- Excellent value
- Long-lasting battery
- Slick design
- Not fully water-resistant
- No eSIM
- Fewer operating system updates than rivals
Like most "mid-tier" handsets, the Nothing Phone 3a makes compromises to hit a price point. As a $599 phone, that makes sense. Something has to give on cheaper devices. What's interesting is the balance that Nothing has struck. The Phone 3a overindexes on key specs and style, at the expense of premium trimmings like water-resistance.
For your money, the Nothing Phone 3a gets you a surprisingly capable phone that looks great. There's just the question of what niceties you're willing to give up in exchange for the cheaper price tag.
When it comes to core competencies - performance, battery, and camera - the Nothing Phone 3a exceeds the expectations I've got for a sub-$600 phone.
Inside, you'll find a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. While this isn't the fastest chipset around, it's great in a $599 device. Last year, we saw the chip's predecessor in $999 phones like the Motorola Edge 50 Pro. On top of smooth day-to-day performance, it can comfortably handle playing more demanding titles like Diablo Immortal. Just note: you may need to lower the quality settings down a notch in some cases.
The Phone 3a's battery life is fantastic. You can easily expect between seven and eight hours of screen time, which will easily get you through a full day of moderate usage, and at least most of the way through a second.
The camera is also surprisingly good, especially for a phone in this price bracket. The stars of the show are a 50MP primary lens and a 50MP 2x zoom lens. The 50MP took reliably good photos in most situations, and even handled moving subjects surprisingly well. Neither is a given for phones in this price bracket.
The zoom lens is an unusual addition for a $599 phone, and a little short in range, but still nice to have. While 2x zoom isn't exactly exciting, the Phone 3a is able to push to 4x zoom with very little quality degradation.
The 8MP ultra-wide is the phone's only real photographic weak spot. It's very low resolution, and which can result in noisy images or shots that lack detail.
Nothing Phone 3a camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Nothing Phone 3a. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
The compromises made by the Nothing Phone 3a are a lack of premium trimmings that are becoming increasingly common at this price point. The Phone 3a is rated IP64 for splash resistance, but it's not fully water resistant. While it can handle getting caught it the rain, there's no guarantee it will survive an accidental dunking.
There's no support for eSIM, which we're starting to see filter down to phones around the $500 mark. It's not exactly common yet, but it's getting there. While the lack of eSIM support certainly isn't a deal breaker, it's one of those things that can be super useful when travelling. If eSIM is a must and you still want a Nothing phone, the Phone 3a Pro supports it.
And lastly, there's no wireless charging. Wireless charging isn't always a given on more affordable devices, but it's still worth calling out.
In terms of software support, Nothing is promising three years of operating system updates and six years of security. Six years of security is best in class, but three years of operating system updates have become kind of mid. Motorola promises five on the Moto G75, while Samsung promises six on the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56.
Of course, the Nothing Phone 3a has a couple of its own unique features that might skew the value equation.
On the back, there are three "glyphs" that light up when you get notifications. You get a little flash for a notification, but you can also set one up to stay permanently on for priority notifications. The glyph system is very customisable, to the point where you can set up custom light patterns to identify who's calling you without flipping over the phone. While glyphs might not be for everyone, it's an interesting way to get more out of your phone without looking at your phone.
The Phone 3a also has a new "Essential Key" that sits below the power button. Pressing it once will capture the content on your screen and save it to a hub called "Essential Space". You can long-press instead to start recording a voice memo. Double-tapping the button will open up the Essential Space so you can see your saved items. The whole thing is a bit underbaked at the moment, and doesn't really gel with how I like to organise my data. If anything, I'd rather remap the Essential Key so I could use it for literally anything else.
Lastly, there's a certain charm to the Phone 3a's retro-futuristic design. The back is transparent, revealing internals, and personally, I am so here for see-through tech. My review unit came in a blue finish, which I love, but it can get a little smudgy. While the Nothing aesthetic may not be everyone's cup of tea, the Phone 3a certainly doesn't look like any other phone around.
Nothing Phone 3a - Final Thoughts
The Nothing Phone 3a is an excellent choice if you're after a handset for around $600. Battery life, camera quality, and performance all surpass what I'd expect for the price. While you're missing out on full water resistance and eSIM support, the Phone 3a's style and charm help seal the overall deal.
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