Nothing Phone (3a) preview: next glowing midranger?
Nothing Phone (3a) Intro
Nothing is still a very, very young brand looking for its place under the sun. The manufacturer started off with a pair of earbuds and then the original Nothing Phone. Then went to make a true flagship in the form of the Nothing Phone (2), midrangers that followed it, being the Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus and then an entry-level brand "CMF by Nothing".
Now, it seems it's following up with another set of midrangers — the pair of Nothing Phone (3a) and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro are what's going to take center stage on March 4th. So, no flagship refresh just yet. OK, what's the Nothing Phone (3a) going to be about?
It's following an allegedly very successful model — the Phone (2a) was very popular in international markets, to the point it prompted the release of a Plus version some months after it. The question is, what does the Nothing Phone (3a) have in store for us. Will it be available in the US outright? Will it be worth a buy or is it better to wait for the flagship Phone (3)? Here's what we know thanks to leaks and reports.
Table of Contents:
Nothing Phone (3aff) Specs
Something special?
Here's what we know about the Nothing Phone (3a) specs thus far:
| Nothing Phone (3a) | Nothing Phone (2a) |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight 6.44 x 3.05 x 0.33 inches (163.52 x 77.5 x 8.35 mm) 201 g | Size and Weight 6.41 x 3.00 x 0.34 inches (162.74 x 76.32 x 8.55 mm) 190 g |
| Display 6.8-inch OLED 1080p 120 Hz | Display 6.7-inch 1084 x 2412 120 Hz |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen3 2.5 GHz, 4 nm | Processor MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro 2.8 GHz, 4 nm |
| Software Nothing OS 3 Android 15 | Software Nothing OS 3 Android 15 (updated to) |
| Cameras 50 MP main 50 MP 2x telephoto 8 MP ultra-wide 32 MP selfie | Cameras 50 MP main 50 MP ultra-wide 32 MP selfie |
| Battery Size 5,000 mAh | Battery Size 5,000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 45 W wired | Charging Speeds 45 W wired |
| Prices ~$350* | Prices $349 |
These are preliminary specs based on leaks, teases, and speculation. The final information will be available when Nothing officially announces the Phone (3a).
Nothing Phone (3a) Design and Display
The glowing ring is back
From what little we know about the Phone (3a), it is that the glowing LED Glyph on the back will be... back. It's a less-complex version of what can be found on the flagship Phone (2) — the a series only has 3 LED strips for less animations and patterns, but still enough to carry that Nothing DNA.
The Phone (3a) will very probably have a transparent back yet again. That's a staple of the brand. Now, the Phone (2a) had a plastic build, we are curious if the Phone (3a) will update it to glass here.
Some leaks have also shown us a special button on the side. This could be anything from a camera shortcut button, to a customizable action key, to a virtual assistant one or quick mute toggle. We'll have to wait and see what exactly Nothing was planning with that one!
Information on colors is currently scarce. Nothing phones typically come out in white and black, then there's a limited series of a special finish somewhere down the line. We expect more or less the same — small companies rarely experiment with color and prefer to go with the tried-and-true.
Box contents will very probably be the phone and a data cable — no charger. Maybe, if we are lucky, a protective case? But Nothing hasn't set a precedent for including that.
The display will very likely be an OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Early reports say slightly bigger this year — up to 6.9 inches in diagonal, with a super-high 3,000 nit peak brightness, which rivals most flagships out there.
Nothing Phones historically have an optical under-screen fingerprint scanner and that's what we expect here as well.
Nothing Phone (3a) Camera
A triple cam upgrade?
It's kind of shocking — and we are still taking it with a grain of salt — that the Phone (3a) is said to have a telephoto camera. That's a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP 2x zoom camera, and then an 8 MP ultra-wide camera. Midrangers very rarely come with a full triple threat camera!
We do know that Nothing puts emphasis on working, upgrading, and improving on its cameras, even post release. The Phone (2) and Phone (2a) have gotten more camera-related patches than we care to count. They still have plenty of room for improvement, though, so we are eager to see if lessons were learned and improvements were made with the Phone (3a).
For now, we are cautiously optimistic about that 50 MP 2x camera delivering much better Portrait photos!
Nothing Phone (3a) Performance & Benchmarks
A big chip upgrade
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is a pretty respectable midrange (upper midrange) chip from Qualcomm. It's built on a 4 nm process and aims to bring gaming features and AI to more affordable smartphones. It's certainly no Elite, but should be able to deliver the performance needed for a daily driver. Of course, it's more than just the chip — thermal management and software optimization matter!
According to leaks, the Phone (3a) will start at 128 GB storage and 8 GB of RAM, but historically Nothing offers an upgrade option, which bumps both storage and RAM a bit.
Nothing Phone (3a) Software
Quite obviously, we expect to see the next build of Nothing OS 3 here, on top of Android 15. It's very possible that there will be new AI features on board, but don't expect a copy-paste job of what other manufacturers are doing. Nothing typically focuses it's resources into developing smaller, but somewhat unique and meaningful features for its interface.
For example, last year, we saw the AI news widget on Nothing, which would aggregate the news that are most relevant to you, and read them out aloud with an AI-replicated voice of the company's CFO — a fun, unique, and personal touch!
Nothing Phone (3a) Battery
Same old numbers?
Should you buy it?
It's a bit early to say — the Nothing Phone (3a) does look very interesting, and that camera upgrade is pretty juicy. If you don't already have a Phone (2a) and are hunting for a bargain midrange phone that will ooze style, panache, and uniqueness — we'd keep a close eye on the Nothing Phone (3a). We should know more in a week, and who knows — that may actuall be your next phone!
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: