I’ve been a massive fan of Nothing for the last 2-3 years, but they’ve only just recently made their way into Australian stores, and the brand new mid-tier Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro feel like the first big launch that will make a splash here at $599 and $849 respectively. For those that don’t know, Nothing is largest newcomer in the mobile space in the last few years with the UK start-up already selling over 7 million units worldwide.
The thing I love about Nothing (and it’s probably already extremely obvious) is the fact that almost everything they do from design to software is totally different to the rest of the pack. The Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro not only look totally different to any other phone that has existed, but they also look different to each other.
Nothing Phone (3a)Both have a transparent case as well as the signature light glyph system but the (3a) has a fairly standard row bump camera system whilst the (3a Pro) does something totally different with an impressive lens line-up that goes around in a circle, which has been polarising online, but I really dig it.
Nothing Phone (3a) ProSpeaking of that glyph system, it’s been on every Nothing phone, but slightly different on each one. It’s the same design here with three slightly curved lines, all which can be individually controlled. These are designed to let you flip your phone over, but still stay in touch with notifications, or if you’re running a timer, the light can count-down or let you know how long until your food arrives with Uber. It’s one of those things that I personally love, as even if I’m not necessarily using it for notifications, it’s a very cool design feature that sets it apart.
There’s not a heap of differences between the two phones. Both have a 6.77-inch display which has a Full HD+ resolution, 120hz refresh rate and double the touch sampling rate of the Phone (2a). The peak brightness has also been improved with up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. This is a fantastic looking display and paired with Nothing’s custom OS it makes everything look so vibrant and crisp, so whether you’re just scrolling social media, watching a video or playing a game, the display is a great one.
@shannongrixti The Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro are fantastic value for money Android phones with a super unique design and fantastic camera systems @Nothing #Nothing #NothingPhone3a #NothingPhone3aPro #Phone3a #Phone3aPro #NothingPhone #SmartPhone #Android #Gaming #Tech
The main different comes in the way of the camera system. Both are fantastic given the price point. Both phones have a 50MP main camera but the (3a) Pro has a larger sensor that lets more light in and they also have the same 8 MP ultrawide camera as well with a 120 degree FOV.
The main difference comes in the way of zoomed lens. The (3a) has a 50MP telephoto lens that is capable of a 2x optical zoom, 4x in-sensor zoom and a 30x ultra zoom and it’s absolutely fantastic, but the (3a) Pro uses the space created by that circular camera layout to fit in a Periscope lens which has a 50 MP Sony sensor with a 3x optical zoom, a 6x in-sensor zoom and a 60x ultra zoom.
The front camera on the (3a) has a 32MP front camera whilst the (3a) Pro has a 50MP front camera that can also record 4K video.
At this price point, both camera systems are absolutely fantastic, with the (3a) Pro really providing a lot more option than even most flagship phones, so if this is what Nothing is offering up on its mid-tier, I can’t wait to see what the Phone (3) has to offer later this year.
Nothing OS 3.1 comes installed on the phone, and I’ve not had a huge play with other devices before, so I’m not sure how the core experience differs, but there’s a great amount of customisation if you choose to rock Nothing’s version of Android 15, with a bunch of new design choices that are aesthetically pleasing.
The big new feature here though is the Essential Space AI functionality with its own dedicated button on both devices. For me, AI has been a mixed bag on mobile devices, but what Nothing has done so far is really fantastic.
Basically, this is a button that you can use to either screenshot anything on your screen and then either save it as-is, write a little note or do a voice note, but Essential Space will essentially use AI to recognise what’s on screen and contextualise it, so if it’s an appointment, it’ll add a reminder, or if it’s a recipe, it’ll take the important parts and put it into text. It’s the first time using AI in a phone (outside of Apple Intelligence) where I can see the real world use case for it to actually improve your day to day without it feeling like a gimmick.
It’s very clear that this is jus the beginning of Essential Space and Nothing did say that they’d be expanding on it with paid modules, but again, I really like what Nothing has done here, and it obviously feels like it’s capitalising on the AI trend, but in a way that actually fits the phone and has a genuine purpose rather than being a marketing bullet point.
Something I’m not used to as a main iPhone user is fast charging speeds and that’s what the (3a) series delivers with 50w fast charging which will give you 50% of charge in just 19 minutes and a full charge in just under an hour. Nothing says that they’re rated for a full day of use qhich translates to about 24 hours of social media use or 10-12 hours of gaming which was about my experience with the large 5,000mAh battery lasting a good while.
This is largely thanks to the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip which the (3a) series thankfully has made the switch to from the Adreno 800 Series in the (2a). This means more performance whilst being less efficient, so you can really put the phone through its paces whether it be through multitasking or gaming and it really doesn’t skip a beat.
All-in-all, if this is your first Nothing phone, I have zero doubts that you’ll be impressed at $599 AUD for the (3a) and $849 AUD for the (3a) Pro. Between the two, I definitely think the (3a) is the better buy if you’re looking for value for money, but you really can’t go wrong with either and it’s all eyes on the upcoming Phone (3) launch to see what nothing do with the new flagship.
