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Nothing Announces Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro

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Nothing, a tech company based in London, has revealed its newest smartphone models, offering a duo that balances design, performance, and features without causing financial strain. The newly introduced Phone (3a) Series represents an update to Nothing’s mid-range product line, following on from the Phone (2a) launched last year. While they are labeled as “mid-range,” the new smartphones – the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro – may be misleading in their classification, as they boast numerous improvements and a brand-new AI platform specifically developed for this series, making them appealing options for Android users seeking quality regardless of budget.

The phones, namely Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro, boast a joint 6.77-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display that adapts to refresh at a rate of 120Hz. In everyday use, these devices offer a touch sampling rate of 480Hz, which is 100% faster than their predecessors. When switched to Gaming Mode, the rate can surge up to 1,000Hz for an even smoother and more responsive experience. To put it simply, the enhanced touch sampling rate results in smoother scrolling. Furthermore, both models have improved outdoor visibility with a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits under normal conditions, and can boost up to 3,000 nits when playing HDR content, with highlights amplified.

As a gamer, I can personally vouch for the efficiency of the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile Platform chipset powering these devices, which debuted in 2024 and is renowned for its impressive battery life extension capabilities. Interestingly, Nothing collaborated directly with Snapdragon to fine-tune this chipset for the new Phone (3a) series, boasting a reduction of up to 8% in power consumption. This equates to an extra 30 minutes of battery life compared to the same chipset in other phones. Moreover, the brand proudly claims that the CPU is 33% faster than its predecessor, the Phone (2a), and comes with an Adreno 800 Series GPU, enhancing graphics performance by a significant 11%.

In recent years, smartphones haven’t undergone significant changes in terms of appearance, but Nothing has consistently set high design standards since its debut in 2020. The newly released Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro have been significantly redesigned, with glass panels replacing the polycarbonate body of the previous models. This transformation gives the devices a more luxurious feel, but it also serves a practical purpose as the shift to glass has enabled Nothing to improve the devices’ water resistance, upgrading them to an IP64 rating, and making them dust-proof. The camera design on both phones has been revamped, with Nothing stating that this change is meant to highlight each new camera system – particularly the Phone (3a) Pro, which boasts a large circular camera bump that stands out prominently when held. This daring design choice goes against the trend of minimizing camera impact on smartphones as most brands aim to reduce camera footprint, but Nothing has made a bold move with a camera bump big enough to spark conversations.

The quality of the camera on Phone (3a) Pro might spark diverse opinions, but its larger casing serves a purpose: it accommodates a periscope zoom lens with a 70mm equivalent focal length, considered “flagship-grade” by Nothing. Periscope lenses employ prisms or lenses to bend light in ways that enable more powerful zoom capabilities without significantly increasing the phone’s size. The Phone (3a) Pro’s periscope lens is partnered with a 1/1.95-inch Sony LYTI 600 sensor and a relatively large f/2.55 aperture, resulting in decent zoom images. On the other hand, Phone (3a) chooses a 50MP telephoto lens with an f/2.0 aperture and a 50mm equivalent focal length, offering 2x optical zoom and up to 30x zoom with AI-enhanced clarity algorithms. Both models share the same 50MP primary camera, but the Phone (3a) Pro takes advantage of a larger sensor for better low light performance and faster autofocus. Additionally, both phones’ selfie cameras have been improved and can now record in 4K; the Phone (3a) features a 32MP selfie camera while the Phone (3a) Pro boasts a 50MP one.

The Phone (Model 3a) collection boasts the longest battery life the company has yet produced, with both devices equipped with a substantial 5,000mAh battery capable of sustaining “two days of usage on a single charge.” Moreover, these phones support rapid charging and can reach half their full capacity in just “less than 20 minutes.” It’s worth noting that the new models will come pre-installed with Nothing OS 3.1 – a tailored Android 15 version featuring the Nothing Gallery photo app, as well as upgraded Camera and Weather apps.

In summary, Nothing is unveiling a fresh AI platform in conjunction with their Phone (3a) Series. This upcoming offering, dubbed Essential Space, is positioned as an “AI-driven hub for jottings, brainstorms, and creative sparks” that can efficiently “record, analyze, and retain” information. Nothing emphasizes that the development of this new AI platform prioritizes users above all else, asserting it will operate seamlessly “as if an additional memory”. Although Essential Space is currently under development, one of its initial features enables users to save on-screen content (such as screenshots) accompanied by voice notes for future reference, providing context that might otherwise be lacking.

Today, you can pre-order the Nothing Phone (3a) directly from their website for a price of £329 GBP or $379 USD. Pre-orders for the Phone (3a) Pro will begin on March 11, with prices starting at £449 GBP or $459 USD.

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2025-03-04 18:56

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