Pixel 9a vs Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Nothing can stop the Pixel 9a

We often lament how expensive modern flagships are, but the truth of the matter is that there are amazing value propositions out there. The Pixel 9a and the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro are both in that camp, and even though these two models are still under wraps, we can already tell that they will offer a great bang for your bucks.

The Pixel 9a is shaping out to be another great A-series device that might be threatening to Google's own flagship series among other competitors. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, on the other hand, tries to be the buffed-up midranger you'd be tempted to choose over affordable and not-so-affordable flagships.

Today we're going to do a preliminary comparison between these two, so bear in mind that most of the information is still based on rumors. This is our Google Pixel 9a versus the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro comparison.

There was a time when phones were very diverse and sometimes even bizarre when it came to design. The invention of the all-screen smartphone kind of put an end to this, but there are exceptions. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is one such exception. It follows the design language Carl Pei started with the original Nothing Phone—a transparent back, showing some of the internals of the phone, plus an interesting LED interface the company called "Glyph."

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is bizarre and wacky in the same positive way, and even the placing of the different cameras raises eyebrows. That's not a bad thing, and in fact, it's one of the reasons some people might reach out and grab a unit.

The Pixel 9a, on the other hand also tightly follows the recent design language Google has demonstrated with the regular Pixel 9 series. We expect flat front and back, flat sides, and an oval camera housing almost flush with the body of the phone.

Of course, there's a significant difference in size and weight between these two phones, due to the different screen sizes. You can find the detailed dimensions below.

Pixel 9a expected dimensions and weight:
154.7 x 73.3 x 8.9 mm, 186 grams

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro dimensions and weight:
163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm, 211 grams

Another big difference lies in the building materials used for the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and the Pixel 9a. The former employs transparent glass on the back, while the Pixel 9a features a plastic back. At least that's what the latest rumors suggest. 

Now, plastic may sound cheap, but there are different polymers that feel differently, some of which may very well feel almost like glass. So, we shouldn't label the Pixel 9a plastic back as "cheap," at least not before we've tried it ourselves.

On the color front, the Pixel 9a is expected to be available in more colors, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is rumored to launch in just two monochromatic hues.

The smartphone is moving toward larger and larger screens, and this is evident in all "compact" flagships. Vanilla iPhones and Galaxies used to be 6.1 inches, and they're slowly growing to 6.2 and 6.3-inch diagonals. The Pixel 9a is expected to have a 6.3-inch OLED screen, which in modern terms can be considered compact. It will be an LPTO panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate and an FHD+ resolution with an expected pixel density of around 420 PPI. The rumored peak brightness is expected to be 2700 nits.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, on the other hand, should feel massive in comparison, with its 6.77-inch OLED display. The device is expected to launch with more or less the same FHD+ resolution, which, due to the bigger size of the screen, will result in lower pixel density—around 387 PPI. The panel is expected to be LTPO as well, reaching a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, while the rumored brightness figures are even more impressive at 3000 nits peak.

These are all specs on paper (rumored at that), so we should wait and test those two in our lab. They might end up close to each other, and at this point the divisive factor is the size. If you prefer larger phones, you might like the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro better.

Google decided to shake things up a bit and go its own way back when the Pixel 6 launched, and since then all Pixel phones have featured the in-house developed Tensor chips. We're now at the fourth generation of that silicon, and the Pixel 9a is expected to launch with the same Tensor G4 found inside the other more expensive siblings from the Pixel 9 family.

The Nothing Phone (3a), on the other hand, is rumored to have the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 onboard. This 4nm chipset is often compared to the 8 Gen 2 in raw performance and occupies the midrange benchmark territory. The Tensor chips have been losing to flagship Snapdragon processors for so long now that it will be a surprising win, at least in this particular comparison.

We've talked time and again about the difference between raw synthetic scores and real-life performance, and you're probably sick of it, so we're going to wait until we test these two phones and include the results here. If we extrapolate the scores from the Pixel 9, for example, and other phones equipped with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, we expect the Tensor to win this one, however.

In terms of RAM and storage, strangely enough, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has an advantage. It is expected in only one configuration, featuring 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In comparison, the Pixel 9a will land with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage in its base model with a step-up version that mimics the storage of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.

Software-wise, the Pixel 9a is a Google phone, after all, and will benefit not only from the seven years of major OS updates pledge but also from getting those updates fast. We don't know what the support cycle on the Nothing Phone (3a) will be, but judging from previous models, we expect up to three major OS updates.

Google's affordable flagship, the Pixel 9a, adheres to the tried-and-true twin camera system formula. However, it appears that this model will not be employing the same sensors and lenses as the previous generation, nor those available on the standard Pixel 9.

According to the most recent intel, the Pixel 9a will include a new primary camera with a 48MP sensor (1/2.0") and an f/1.7 aperture, resulting in a focal length similar to 25mm. This differs from the bigger 50MP sensor (1/1.56") in the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, which has an aperture of f/1.9 and a 1.0 µm pixel size.

The ultrawide cameras are also different—on the upcoming Pixel 9a, we will most likely see a new 13MP camera with an f/2.2 and 120-degree field of view. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, on the other hand, is touted to feature a low-megapixel count 8MP ultrawide camera, with the same f/2.2 aperture but a much smaller sensor (1/4.0").

What the Nothing phone will most likely get in its sleeve, however, is a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and phase detection autofocus.

So, in terms of flexibility, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has an edge on paper, but you know how good Google's post-processing algorithms really are. Stay tuned for some side-by-side samples soon and a final verdict in the camera department.

It's not just screens; batteries are also getting larger and larger each year (thankfully), and the Pixel 9a is expected to feature a pretty hefty 5100 mAh battery inside. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is not too far off with its 5000 mAh battery, the rumors suggest.

Battery life is a composite metrics, so we need to run our tests to see which one of these will last longer on a single charge. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 might be more efficient than the Tensor G4, but on the other hand, the screen of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is larger and brighter.

In terms of charging, the rumor mill has some specs for us. The Pixel 9a is expected to have the same slow charging as its predecessor, namely 23W wired charging support and 7.5W wireless. It seems that the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro will be able to topple the Pixel 9a easily when it comes to wired charging, as it's expected with 50W charging support. One big drawback (for some people) might be the lack of wireless charging. Stay tuned for test results soon.

Here's a quick specs comparison between the two phones, for a more detailed Pixel 9a vs Nothing Phone (3a) Pro specs comparison, head to our dedicated comparison page on PhoneArena.

*rumored specs

This battle will be a difficult one. On the one hand, we have the Pixel 9a, representing a very successful bloodline of affordable flagships, featuring the latest Tensor processor, a decent camera system, a big battery, a great OLED screen, and lots of software magic onboard. It's a lot of phone for $499. That's if Google decides to stick with its A-series pricing, which we hope it will.

On the other hand, Nothing is starting to expand its lineup and offer more devices. Carl Pei's company now has its own A-series, and the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is the top model in that series. It comes with faster charging (no wireless charging, though), a good main camera, one additional periscope telephoto system with 3x optical zoom, quite a hefty battery, and a bigger and brighter (on paper) screen.

Couple all this with the rumored price between $300 and $400. Granted, the phone lacks wireless charging, and its ultrawide camera might not be amazing, plus the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is slightly slower than the Tensor G4, but the important boxes seem to be ticked.

This comparison will be updated with all the benchmarks and tests soon, so stay tuned for the final verdict.