By keeping leaks and rumours at bay, Nothing surprised everyone during the Phone (4a) series unveiling. The brand has launched the Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro, and the latter ditches Nothing's signature design for a completely polarising look. Positioned just below the Phone (3), the new Pro appears to blur the lines between mid-range and premium tiers. If you are deciding between the two, here's a detailed Nothing Phone 4a Pro vs Nothing Phone 3 comparison.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Display
Starting with the display, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro surprisingly outshines the Phone (3) when it comes to pure size and specifications. At 6.83 inches, it's larger than the Phone (3)'s 6.67-inch offering. Both displays have FHD+ resolution and are flexible AMOLED units with minimal bezels.
Not only that, but the Phone (4a) Pro one-ups Nothing Phone (3)'s display with a higher 144Hz refresh rate and 5,000 nits of peak brightness. Besides, the Phone (4a) Pro also has a higher touch sampling rate of up to 2,500 Hz and 2,160 Hz PWM flicker. The bottomline is that the Phone (4a) Pro has a better display than the Phone (3).
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Camera
In the camera department, Nothing has equipped the Phone (4a) Pro with a 50 MP periscope lens, which offers 3.5x optical zoom, 7x in-sensor zoom and an outlandish 140x digital zoom. This easily outreaches the standard 3x periscope setup found on the Phone (3).
Although it's worth noting that the Phone (3) has a superior main camera with a larger 1/1.3" sensor size and a wider f/1.68 aperture (vs 1/1.56" and f/1.9 on the Phone (4a) Pro). The Ultrawide, too, is far better on the Phone (3) with 50 MP resolution (vs 8 MP), larger sensor and a wider 114-degree Field-of-view (vs 120).
The front camera is also better on the Phone (3) with a 50 MP f/2.2 lens, a larger 1/2.76 sensor size and a wider 81.2-degree FoV, compared to the 32 MP f.2.2 1/3.44-inch sensor with 89-degree FoV on the Phone (4a) Pro.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Build
Visually, the Phone (4a) Pro takes a different route. It completely abandons Nothing's signature transparent, glass-backed design in favour of a metal unibody crafted from 100% recycled aluminium, making it slightly lighter than the Phone (3) at 210 grams (vs 218 grams). However, the cost-cutting is noticeable in the water resistance rating, as the Phone (4a) Pro settles for IP65 instead of IP68 found on the Phone (3).
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Hardware
Under the hood is where the Phone (3) flexes its flagship status. While the Phone (3) packs a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, the Phone (4a) Pro gets a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. Both are based on TSMC's 4nm process, but the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 scoots ahead with far superior performance cores.
It offers much better gaming performance and connectivity with Qualcomm's X75 modem. The Phone (3) is about twice as fast as the Phone (4a) Pro, and the results show in our Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 and 7 Gen 4 comparison.
Besides, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro also loses the Battery and Charging speed battle. It features a slightly smaller 5,080mAh (vs 5,500mAh) battery while sticking to the 50W (vs 65W on the Phone (3)) charging speeds and misses out on wireless charging.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Glyph Design
Another major difference between the Phone (3) and Phone (4a) Pro is in the Glyph Matrix. The Phone (3) packs 489 LEDs at the back, whereas the Phone (4a) Pro is much sparser at 137 LEDs. Although the Glyph Matrix itself is 57% larger and is twice as bright, reaching 3,000 nits.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Software
Launched with Android 16, the Nothing Phone (3) is promised five years of Android updates, whereas the Phone (4a) Pro sticks to 3 years of major updates. This means that the Phone (4a) Pro will receive updates till Android 19, whereas the Phone (3) will last till Android 21. The Phone (3) is the clear winner if longer software support is of the utmost priority to you.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (3): Which Phone Should You Buy?
Before we dive into the why, here's a comprehensive specs sheet comparison of both smartphones side by side:
| Specification | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Nothing Phone (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.83-inch FHD+ 144 Hz AMOLED with 5,000 nits peak brightness | 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED with 4,500 nits peak brightness |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm) | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm) |
| Cameras | 50 MP main f/1.88 1/1.56" | 50 MP Periscope f/2.9 1/2.75"| 8 MP f/2.2 1/4" | 32 MP selfie | 50 MP main f/1.68 1/1.3" | 50 MP Periscope f/2.7 1/2.75"| 50 MP f/2.2 1/2.76" | 50 MP selfie |
| Battery | 5,080mAh with 50W charging | 5,500mAh with 65W charging, 15W wireless charging |
| Storage and RAM | 8 GB + 128 GB / 8 GB + 256 GB / 12 GB + 256 GB | UFS 3.1, LPDDR5X | 12 GB + 256 GB / 16 GB + 512 GB | UFS 4.0, LPDDR5X |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC |
| Software and features | NothingOS 4.1, Android 16. Updates till 2029 | NothingOS 4.1, Android 16. Updates till 2031 |
| Colours | Silver, Black, Pink | White, Black |
| Price | Rs 39,999 | Rs 49,999 (discounted) |
The Nothing Phone (3) is a superior overall smartphone with more premium glass materials, double the performance, better main and ultrawide cameras and wireless charging. The Phone (4a) Pro takes the lead in Periscope zoom capabilities and smoother display.
For Rs 10,000 more, the Phone (3) is a no-brainer compared to the Phone (4a) Pro, if budget is not a constraint for you. It will also last you much longer. However, the Phone (4a) Pro is still pretty great for its price, and you may consider it if you're looking for a solid, unique-looking (still) upper mid-range offering.
