Not everyone has over a grand to spare for a new smartphone. The mid-range market, featuring handsets priced between $300 and $400, is fiercely competitive. You’ll find classics like the Samsung Galaxy A55 (review) and Xiaomi Note 14 Pro (review) here, but one smartphone stood out to us: the Nothing Phone (3a). It impressed not only with its no-frills software and stylish design but also with its impressive hardware for the price—plus a more-than-capable camera to boot. We reviewed the $379 smartphone with enthusiasm.
Good
- Sleek, standout design
- Bright, high-quality display
- Powerful performance
- Clean, efficient software
- Fast and reliable updates
- Long battery life
- Great value for the price
Bad
- Essential Key position could be improved
- Non-expandable memory
- Only IP64 certification
Nothing Phone (3a): All deals
Nothing Phone (3a): Sleek Design
| Design and build | |
|---|---|
| Display |
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| Dimensions and weight |
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| Durability |
As expected from Nothing, both smartphones impress with their striking and highly detailed design. Apart from the rear cameras, the two new models are identical—both in external design and hardware. The slightly textured matte plastic frame not only looks premium but also feels comfortable in hand.
The transparent back is a real eye-catcher, offering a glimpse of the device’s internals. However, Nothing keeps some details hidden, as key components like the battery and motherboard remain concealed. Instead, custom-designed plastic elements give the phone a futuristic aesthetic.
This bold design is further enhanced by Nothing’s signature glowing stripes, known as the Glyph interface. These LEDs flicker for incoming notifications, serve as a countdown timer, and indicate battery charging status.
Nothing Phone (3a): High-Quality Display
At first glance, the symmetrical bezels are a sight to behold. A small detail that shows how much importance Nothing placed on design, even in a $379 smartphone. However, it is not just the display’s design that is impressive, but also the built-in panel. Nothing relies on AMOLED technology with a dynamic refresh rate of between 30 and 120 hertz.
In our review, the display impressed us with sharp images, good viewing angles, and realistic color reproduction. We criticized the low brightness of its predecessor in the past. Nothing obviously took this feedback to heart and equipped the Phone (3a) with a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits. This makes the display one of the brightest in its price range, enabling effortless use even in direct sunlight.
Nothing OS 3.1 on the Latest Android Version
| Software | |
|---|---|
| Operating system |
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The Nothing Phone (3a) uses Android 15 as its operating system and is equipped with the latest security patch. In terms of software updates, Nothing has been reliable so far. The Nothing Phone (3a) was touted to deliver up to three years of Android updates and six years of security updates. Looking back, the manufacturer has kept all update promises of previous models so far and also released new Android versions quickly.
The user interface is called Nothing OS 3.1 and, unlike One UI from Samsung or HyperOS from Xaiomi, is strongly based on the Google Pixel’s design. There were only minor design improvements made to the Control Center and Settings. On the home screen, you can choose between the classic, colorful Android design and a monochrome, minimalist look. There are also various widgets designed by Nothing that allow you to customize the home screen further.
One new feature is Essential Space, a central storage location for various notes such as screenshots, sketches, or voice recordings. The Essential Key is an additional button located right below the power button. With a short press, screenshots including notes can be saved, while a longer press and hold creates voice recordings.
The function can be helpful in certain situations, but the biggest disadvantage is how this service is only available on the Nothing smartphone. Without a web version and app for other platforms, Essential Space remains a promising gimmick that will hopefully be refined in future editions.
Unfortunately, the placement of the button directly under the power button is a questionable decision and occasionally leads to unintentional presses or confusion of the buttons. So far, Nothing does not offer the option to reassign the button or deactivate it, but this could be changed in a future update.
Phone (3a): Powerful Performance
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Processor | |
| Memory |
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| Connectivity |
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The Nothing Phone (3a) is based on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC, the latest mid-range processor from Qualcomm, which is also used in the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus, among others. The eight-core processor offers a processing power of 2.5 gigahertz and is mated to either 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM in the Nothing Phone (3a).
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the smartphone achieved a score of 829,818 points – a strong result for this price range. The smartphone also performs above average for its price range in other benchmarks, thanks to the powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC.
| Nothing Phone 3a (Snapdragon 7s Gen 3) |
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|---|---|
| AnTuTu | 829.818 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test |
Best run: 4,013 Worst run: 3,982 Stability: 99.2% |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light Stress test |
Best run: 6,986 Worst run: 3,253 Stability: 46.6% |
| Geekbench 6 | Single-core score: 1,204 Multi-Core Score: 3,316 |
The good performance was also reflected in everyday use. The minimalist Nothing OS 3.1 ran without any lag, with even more complex apps launching quickly.
Camera: 3x Zoom (Pro Version Only)
| Camera | |
|---|---|
| Main camera | |
| Ultra wide-angle camera | |
| Telephoto camera(s) |
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| Selfie camera | |
| Max. Video resolution |
The camera is the primary difference between the Nothing Phone (3a) and the Nothing Phone 3(a) Pro. However, both models are unusually well-equipped, as they each have a telephoto camera for actual zoom—a rare function in this price range that is often found only in significantly more expensive top-of-the-range smartphones. The Nothing Phone (3a) features a 2x optical zoom, while the Pro model comes with a 3x zoom.
Although the resolution is identical across all the installed cameras, they differ in the image sensors used. The standard model of the Nothing Phone (3a) tends to deliver warmer color tones, while the Pro model offers a more natural color reproduction. The Pro model performed better in night shots, in particular. The high-quality Sony sensor in the Pro model also ensures a visible improvement in image quality when using the zoom camera.
Long Battery Life
| Battery capacity | |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity | |
| Charging speed (via cable) | |
| Charging speed (wireless) |
The battery of the Nothing Phone (3a) has a capacity of 5,000 mAh, which is almost too little compared to other manufacturers who are increasingly relying on new battery technologies. Nevertheless, we were able to measure a good runtime of 21 hours and 5 minutes in the battery test.
The smartphone supports a charging capacity of up to 50 watts, with a full charge taking around 68 minutes. Nothing uses the open PD standard, but does not come with its own charging brick. Wireless charging remains a pipe dream in this model.
Is the Nothing Phone (3a) Worth Buying?
The $300 to $400 price range is highly competitive sector where many manufacturers try to stand out from the crowd with a special feature (or two). With Nothing, their strength clearly lies in the design. However, it is not just the appearance that impresses, but also the overall package without any major weaknesses. The workmanship is high quality and the display also worked well outdoors with its high brightness.
Together with top performance, solid battery life, and usable cameras, the Nothing Phone 3(a) offers a convincing overall package for $379. The doubling of storage space from 128 GB to 256 GB is also fairly priced at $50 more.
If you like taking photos and especially appreciate the 3x zoom, you can take a closer look at the Nothing Phone 3(a) Pro, which is otherwise identical in all other aspects. With an asking price of $459, it is $80 more expensive than the vanilla model but comes armed with 256 GB of storage space right out of the box.
Where to Buy the Nothing Phone (3a)
The basic model of the Nothing Phone 3(a) with 128 GB of storage space costs $379. If you want double the storage space, then be prepared to fork out an additional $50. The Pro model is armed with 256 GB of storage space as standard and offers a better camera with an asking price of $459.
Nothing Phone (3a)
To device database
