BARCELONA—Nothing is expanding its lineup with two new smartphones, the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro. These midrange devices keep the brand’s signature transparent aesthetic with its Glyph interface, and add a new Essential Key, upgraded cameras, and better performance. Priced at $379 for the (3a) and $459 for the (3a) Pro, the two phones aim to shake up the Android phone world. Both devices share many core features, but the (3a) Pro brings big upgrades in the camera.
Design: Familiar Looks With Subtle Changes
The Nothing Phone (3a) measures 6.40 by 3.01 by 0.33 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.09 ounces, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is slightly larger at 6.43 by 3.05 by 0.35 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.37 ounces. While both are comfortable to hold, the (3a) Pro’s larger camera bump adds extra weight, making it slightly top-heavy in portrait mode.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and (3a) (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
Both devices feature 6.77-inch OLED displays with a 2,392-by-1,080-pixel resolution, an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits when playing HDR content. The selfie camera is centered at the top of the display, and an under-display fingerprint sensor handles security.
Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
Nothing keeps its clear design with exposed ribbon cables and screws on the rear of the two devices. The phones’ Glyph light system features three distinct zones surrounding each camera module, and they can act as a music visualizer, volume indicator, and notification system.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and (3a) (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
As I’ve said before, Nothing’s Glyph may be more fun than functional, but it’s a cool little addition that makes Nothing phones stand out from a sea of sameness. Nothing is aware that its design philosophy may not be for everyone, but that is something it owns.
The biggest external difference between the two models is the camera bump. The (3a) has a pill-shaped module that tapers away from the body, while the (3a) Pro features a large circular bump surrounded by aluminum.
For durability, both devices are IP64-rated, meaning both phones are dust-tight and resistant to water splashes from any direction. The back is now covered in Panda Glass, replacing the polycarbonate used on previous models. As for connectivity, both models support 5G (sub-6GHz and C-band), Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 6. The 3(a) Pro also supports eSIM, while the 3(a) does not.
The Essential Key: A Small But Useful Addition
Top to bottom: Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and (3a) (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
A new button called the Essential Key is located just below the power button on the right side of both models. It has a glossy finish to make it easy to distinguish by touch and look. A single tap captures a screenshot to which you can add notes. Holding down the button causes the phone to record a voice memo.
Essential Space (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
Tap the button twice and you are taken to the Essential Space, the app that houses those images and your voice memos with transcriptions. You can organize all your clips into collections. In the future, Essential Space will use AI to parse out and organize information from what you’ve captured. It is an interesting concept, but time will tell how useful it becomes.
The Essential Key’s placement takes some getting used to as it lives below the power/side button. Nothing smartly lets the power button itself launch Google Assistant or Gemini AI with a long press.
Performance: Snapdragon Brings a Boost
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
Both the (3a) and (3a) Pro run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. Compared with the Nothing Phone (2a), the new chip is 33% faster, while GPU performance is 11% better. The Phone 3(a) and 3(a) Pro are widely available with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
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Battery life also gets a bump. Both phones house 5,000mAh batteries and can charge at 50W wired. The company says with a compatible charger, the battery goes from 1% to 100% in 56 minutes.
Cameras: Big and Bold
Left to right: Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
The biggest difference between the (3a) and (3a) Pro lies in their camera hardware. The Nothing Phone (3a) features a 50MP main camera (f/1.88), an 8MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2), and a 50MP 2x telephoto lens (f/2.0). The selfie camera is 32MP (f/2.2), and video capture maxes out at 4K 30fps on the rear and 1080p 60fps on the front.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro (Credit: Alex Humphreys)
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro steps up its camera game with a 50MP main camera (f/1.88), an 8MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), and a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens (f/2.55). It supports 6x lossless zoom, 60x ultra zoom, and a dedicated macro mode. The selfie camera also gets an upgrade to 50MP, and both front and rear cameras support 4K at 30fps.
Both phones use Nothing’s TrueLens Engine 3.0, which should enhance low-light and HDR performance. We didn’t have a chance to take enough photos with the two phones to form an educated opinion, but image quality looks very good at first blush.
Nothing to Sneeze At?
To get either of these phones in the US, you must go through Nothing’s US Beta Program exclusively. We are going to put these phones through their paces to find out if these Nothing phones are really something. In the meantime, check out what else is going on at Mobile World Congress 2025, including Xiaomi’s new phone that brings Leica optics to a handset.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile Analyst
