Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review

Design, build quality, handling

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is as different as it is familiar. Nothing's signature faux-transparent design is still unique. Then, there is the large round camera island, which gives the Phone (3a) Pro a unique look from the back.

It looks unlike any other Nothing model. Presumably, the extra space or at least some of it, was necessary for the large periscope-style telephoto.

On top of that, we have the glyph interface. 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 or 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.

Left:Nothing Phone (3a) * Right: Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

Color options for the Phone (3a) Pro include Black and Gray. The vanilla Nothing Phone (3a) also has a signature Blue colorway, but it is not available on the Pro.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

Speaking of the body, it is very comfortable to hold. The new 6.77-inch display has slightly less rounded corners and an ever-so-slightly bigger diagonal than the Nothing Phone (2a). In fact, the whole phone has gotten bigger this year, but not in a major way.

The phone feels solid with no flex. There is a bit of hollowness to the back side, but nothing really troubling.

Nothing has seemingly upgraded the bill of materials since the Phone (2a). The back is now made of glass instead of polycarbonate material, like on the Phone (2a) generation. We aren't 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.

Nothing is big on sustainability. 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.

You might have noticed that Nothing says the middle frame uses aluminum. We aren't sure what's up with that since there are no antenna lines on the outside of the middle frame, and its surface feels more like plastic than metal.

The ingress protection on the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro has been upgraded slightly from IP54 to IP64, which unfortunately still means you can't submerge the phone.

The Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro look practically identical from the front. As we said, there is a slightly bigger display diagonal than last year and slightly less rounded corners.

There is nothing really visible on the front. The earpiece and all of the sensors are nicely tucked away. The former is in a small slit above the display, while the latter (proximity and light sensor) are hidden underneath the display. We think the display bezels are pretty reasonably-sized.

The Phone (3a) Pro uses an in-display optical fingerprint reader. We have no complaints about it. It is both speedy and accurate.

Speaking of controls, while these are standard for the most part, there is a new button on the right side of the frame, which Nothing calls the Essential Key. It sits right underneath the power button, and you can easily be confused about it when you are 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.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

We'll talk more in-depth about the Essential Space in the software section of the review.