Nothing Phone (3a) is now official in India! After extensive marketing efforts, leaks, and hype, we finally have the Phone (3a) in all its glory!
The Nothing Phone (3a) series takes the essence of the Phone (2a) and refines it in meaningful ways.
While the core formula remain unchanged, Nothing has polished the rough edges, delivering a device that feels like a step forward rather than just an incremental refresh.
With improved cameras, better materials, and subtle design tweaks, the Phone (3a) stand out in a market that often feels repetitive.
The biggest upgrades? Optical zoom in the camera system, a more integrated AI experience at both the hardware and software levels, and a new Essential Key on the right side that aims to make interactions more efficient.
It’s everything the Phone (2a) was—just better.
Design, Build Quality, and Handling
The Phone (3a) keeps the design language of its predecessor but refines it in ways that make a difference.
The most noticeable change is the horizontal camera layout, now housing three cameras instead of two.
Materials have also seen an upgrade. The back panel is now glass instead of polycarbonate, giving the phone a more premium feel in hand.
This shift, combined with an improved IP64 rating, means the device is more resistant to dust and water splashes—an upgrade from the IP54-rated Phone (2a).
Nothing’s transparent aesthetic remains!
The frame feels solid, though it’s likely still plastic rather than aluminum.
It has a matte finish that avoids fingerprints and enhances grip, but the lack of antenna lines suggests no major material shift from the previous model.
Button placement remains the same—volume rockers on the left, power button and essential button on the right—so if you’re used to Nothing’s layout, there’s nothing new to adjust to.
Up front, the Panda Glass-covered display remains flat, with a pre-applied plastic screen protector. The phone weighs at 201 grams, which is around 10 grams heavier than Phone (2a).
Display
The Nothing Phone (3a) sticks to the same overall display as its predecessor but with some welcome improvements.
The 6.77-inch flexible AMOLED panel is slightly larger, though the difference is barely noticeable in daily use.
The resolution (1080 x 2392, 387 PPI) is still sharp enough, and the contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 ensures deep blacks and punchy colors.
One of the most significant changes is brightness. Nothing claims a peak brightness of 3000 nits, with 1300 nits for outdoor visibility and a typical brightness of 800 nits.
In real world usage, the screen is far more usable under direct sunlight than the Phone (2a), which struggled in bright conditions. The jump in brightness is noticeable, but like most phones, it doesn’t always hit those peak numbers in real-world use. It’s an improvement, but not game-changing.
The refresh rate remains at 120Hz, and while Nothing calls it “adaptive,” it lacks LTPO tech, so it doesn’t scale dynamically like more premium devices.
The display supports HDR10+ and 10-bit color (1.07 billion colors), which is good for media consumption, but the lack of Dolby Vision is still a limitation.
Camera
The Nothing Phone (3a) packs a triple-camera setup, adding a telephoto lens to the mix. Here’s the specification:
- Main camera: 50MP, f/1.88, OIS & EIS, Autofocus, PDA
- Telephoto: 50MP, f/2.0, EIS, Autofocus, 2x optical zoom, 4x in-sensor zoom, 30x ultra zoom
- Ultra-wide: 8MP, f/2.2,
- Front camera: 32MP, F2.2, 1/3.44″ sensor
In the camera department, Phone (3a) has drastic improvements over its predecessor. The 50MP main sensor does a solid job. Shots are sharp with great dynamic range. Colors lean a bit saturated but remain pleasing.
In good light, portraits look natural, and edge detection is good. Low light? It’s good—OIS helps, but noise creeps in, especially in darker spots.
The 50MP telephoto (2x optical, up to 4x in-sensor zoom) is a welcome addition. Up to 4x, detail holds up well, making it useful for portraits and distant shots. Beyond that, quality gradually nosedives as we zoom in further. Low-light performance struggles, with noticeable noise even at 4x.
The 8MP ultra-wide lens does the job. The details are decent, and noise is evident, especially in less-than-ideal lighting.
The 32MP front camera takes bright and clear selfies with great detail. The portrait mode works well, clearly defining edges and creating a natural background blur. Skin tones look good, and fine details stay sharp, making it an ideal option for both casual and nicer photos.
Here are some of the samples:
Performance
Powering the Nothing Phone (3a) is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a 4nm chipset that strikes a balance between efficiency and performance.
