As always, after weeks of teasing, Nothing's new smartphone is finally official and was made official at MWC 2025 in Barcelona at the beginning of March 2025! While we were expecting a successor to the Nothing Phone (2), it's in the mid-range smartphone segment that Nothing is innovating. For the Nothing Phone (3), we'll probably have to wait until this summer. In any case, it's not one but two smartphones that Nothing has announced. We have the Nothing Phone (3a) and the Phone (3a) Pro. Today, we're looking at the Pro model, which offers much more than its competitors for the same price. Indeed, in this price range, it is quite rare to see such a versatile camera block and this is what the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro offers.
And we all know that the strength of Nothing, apart from its price-quality ratio, is also its Nothing OS overlay which now runs on Android 15. For us, it is one of the best overlays and it really allows the London manufacturer to stand out from its competitors. Also, we expect, with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, a unique experience while keeping in mind the realities of the market with a very interesting price-quality ratio. We have spent these last few weeks with the smartphone and it is time to pass the verdict. Here is our review of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.
The Features of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
As a reminder of the features, the new Nothing Phone (3a) Pro offers you:
| Nothing Phone (3a) Pro | |
|---|---|
| Screen | - 6.77" Flexible AMOLED Screen - Panda Glass - Full HD+ definition (1080x2392) - Density of 387ppp - Refresh rate 120Hz - HDR10+ - Brightness: 800 nits (Peak: 3000 nits) - PWM 2160 Hz - Linear haptic engine |
| SoC and GPU | - Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 - 4nm engraving - Adreno 800 GPU |
| Memory | - 12GB RAM + 8GB RAM Booster - 256GB internal storage - No MicroSD memory port |
| Color | - Glyph Interface - Black - Grey - Tempered glass back - Polycarbonate surround - IP64 |
| Camera | - Triple camera on the back: - Main camera: 1/1.56", Samsung 50 megapixels, 24mm, 84.5°, F/1.88, OIS and EIS, Autofocus, PDAF, 2x digital zoom - Periscope zoom camera: 1/1.95", Sony LYTIA 600 50 megapixels, 33.6°, F/2.55, EIS, 3x optical zoom, 6x hybrid, 60x digital zoom - Ultra wide-angle camera: Sony 8 megapixels, 120°, F/2.2 - TrueLens Engine 3.0 - Ultra XDR - Motion Capture Mode - Portrait Mode - Motion Photo Mode - Lenticular Filter - Night Mode - Panorama Mode - Night Panorama Mode - Document Mode - Expert Mode - Macro Mode at 15cm with periscope zoom - Video recording up to 4K at 30fps - Slow Motion Mode in 1080p at 120fps or 720p at 480fps - Wide-angle front camera (81.2°) - 50 Megapixel Samsung sensor, F/2.2 - Electronic Stabilization (EIS) - Front video recording in 4K at 30fps - Advanced HDR Mode - Motion Photo Mode - Night Mode - Portrait Mode |
| Audio | - Stereo speakers - No 3.5mm jack - 2 microphones |
| Battery | - 5000 mAh battery - HyperEngine 5.0 - 50W wired fast charging (100% in 56 min, 50% in 19 min) |
| Connectivity | - Under-display optical fingerprint reader - Essential Space with an Essential Key - Bluetooth 5.4 - WiFi 6 - 5G - eSIM - 2x nano-SIM - A-GPS+GLONASS, DNLA, Miracast (WiFi Direct), Google Cast - NFC - USB Type-C - Barometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer - Proximity and light sensor |
| Software | - Android 145(3 major Android updates) - Nothing OS 3.1 |
| Size and Weight | - 163.52 × 77.5 × 8.39 mm - 211 grams |
| Launch Price | - 479 euros (12GB + 256GB) |
| Availability Date | - March 25, 2025 |
While we had become accustomed to Nothing standing out from its competitors, the Phone (3a) Pro no longer comes with a flat box and instead has a more classic packaging. There is obviously no charger, but we do find the smartphone and a standard USB-C cable. Alongside this, there is a pre-installed screen protector and instructions for getting started.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro will be available in a single version at 479 euros with 256GB of internal memory and 12GB of RAM, all for availability on March 25th.
Design, Glyph, Screen and Audio
Design has always been a key element at Nothing. And while we are dealing with a mid-range smartphone, we are pleasantly surprised to see that Nothing has not skimped on this part and offers a very successful overall design. Thus, with an IP64 certification, the first thing we notice is the glass back of the Phone (3a) Pro. The frame is made of polycarbonate and we could have been disappointed not to find metal but given the price positioning and the general quality of the finish, we were rather surprised to see the consistency of the whole. As with previous Nothing smartphones, the design of the Phone (3a) Pro allows the English manufacturer to offer a differentiating design and therefore to stand out from the competition. And when we see this competition, we say to ourselves that it's not so bad.
Obviously, because it's Nothing, we find the Glyph interface, a set of LEDs on the back that can be used for different functions such as having the battery level, notifications, correspondents, all without necessarily needing to access the smartphone screen. Yes, we know, it's a great gadget, but sometimes we admit that it's rather useful, and when it's not important, it allows the user not to turn their smartphone over too quickly. We obviously find functions like "Essential" notifications that allow you to prioritize certain notifications over others. So, when selected contacts or applications send you a notification, a light stays on until you open it. Likewise, Nothing still offers the Glyph Composer to create your own combination of light and sound. Third-party applications can also take advantage of the Glyph interface to manage, for example, delivery or transport tracking with the LEDs that serve as a countdown.
