Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review

The competition

At the time of writing, the global Nothing Phone (3a) Pro model seems to only be available in a 12GB RAM and 256GB storage tier for €459. India does get more varied storage options. This sort of pricing puts it against some serious competition.

If the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has caught your eye, then it is probably safe to assume that you want a telephoto camera. Taking that into account, there is the Motorola Edge 50 Pro. Some of its highlights include a large 6.7-inch, pretty high-resolution, 144Hz OLED display, a decently powerful Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset and a potent triple camera system on the rear, plus an autofocusing, high-resolution selfie.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro • Realme 14 Pro+ • Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

Realme has a pretty similar phone to the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro specs-wise. With it, you get a larger still 6.83-inch OLED display, an IP68/69 protected body, the familiar Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset and just like the Nothing - a triple rear camera setup with a periscope 3x telephoto. The selfie is a high-resolution 32MP unit with autofocus. The battery is also a large 6,000 mAh Si/C unit.

Over in camp Samsung, the Galaxy S24 FE can get you a telephoto camera. It's not a periscope one, but it's still 3x zoom. The S24 FE has a lot going for it as well, but it's hard to ignore the promise of a whopping seven major Android updates in particular.

Our verdict

Despite its ever-expanding portfolio of devices, Nothing is still a relatively small operation. It is hard to say where its future lies, but the focus seems to be shifting more and more back to midrange and value-driven devices. Granted, we are yet to see what the upcoming proper Phone (3) will offer, but we have our hopes set high for that one if the Nothing phone (3a) Pro is anything to go by.

While not a powerhouse in any capacity, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is unquestionably a very well-rounded device. We found a lot to like about the phone and very few faults, if any. Sure, you can probably get better value for money in this price bracket, but nothing quite as unique as the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. You have to admire Nothing's consistency and dedication to the overall design and UX, and we are glad to see it's not going anywhere.

Pros

• Eye-catching design with a new glass back and Essential Key.
• Decently bright OLED with 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colors and HDR support.
• Very loud speakers.
• Unique software design and aesthetic with plenty of custom bits.
• Very good performance with zero thermal throttling.
• Great all-around camera performance, especially the zoom camera.

Cons

• The Essential key's prominent placement has moved the Power button to a new spot that takes some time to get used to.
• Competitors come with a higher ingress protection rating than IP64.
• The 50MP zoom camera lacks 4K video recording.
• Western markets get a single storage tier only.
• No charger in the box.