Nothing should fix its Phone (3a) problem, but I bet it won't: maybe next year?

As a former Pixel 3a user – and a pretty satisfied owner, mind you – I'm taking it personally that Nothing's next phone might be called the Phone (3a). I mean, Carl Pei is regarded as a genius, he could've easily found another moniker for the phone, right?

Right. With that off my chest, we can proceed to the weekly commentary.

As you can guess, today's topic will have something to do with Nothing. A lot, actually. Also, I'll try not to make too many "Nothing jokes" as we go; these are now over the hill.

OK, what's the deal?

The Nothing Phone (3a) is not yet official. Currently, it's in the "upcoming" genre (to which both you, my dear reader, and I are devoted).

This article got on my radar just a few clicks ago:

• If the Nothing Phone (3a) has a banger display like this, it might win the 2025 midrange awards

As the report goes, the upcoming Nothing Phone (3a) is shaping up to be a standout mid-range contender, with leaks hinting at a 6.8-inch 1080p OLED display boasting a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

The Phone (2a), for reference, arrived in 2024 with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. This was hilarious (in a good way) since a $350 smartphone could outdo the iPhone 15, which was stuck at the 60 Hz barrier.

What's more, for all we know – and thanks to the aforementioned specs leak, we know a lot – Nothing's (3a) is going to be a decent mid-ranger.

Alongside its signature Glyph lighting, the Phone (3a) is expected to feature a 50MP main camera, a 32MP selfie camera, and a surprising 50MP 2x telephoto lens, though the ultra-wide camera may drop to 8MP.

The handset should be powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset – a notable departure from last year's MediaTek silicon. The Phone (3a) should run Nothing OS 3.1 (based on Android 15) out of the box.

I'm personally fascinated by the fact that it could also pack a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W fast charging. While its price remains under wraps, the Phone (3a) will surely make Samsung and Google (with their Galaxy A56 and Pixel 9a, respectively) sweat.

So, what's the problem with the Nothing Phone (3a)?

I'm not here to argue that its display panel will be bad or behind the competition – quite the opposite. It's just that it's too large.

And it definitely doesn't have to be this large, since…

…there's another Phone (3a): the Plus model!

I'm not sure how closely you're following Nothing – the company exploded in its own way. While we're not yet seeing too many people sporting a Nothing phone, the brand has definitely gathered a cult-like following.

If you're not that familiar with Carl Pei's hit brand, you've probably forgotten that last year, Nothing released two budget-friendly phones:

• Phone (2a)
• Phone (2a) Plus

These are pretty much identical in terms of design, size, and shape. The main difference is the upgraded MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chip (in the Plus model), offering a 10% faster CPU and 30% faster GPU for improved performance.

The Phone (2a) was so good that our own Preslav was wondering whether this was going to be the king of budget phones in 2024. In contrast, upon reviewing the Phone (2a) Plus, he had just one question in mind:



Do we really need two phones this identical? What about diversity?

I'm telling you all of this because this year we're expecting another Plus model: the Nothing Phone (3a) Plus.

Once again, the upcoming Plus model is expected to be mostly the same as its non-Plus sibling, with a minor difference here and there.

That's not good enough. Here's the solution!

I won't pretend to be speaking for everybody out there, but I'm confident that most of the time, most of us assume a phone is larger when it has "Plus" in its name. Thank you, Samsung. And thank you, Apple.

That's why it would be best if the Nothing Phone (3a) Plus – a quick side note: that's a ridiculously long moniker – is the larger model in the duo.

Sure, introduce a few more notable differences in it: make it stand out! Make it more expensive, make it shiny, cram it with RAM and hundreds of gigabytes worth of storage!

Do what you have to do, Nothing, but keep the Plus model physically bigger than its non-Plus sibling.

Or, vice versa: make the non-Plus model smaller. There isn't a shortage of people who are after compact flagships, compact mid-rangers, and compact budget-friendly phones. Large displays may be entertaining, but the small form factor is… handy.

Recently, I used my old Pixel 3a again – because it's small and light, I hooked it to my drone's remote control. The phone acts as a screen for the drone. I almost couldn't believe how compact and easy to hold and use this 5.6-inch bijou is, compared to my 6.82-inch current phone.



Back to the Nothing Phone (3a) drama.

Of course, it's now too late to re-make the phones, even if Carl Pei wanted to. Thanks to the rumored March 4 date for the big unveiling, Nothing is able to change precisely nothing. I promised to stop with the corny Nothing jokes, so this is the end of this week's commentary.

It appears that in 2025 Nothing's mid-rangers will get the same treatment as in 2024. How about 2026, then?