Nothing Phone (3a) Long Term Review: Proves Its Value Over Time

When the sub-Rs 25,000 market was dominated by smartphones with bland designs, Nothing decided to take things into its own hands and announced its entry into the segment with the Phone (2a) in 2024. While the phone sold in decent numbers, what really put Nothing on a pedestal was the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro.

They were the first A-series phones to feature a dedicated telephoto/periscope lens. The transition to the Snapdragon chipset helped Nothing's case, and the phones were a hit. Now that it's about time Nothing launched the Phone (4a) series, we thought of revisiting the standard Phone (3a) to see what really made it one of the best-selling Nothing phones of all time.

Unboxing

Before we dig deeper into the review, let's look at the box contents of the Nothing Phone (3a), what you get and the things you miss out on.

Unsurprisingly, the lack of a charger in the box continues to be a trend for Nothing. However, it was disappointing to see Nothing remove the iconic transparent cable and replace it with a generic white one. Don't get us wrong, it is of good quality, but the transparent cable was truly a treat to look at.

Build and Design

Nothing phones usually stand out for their lights, and the Phone (3a) is no exception. However, the design has evolved. The camera module in this one houses three sensors, and the overall design that's visible through the transparent glass back have also changed. While it still retains the wow factor, the coil design does feel like a slight step back from the Phone (1)'s intricate design.

At 8.35 mm thick and 201 grams, the phone is taller and heavier than its predecessor, the Phone (2a). The transition to a glass back definitely adds a premium feel to the design, though the plastic frame doesn't feel very good. The Glyph Interface returns with the same 3-light setup, offering no new hardware zones but retaining the notification utility.

Another notable addition is the Essential Key on the right side. Unlike the metal power and volume, it's made of plastic and triggers the new Essential Space features. While the phone feels sturdy, it does feel substantial in hand.

Display and Audio Quality

The display brings a solid upgrade, offering excellent contrast and colours. In our testing, the HBM hit impressive numbers, making outdoor visibility under direct sunlight better than the Phone (2a). The content-watching experience is pleasant thanks to Ultra HDR support. The dark areas look truly dark, and the highlights pop.

However, the included Panda Glass protection isn't the best at preventing scratches, and Corning's Gorilla Glass would've been a better choice. Which brings us to the dual stereo speakers. They mostly sound fuller and louder than last year's model, though they can feel slightly hollow at times. Overall, it provides a good multimedia experience, though Netflix HDR certification is missing.

Performance Tested

The Phone (3a) is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, and it's a very good upgrade from the Dimensity 7200 Pro. Although not a sub-flagship chipset by any means, the AnTuTu score of 812,384 points and a Geekbench score of 1,170/3,292 in single/multi-core suggest it's capable of handling day-to-day tasks and moderate gaming with ease.

Paired with 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, the phone flies through normal tasks. Part of the new Nothing OS 4.0 features is improved animations, which make app opening and switching feel incredibly fluid. We faced no heating issues, with temperatures consistently staying under 35°C during benchmarks.

Gaming performance is respectable. BGMI runs at Smooth + Extreme at 90 FPS, which is great. Call of Duty: Mobile handles Very High + Max at 50 FPS. So, while not a hardcore gaming phone, the phone can still do a bit of casual gaming without overheating.

Camera Reviewed

Cameras were the main highlight of the Nothing Phone (3a), and they still are. The main 50 MP sensor captures excellent daylight shots with decently accurate colours and exquisite dynamic range.

The 50 MP Telephoto lens is capable of zooming up to 2x optically, which is a tad lesser than the Phone (3a) Pro's Periscope, which lets you zoom 3x in. Alas, it captures decent pictures, but unlike the Phone (3a) Pro, the lack of OIS means you need extremely stable hands, especially in low-light.

We noted in our Phone (3a) Pro long-term review about the noticeable shutter lag, resulting in shaky images despite the OIS. In Phone (3a)'s case, the issue was exacerbated, and it was hard to get crisp pictures out of Phone (3a) unless we were in perfect lighting conditions.

The 8 MP ultrawide is a weak link. The colours are decent, but the images are far from crisp. This is also where Nothing's TrueLens Engine 3.0 comes into the picture (pun-intended), as it's definitely doing the heavy lifting in the post-processing. 

The front 32 MP camera is great, but it's nothing to write home about. The pictures are fairly sharp and detailed, but the skin tones are red-ish and could definitely use some improvement.

Software and Updates

Software remains the selling point. The phone launched with Nothing OS 3.1 and was recently updated to Nothing OS 4.0. The overall experience is clean, fast and quite intelligent with the new AI features.

Although it's worth mentioning that Nothing has chosen a slightly controversial route by adding Lock Glimpse (lock screen ads) and pre-installed apps, which can be disabled and uninstalled. However, this seems to be a departure from its initial software promise of a clean, bloatware-free experience.

Nothing promises three years of Android updates and four years of total security updates. Nothing OS has come a long way since its inception, and while the company is changing things around, the fact remains that it's still one of the cleanest Android experiences in the market.

Battery and Charging

Nothing Phone (3a) arrived when Silicon Carbon batteries had just started to take off. Despite not featuring the technology, the phone boasts a respectable 5,000mAh battery, which can charge at a respectable 50W. We put the battery through its paces and consistently got 5–5.5 hours of screen-on time, translating to roughly a full day's worth of usage. 

As for the charging speed, the phone took around 55 minutes to charge from 0-100%, with a PD charger. While the speeds are acceptable, we wish Nothing had included a charger in the box, which wouldn't have added to the cost.

Nothing Phone (3a) Verdict: Should you still buy it?

The Nothing Phone (3a) is a smartphone of calculated compromises. It trades raw processing power for cameras, a unique design and a clean software experience. In my Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review, I had called it the Pixel of the sub-Rs 30,000 segment, and that cannot be truer for the Nothing Phone (3a).

However, at Rs 24,999, we would steer clear of the Nothing Phone (3a). While this has nothing to do (pun-intended) with the phone itself, we believe there are better options in the market, like the OnePlus Nord CE5 and the Poco X7 Pro. Sure, they don't offer the cleanest experience, but they more than make up for it with their performance, battery life and feature-rich user interfaces.

That said, if you value a clean software experience above all, the Nothing Phone (3a) is still a decent buy if it arrives on sale for less than its current price. Since the Nothing Phone (4a) launch is on the horizon, the Phone (3a) will likely go on sale for discounts pretty soon.