Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro in Hands-On: First impression, features and differences

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Design

The design of the Phone (3a) series is familiar and yet somehow different. The Nothing Phone (3a) continues to use the horizontal camera bar that we already know from the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus But this time with a real upgrade, namely a 50 MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, 4x in-sensor zoom and 30x digital zoom. This means that the "small" (3a) even surpasses the NothingPhone (2), which is strictly speaking still the brand's flagship.

But the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is really eye-catching. Instead of the familiar bar, there is a circular camera module on the back and to be honest, it reminds me a bit of a can lid. It contains the first periscope camera in a Nothing smartphone with 3x optical, 6x in-sensor and 60x digital zoom. It looks and feels special, even if the camera module protrudes a bit too far from the back for me personally.

The back is transparent again, this time with new lines inspired by Tokyo's subway network. The phone (3a) is available in black, white and blue, the (3a) Pro comes in black and silver. Then there's the glyph lighting, which is again located around the camera element. Nothing wouldn't be Nothing if it wasn't there.

A small but nice improvement is the IP64 certification instead of IP54. Not completely waterproof, but at least better protected against dust and splash water.

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Display and performance

Both models share the same 6,77-inch flexible AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The biggest improvement over the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is the brightness. Instead of 1300 nits peak brightness, the new models now boast 3000 nits peak brightness, making them even easier to read in sunlight.

The leaks had already hinted at it and now it is official. Nothing is saying goodbye to MediaTek in the Phone (3a) models and is instead using the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 from Qualcomm. This is a solid 4nm chip that has no problems with everyday tasks and even graphics-intensive games. In my tests there was no noticeable thermal throttling and the performance remains constant. The following storage options are available:

• Phone (3a): 8+128GB or 12+256GB
• Phone (3a) Pro: 12+256GB

There are also dual stereo speakers, an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 5000 mAh battery with 50W fast charging. From 1% to 100% takes 56 minutes and from 1% to 50% just 19 minutes. Fans of wireless charging will be left empty-handed. With normal use, i.e. WhatsApp, social media and a bit of web surfing, the battery on both devices lasts about 1 1/2 days.

There is a small but subtle difference between the models in terms of connectivity. Both use dual nano-SIM, but only the Pro model has an additional eSIM installed. So if you want a purely digital SIM, you should go for the Pro version.

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Camera

With the Phone (3a) series, Nothing is doing what many fans have long wanted: real zoom instead of just digital gimmicks. The standard model has a telephoto camera, and the Pro model goes a step further with a periscope camera. This means that the (3a) models have something that even the "big" Nothing Phone (2) couldn't offer.

Nothing Phone (3nd)

•  Main camera: 50 MP Samsung, 1/1.57 inch, f/1.88, 84.5°, OIS & EIS, PDAF
•  Ultra wide angle: 8 MP Sony, f/2.2, 120° FOV
•  Telephoto camera: 50 MP Samsung, 1/2.74 inch, f/2.0, 49.5°, EIS, autofocus, 2x optical, 4x in-sensor and 30x digital zoom, 25 cm minimum focus
•  Front camera: 32 MP Samsung, 1/3.44 inch, f/2.2, 89° FOV

The Phone (3a) finally has a telephoto camera that offers real optical zoom. With 2x optical and 4x in-sensor zoom, subjects can be brought closer without immediately affecting the image quality. The 25 cm minimum focus distance also makes the lens exciting for product and food photography. At this point I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves:

 main camera 

 Ultra-wide angle vs. main camera 

 Telecamera 

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

•  Main camera: 50 MP Samsung, 1/1.56 inch, f/1.88, 84.5°, OIS & EIS, Dual Pixel PDAF
•  Ultra wide angle: 8 MP Sony, f/2.2, 120° FOV
•  Periscope camera: 50 MP Sony LYTIA 600, 1/1.95 inch, f/2.55, 33.6°, OIS & EIS, autofocus, 3x optical, 6x in-sensor and 60x digital zoom, 15 cm minimum focus
•  Front camera: 50 MP Samsung, f/2.2, 81.2° FOV, 4K video recording

The (3a) Pro not only has more optical zoom, but also a significantly larger sensor area. The Sony LYTIA 600 periscope camera captures more light thanks to the larger 1/1.95-inch sensor, which ensures clearer and more detailed images, especially in low-light shots. On top of that, the periscope camera of the (3a) Pro can also focus to 15 cm, making it suitable for macro shots. Here are the test shots:

 main camera 

 Ultra-wide angle vs. main camera 

 periscope camera 

Ultra XDR & TrueLens Engine 3.0

Nothing's new Ultra XDR technology, developed in collaboration with Google, takes eight RAW images at different exposures and combines them into one image with optimal dynamic range. This ensures better contrast, clearer shadows and richer colors without the shots looking exaggerated.

At the same time, TrueLens Engine 3.0 offers intelligent tone mapping, scene recognition and contrast optimization. This means that the camera automatically decides which settings are best so that the images look good immediately after they are taken.

First impression of the cameras

I have already tried both devices in different scenarios. The main camera is almost identical on both models, apart from minimal differences. The Pro model is ahead of the standard model with its periscope camera. If you like zooming or are looking for a more versatile camera, you should take a closer look at the (3a) Pro.

But the normal phone (3a) also benefits from the new telephoto lens. This is a guaranteed improvement, especially for portraits or detailed shots. The AI-supported improvements are rather subtle, but noticeable.

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Nothing OS & Essential Space

 Nothing OS 3.1 is based on Android 15 and brings a redesigned UI with minimalist icons and new widgets. The biggest innovation is the Essential Space, an AI-powered hub for notes, ideas and reminders.

It works like this: Content can be saved directly with the Essential Key. One click saves screenshots or texts, a double click opens the Essential Space and a long press starts a voice note. I tested the feature with a festival poster and the data was reliably extracted.

However, there are two weaknesses. Firstly, the Essential Key cannot be reprogrammed (at least not yet). This is annoying if you want to use it differently or not at all. Secondly, I often accidentally pressed it during testing because it is located directly under the power button. At least I had to get used to the additional button at first.

What Nothing plans to do with Essential Space in the long term remains exciting. At the moment it is still a simple organizational tool, but in the future other features such as Camera Capture, Smart Collections, Focused Search and Flip to Record will be added. It is not yet known whether Essential Space will also be rolled out to older Nothing devices.

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Specifications in comparison

Nothing Phone (3a) & (3a) Pro: Prices and Availability

The Nothing Phone (3a) is now available via nothing.tech can be pre-ordered. Pre-orders for the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro start a little later, from March 11th. Depending on the model, there are different storage variants and retailers.

 Nothing Phone (3nd) 

The Nothing Phone (3a) is available in two storage options, 8+128 GB for 329 euros and 12+256 GB for 379 euros. 

Open sale from March 11th at: O2, Freenet, MediaMarkt, Saturn, Amazon, Otto, Cyberport and Sparhandy.

 Nothing Phone (3a) Pro 

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is offered in a single storage variant with 12+256 GB for 459 euros.

Open sale from March 25th at: Deutsche Telekom, O2, 1&1, Sparhandy, MediaMarkt, Saturn, Amazon, Otto and Cyberport.

The models are available in black, white and blue (Phone 3a) as well as black and silver (Phone 3a Pro).