The small new feature in the design, apart from this circular photo box on the back, is above all this new "Essential Key" button, just below the power button which will launch not the camera like on an iPhone but a whole new function, "Essential Space". Basically, it is with this button that we will capture in a single click everything that interests us and with the help of AI, the smartphone will be able to classify everything and facilitate the view of the saved information. It is still in “Early Access” and it is difficult to decide after only a few weeks, we will have to use it a little longer and see if it is a real advance or not? On the other hand, we find that the button is not very well placed and we always confuse it with the sleep button! Very annoying.
This year, Nothing has gone big, with the two new Phone (3a) featuring a 6.77-inch diagonal screen. Because they aren't high-end smartphones, they don't have LPTO panels, but they still have a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen edges are still very thin and especially with an equal size on all four sides. Understand that we don't have a larger chin for example at the screen edges. Yes, it's only a design detail but those who are sensitive to design will appreciate it. There is a punch at the top center of the screen and yes, it remains an OLED panel with a Full HD+ definition, which is more than enough for everyday use and to the naked eye, it is impossible to see a difference in display finesse between a Full HD+ panel and a panel with a higher definition. And finally, because it is an OLED panel, the colors are well contrasted and the blacks are still as deep. On the technical side, once again, Nothing does very well, especially if we rely on the results of our colleagues at 01Lab with a maximum brightness that goes up to 1302 nits and especially a Delta E of 1.12, which makes it precise in its colorimetric rendering.
Sound-wise, as mentioned above, we find stereo speakers, which is pretty standard in this price range now. Likewise, there's no headphone jack. Otherwise, the speakers deliver more than decent sound with a fairly well-controlled volume and without too much saturation. Of course, these are still smartphone speakers and if it is sufficient for short content such as social networks, we can only advise you to use an external speaker, headphones or earphones from the brand for example?
Android 15, Nothing OS 3.1, Performance and Battery Life
2025 requires, we obviously find Android 15 with a Nothing OS 3.1 overlay. In itself, it's an overlay like all its competitors, which allows you to keep an overall experience close to Android Stock. So, when you come from another Android smartphone, you're not in uncharted territory. But where Nothing OS always hits hard is in its graphic and visual identity which is, to be honest, unique and above all refreshing. In fact, Nothing OS is so different in some way that we have the impression that it's an OS in its own right. We're used to rearranging everything according to our tastes, but here, the visual experience is so successful that we left the basic widgets. We love it. The choice of fonts, icons, widgets, everything finds a place in such a harmonious way that it's hard to go back to another overlay!
In terms of performance, the Nothing Phone (3a) offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC. So, many will ask the question why Nothing didn't choose to offer a more high-end SoC? Already, this would have had an impact on the price but above all, we noticed that with such a SoC, we had no complaints in everyday tasks. So, yes, it's not as fast as a Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and some tasks take longer but in everyday reality, the performance differences went unnoticed. And this all allows Nothing to ultimately offer excellent value for money. So yes, the benchmarks won't necessarily be the best but in the daily life of end users, we won't see any real impact. Not only will this be enough for 99% of smartphone users, but even for demanding applications like games, we have sufficient quality for every day. The best possible performance! We used the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro daily with a significant number of applications and we didn't feel any particular discomfort. The user experience remains fluid in everyday use and whatever the load, there is clearly nothing to complain about.
And finally, as with every new smartphone, you will need a few days of use before getting cruising battery life. But with a 5000 mAh battery, we are average in this range of smartphone. In fact, we will get a fairly decent battery life and we can easily last a full day. On the other hand, we were a little disappointed not to be able to push it to two days like some competitors. So yes, we are nitpicking a little, but it's 2025 and we are starting to get used to two days of battery life with normal use. Finally, we will still note the 50W wired charging which allowed us to have a full charge in a little over an hour. On the other hand, no wireless charging but we expected it given the price positioning.
Photo and Video
When we talk about entry-level or mid-range smartphones and photography, we expect a camera block with only two cameras, a standard wide-angle and an ultra-wide-angle and possibly a macro which will serve to give the illusion of offering a versatile camera block. Also, Nothing wanted to shake all that up with the Phone (3a) Series since both smartphones do indeed offer a telephoto camera. So on the Phone (3a), it is a very classic telephoto camera (3x optical zoom) while on the Phone (3a) Pro, we are entitled to a periscopic telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). So yes, we know that the telephoto lens is not the most used camera among users, but having it is clearly a plus since Nothing offers a very versatile camera block, and even more so when compared to the competition.
Also, for the photos taken with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, they are generally successful and offer enough details and contrasts. The telephoto is clearly a real bonus and brings a lot, especially since Nothing has not missed a beat with a rather effective telephoto which offers rather clean photos. Only the ultra-wide angle is behind, with a clear lack of sharpness as you move away from the center of the photo. On the video side, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro can film up to 4K at 60fps, which is very good for a smartphone in this range. We didn't notice any particular issues, but as with photography, you'll have to be careful in low-light conditions where the smartphone tends to smooth out a little too much.
More words, examples taken with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro:
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