Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro hands-on review

Nothing Phone (3a) hands-on

Let's start with the vanilla model and make our way up to the Pro. Once again, we reiterate that both phones are very, very similar. Well, except for visually, particularly from the backside.

The vanilla Phone (3a) generally borrows its horizontal camera design from the Phone (2a) generation but extends the island with a third camera. The rest of the aesthetic is pretty familiar as well with the signature faux transparent look. It is something that sets Nothing devices from the crowd for sure.

The same goes for the signature Glyph Interface on the back. It still consists of three light segments and 26 individually addressable lights. These can be set up to react to ringtones and notifications or music playback, indicate a specific contact is calling. They can also be used as a volume indicator or for counting down timers like in the camera app. And last but not least, the Glyph Interface is a nice fill light for the rear camera.

There have been some changes in the bill of materials on both the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. The back is now made of glass instead of polycarbonate material, like on the Phone (2a) generation.

We aren't quite sure if Nothing uses the same hardened Panda Glass on the back as it does on the front, but it is definitely some hardened glass.

The ingress protection has also been upgraded, and the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro are now IP64 rated. That's still not ideal since you should refrain from submerging the phone or subjecting it to water jets, but it should now withstand water splashes and things like rain.

Nothing is also big on sustainability with the Nothing Phone (3a) series. The aluminum used in the middle frame is 100% recycled, and so is 100% of the tin in six circuit boards and 85% of the steel in the stamping parts. 60% of the plastic parts are sustainably sourced, and the phone's packaging is 100% plastic-free.

The Nothing Pone (3a) and (3a) Pro are practically indistinguishable from the front. They have the same overall shape with less rounded corners than the Phone (2a) family. The 6.77-inch display is the same across both models. It has gotten a bit bigger than last year's model, but not substantially so.

The new display has gotten substantially brighter. It can now reach 800 nits on the slider with 1,300 nits of peak in automatic high brightness mode and up to a whopping 3,000 nits peak when displaying HDR content. It is perfectly comfortable to use even in direct sunlight.

The Phone (3a) is a fairly large device, but it is still comfortable to hold with a good in-hand feel. While Nothing says that the middle frame is made of aluminum, it feels more like vinyl to use. Still, it's definitely not bad to the touch. There are no antenna lines on the frame, so it might just be plastic, we can't say for sure. All of the buttons are nicely in reach, responsive, and clicky. There is an in-display optical fingerprint reader. It works quite well and is both speedy and accurate.

Nothing Phone (3a)

Speaking of controls, while these are standard for the most part, there is a new Essential Key on the right side of the frame. It sits right underneath the power button, and can easily be confused for it when feeling around. The Essential Key is your gateway to the new Essential Space. Head over to the software section for more information. You press the Essential Key once to capture and send content to Essential Space, long-press it to record a voice note or double-tap it to open up your saved content in Essential Space.

The 5,000 mAh battery capacity hasn't changed since the Nothing Phone (2a), but Nothing does claim that through the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 3's efficiency and its own optimization, it can now deliver longer battery life (up to two days) on the Phone (3a) generation. A zero to 50% charge should only take 20 minutes. Nothing also promises that that battery will maintain 90% of its capacity after 1,200 charges or roughly three years and four months.