British tech brand Nothing has just unveiled its latest futuristic smartphones: the shiny new Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. Both are impressive handsets designed to bring highend features and distinctive style to those seeking the best affordable smartphones, much like the Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus versions they succeed.
So, what’s new about these phones? Here’s what you need to know.
Nothing Phone (3a)
While Nothing is quite clear that the (3a) series is its midrange lineup, there are a lot of features on these phones that are designed to challenge flagship smartphones.
Both the (3a) and the (3a) Pro share a lot of common features, including the same powerful Snapdragon processor, the same large 6.77inch display with high brightness and a high refresh rate, many of the same camera specifications, the same battery and fast charging. Where the two phones differ is in the camera specifications, the design and the price.
The Phone (3a) has a very similar design to Nothing’s highly popular Phone (2a), with a transparent plastic casing and clever “Glyph” lighting on the back, which can illuminate for priority notifications, timers and be used as a torch.
It does now have an additional camera compared to the (2a), though, with a 50megapixel 2x optical to go with its ultrawide and wide main sensor. This should add to its versatility and allow you to get even better closeup shots or photos of objects in the distance.
Both the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro run on Nothing OS 3.0, a customised version of Android with a focus on simplicity and minimalism. Both phones now also have a new “Essential Key” on the righthand side – a quick press lets you send information onscreen to the AIpowered “Essential Space”, while you can use a long press to record a voice note. A doublepress of the button will take you into the “Essential Space” itself, where the phone organises everything “just like a second memory” for you.
The Nothing Phone (3a) is on sale now and costs £329 for the 128GB model. This goes up to £379 for the 256GB model. It’s available in transparent white, black or blue shades.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a notably distinct design from the lighter (3a), as it has a big circular camera bump that houses its 50megapixel main camera, 8megapixel ultrawide, and 50megapixel telephoto lens.
The difference for this phone is that its telephoto is a longer zoom, with a 3x reach, and it has “optical image stabilisation” for better performance in lowlight conditions, as well as the ability to crop into the sensor for a 6x zoom. This should potentially make the (3a) Pro a more versatile setup for travel photography and portraiture.
This larger camera bump will make the phone just a little bit heavier than the (3a), with a weight of 211g compared to the 201g of the more affordable model. It will cost £449 and will only be available in a 256GB capacity. It’s also available after the Phone (3a) – you can preorder from 11 March. Its main differences are in its camera, so keen photographers may want to wait for this one.
Just like the main (3a), it has the “Essential Key”, plus the powerful Snapdragon processor, “Glyph” lighting system, IP64 dust and water resistance and fastcharging over USBC. It’s worth noting that neither phone supports wireless charging.
Both handsets have Nothing’s largest and brightest displays to date, speeds that should be up to 33% faster than Phone (2a), and a promise of up to two days of battery life on a full charge.
Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram, on Bluesky, on LinkedIn and on Threads.
