with Camera Capture on the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro will be saved in the Essential Space rather than in the gallery app, just like the screenshots.
The phone boasts excellent battery life, providing up to nine or more hours of consistent screen-on time. But sadly, the phone doesn’t support wireless charging. How come wireless charging isn’t available on a phone that costs 30k? Despite this, the phone’s battery life is satisfactory, making it a desirable choice for those seeking a long-lasting device.
The cameras were still another thing that truly amazed us. A 50-megapixel Samsung primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture is part of the phone’s triple-camera configuration on the back of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. It also has an 8-megapixel Sony ultrawide camera and a 50-megapixel Sony periscope camera with 3x optical, 6x in-sensor, and 60x digital zooms. A 50-megapixel Samsung sensor with an f/2.2 aperture handles selfies and can shoot 4K videos with adaptive AI stabilisation and night video enhancement.
To be honest, we don’t have many complaints about the camera’s performance; you can usually get decent pictures with it, and having a periscope telephoto lens is a great improvement. Note that the company has used a telephoto lens on their phone for the first time; while it isn’t on the same level as, say, the Samsung’s flagships, it is still a fantastic telephoto lens. The main advantage of the periscope telephoto camera is that your close-up focus distance improves slightly, allowing you to get closer and capture a better photo. You can see a lot of detail and crispness in your images.
It effectively controlled the face’s temperature and did not overprocess the facial details. The firm claims that you can also take lossless pictures at 6x, and in well-lit conditions, that claim is 100% accurate.
Although there is a special macro mode, you can still shoot close-up photos without it if you move a bit closer in photo mode at 3x and 6x.
The saturation level is good because the primary camera generates colours that don’t seem overly vivid, which means they are natural and do not hurt the eyes. Without making any changes, you can share them straight to your social networking accounts. Additionally, the dynamic range is good. Nowadays, we cannot find such a dynamic range in this price range. The shadows are good; there isn’t much darkness, so the details are evident. Even the highlight control is quite nice.
Because of the sensor size, even if you get a little closer and take shots, the background blur is natural and more pleasant, giving you a fantastic output without having to use portrait mode.
The challenging aspect is that in the backlight condition, the face appears to glow quite unnaturally, which is not exclusive to Nothing Phones; many companies are adopting this method these days for some inexplicable reason. We believe the face appears over-processed; nonetheless, the skin tone is correct, but in many cases, the face becomes too bright. If you enjoy such output, then this is a good thing for you. Overall, sharpness and clarity are excellent in 1X.
We also took several photos in 2x, which we thought turned out fairly well. The close-up distance is good at 2x; there is good blur, and the primary sensor provides sharpness, dynamic range, colour, and everything else.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide, introduced this year in the Phone (3a) Pro, is a compromise. The output you are receiving in the Rs 30,000 range is completely unacceptable. It produces an odd, low-resolution output, yet the photographs are fine; nonetheless, it occasionally causes the sky to appear excessively blue, making it appear quite unnatural. The dynamic range is fairly strong overall. The brightness and shadows are good, and the colours appear lively. Technically, it is a good phone with good processing.
There is a 50-megapixel mode that allows you to snap photographs at 1x and 3x. HDR has no problems; it preserves a significant amount of detail.
Talking about selfies. We thought it to be acceptable; it was able to keep skin tone well. We were able to capture crisp selfies with excellent dynamic range. Also, the edge detection is amazing.
Coming to low-light photography. Nothing Phone (3a) Pro can capture good images with little noise and excellent quality in low-light conditions. In addition, the sharpness levels are superb. In severe low-light settings, it is best to use the night mode. The noise control is good, and it handles highlights nicely. The colours are decent. The clarity levels are outstanding, and we found nothing concerning the low-light pictures. However, that is the primary camera, and we are doubtful about the ultra-wide camera, which is only an 8-megapixel sensor. However, given adequate lighting, the Telephoto 3x camera can produce satisfactory results with a little less compression.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro enables 4K video recording at 30 frames per second, adaptive AI stabilisation, and night video enhancement. There are barely any shakes, but it is not a major issue, and the video quality is great and sharp. However, at this pricing point, we were anticipating 4K 60fps. The dynamic range may have been improved, as the videos appear more contrasty. However, highlight control is good, and the hues are stunning. In addition, the close-up focus distance is quite good in videos.
You may also shoot ultra-wide at 1080p 30fps resolution, which is a downside. Videos in this mode are a little contrasty; however, the overall colour, clarity, and quality are good, but not as good as 4K videos.
Verdict
All things considered, we are happy with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro’s performance. However, it is weaker than a flagship phone. Although you might not notice much if you are not accustomed to using a high-end device. You might only notice if you are switching from, say, a Galaxy S25+ or S25 Ultra, which we did to this Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. Its appearance and display experience, however, will not disappoint.
Also Read: Nothing Phone (3a) Review: There’s nothing quite like it
Without a doubt, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro appears to be a promising mid-range smartphone. Attention is undoubtedly drawn to the huge round camera module with a periscope camera and the transparent rear panel. With the telephoto camera, you can capture excellent macros, portraits, and low-light images.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro’s price in India starts at Rs 29,999 for the base model.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro PROS
- Fresh design
- New customisation options
- Comes with an Essential Key
- Addition of a Periscope lens
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro CONS
- Only 3 years of Android updates
- The ultrawide camera is below average
- 4K video recording at 60fps is missing
- Lacks wireless charging support
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