With its eight-core setup clocked up to 2.5 GHz and backed by the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, you’d expect solid everyday performance—and for the most part, that’s what you get.
In daily use, the Phone (3a) handles routine tasks with ease. Scrolling through social media, switching between messaging apps, and browsing the web all feel smooth.
Multitasking isn’t an issue either—I often had Chrome, WhatsApp, and a few other apps open at the same time, and I never encountered noticeable slowdowns.
However, when it comes to gaming, the experience can be a mixed bag. Casual games run without a hitch, but more demanding titles might impose some limitations.
Games like Metalstorm, RTS:CE, and other games which isn’t too demanding on the GPU, runs flawlessly.
In 3D Mark wild life stress test, it scored 99.3% which is better than most competitors with the same chip. The temperature increased from 26 to 38 degrees, which is not much. Check out the benchmarks below.
The Nothing Phone (3a) sticks to a stereo speaker setup, with the earpiece pulling double duty as a second speaker alongside the bottom-firing one. That said, the overall sound quality is very good. The sound come through clearly, and the highs don’t distort, even at higher volumes.
Software Experience
Phone (3a) comes with Nothing OS 3.1 powered by Android 15 out of the box. The company has also promised 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security patches.
Nothing OS remains one of the cleanest Android skins out there. It is snappy, free of bloatware, and keeps animations smooth.
Throughout my usage, I didn’t experience any stutters or noticeable software bugs, which is always a plus.
The interface is designed to be intuitive, and if you’re a fan of stock Android, you’ll appreciate what Nothing has done here.
That said, customization options are still a bit limited compared to other Android skins, so power users might feel restricted.
With Phone (3a) series, we have a new app called Essential Space, a new, AI-powered app that helps users in taking notes, writng ideas, and much more. The phone also has a dedicated key on the right side just below the power button to invoke the
When used with the Essential Key on the Nothing Phone (3a) series, the app allows for quick actions: a single press sends content to Essential Space, a long press records a voice note, and a double tap gives direct access to saved items.
Currently, the Glyph Interface can be used primarily for notifications and alerts.
The Glyph Menu contains Brightness, Ringtones, Notifications, Flip to Glyph, Glyph Timer, Composer shortcut for custom Glyph ringtones, and Visual Feedback for Volume control, Charging meter, Google Assistance, Music Visualizer and third-party apps (Uber, Zomato and Google Calendar for now).
You’ll either love playing around with it or ignore it entirely after the first few days.
Battery
If you were hoping for a big battery upgrade with the Nothing Phone (3a), well… there isn’t one.
It sticks to the same 5,000 mAh capacity as the Phone (2a), which is fine because that battery was already solid.
In daily use, it still holds up well—getting through a full day without much stress, and stretching into a second day if you’re not pushing it too hard.
With typical usage—social media, messaging, some video streaming, and light gaming—I never really worried about running out of battery before the day was over.
Charging speeds remain unchanged as well, with 50W wired charging via Power Delivery 3.0.
As before, there’s no wireless charging—Nothing keeps that for the flagship models—and no charger in the box, which isn’t a surprise at this point.
So, what’s the takeaway? Battery life is dependable, charging is quick enough, but if you were expecting something new, you won’t find it here.
Conclusion
The Nothing Phone (3a) refines its predecessor’s formula rather than reinventing it. The addition of a telephoto lens, brighter display, and subtle design improvements make it feel like a more polished device.
Performance is solid for everyday use, though the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 has its limits when it comes to demanding tasks. Battery life remains reliable, but without any significant upgrades.
The Phone (3a) is a well-rounded mid-range option that sticks to Nothing’s signature design philosophy. It doesn’t break new ground, but it smooths out some of the rough edges from the Phone (2a), making it a more refined iteration rather than a game-changer.
Pricing and availability
The Nothing Phone (3a) is priced at Rs. 24,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, and 8GB + 256GB model is priced at Rs. 26,999. With Rs. 2000 bank offer, the effective starting price is Rs. 22,999.
It will be available from Flipkart, Flipkart Minutes, Vijay Sales, Croma and all leading retail stores starting from 11 March.
Pros
- Build quality
- Battery
- Performance
- Camera
Cons
- No charger in the box