Value has been at the top of my mind the past few weeks. After reviewing the $599 iPhone 16e, I jumped into Nothing's new budget series, the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro. Starting at $379 and $459, they're a perfect demonstration of value—something the new iPhone struggles with. Not only are these two Android devices exemplary in performance, battery life, cameras, and display, but they're also visually distinct with a stylish and slick interface that's hard not to love.
There are a few caveats. Nothing is still selling its new Phone (3a) series via a beta program in the US. Once you sign up, you'll be able to purchase the phones. It's how the company has been selling prior models, but it feels unnecessary. This may partly be because it's not confident in its connectivity story. While the phones should work on T-Mobile just fine—I've been testing them on Google Fi with no problems—they'll only work on 4G with AT&T and Verizon. To enable 5G, you'll need to call your carrier and ask them to whitelist the devices. This may not be simple (nothing ever is with a carrier). AT&T immediately shut off my cellular when I tried to switch between a Samsung phone and the Phone (3a), hence why I moved over to Fi.
If you can figure the cellular situation out, and it's time for you to upgrade your phone, then it's worth considering Nothing's latest. They're well-rounded handsets with personality, and they won't drain your wallet. The Phone (3a) is available today and ships March 11, whereas the (3a) Pro will go on sale March 11 and ships on March 25.
Distinct Duo
The Phone (3a) maintains the design aesthetic of previous Nothing phones, though it's striking in the new blue color. Disappointingly, this color is not available in the US. We can't have nice things. The Phone (3a) Pro changes things up for a thick circular camera module that houses a periscope telephoto camera alongside the main and ultrawide. A triple-camera system is a rarity on a sub-$500 phone here in the States, but we'll get to that later. The cameras are where they differ—everything else about these phones is identical.
Both look great—smudges on the glass backs are rarely noticeable, and they don't collect as much dust around the camera lenses, unlike many other smartphones. However, the big round module on the Pro feels excessive for a 3X optical zoom. The phone feels top-heavy, unbalanced, and dare I say the Phone (3a) just looks downright more attractive (it could just be the blue).
I won't spend much time on what works—the display is nice and sharp, plenty bright, and is equipped with a 120-Hz refresh rate for fluid responsiveness as you scroll. The 5,000-mAh battery has been a champion. I've been using these phones at Mobile World Congress, a tech trade show in Barcelona, which means lots of GPS navigation, hotspotting, messaging, emails, and snapping pics in this beautiful, gothic city. I have never felt battery anxiety. They're well equipped to last a full day with heavy use, though they likely won't go into a second day without a top-up.
I've not had many issues with performance. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 inside feels snappy almost everywhere. In the camera app, you may see some stutters or shutter lag, and that's the only area where I felt that this phone was equipped with a midrange processor. In all other respects, it feels just as powerful as a flagship, though intensive games like Genshin Impact may not offer the highest graphics fidelity.
I'm glad to see Nothing stuff 256 GB of storage in here—it's high time phone manufacturers started making this the default. Nothing has also beefed up the software update policy with three Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates, which is respectable, though Samsung is promising 6 years total for both on its new Galaxy A series phones. Nothing will argue that Samsung is a megacorp while it is a lowly startup. Fair. I'm just glad to see these companies increasing software support every year.
My only complaints are the lack of an IP68 rating and wireless charging. Motorola just debuted its budget Moto G Power of 2025 a few weeks ago, and it sports an IP68 rating for the first time, not to mention it can wirelessly charge. The IP64 rating on the Nothing phones means they will be fine in the rain, but you can't submerge them underwater, so be careful around the pool. It's hard to ding the company too harshly for wireless charging as it's still not too common on sub-$500 phones, but that certainly seems to be changing. Something to consider for the Phone (4a).
The Glyph lights remain on the back. I still like these LEDs—they can light up to music, notifications, show the remaining time left on a timer, and more. Do I find them tremendously useful? No, but they're a fun touch that add a bit of levity. It's a conversation starter.
Thoughtful AI Touches
There is a new button on the Phone (3a) series: the Essential Key. (Of no relation to the infamous Essential Phone.) Tap it once, and it will capture your screen and let you add a voice or text note to it. This will be analyzed in the Essential Space app via artificial intelligence, extracting any useful information out of the screenshot. It's similar to Google's Pixel Screenshots app, except you can infuse your notes. You can also press and hold the button to record a voice note—these are analyzed and stored as memories, so you can come back to them later. If it detects you wanted to act on something, it'll generate a task. A double-tap of the button opens the Essential Space app.
Compared to how every other smartphone maker seems to be shoving the same generic AI features down our throats—AI transcribing! Writing tools! Summaries!—Nothing's approach here is at least different. Initially, it took me some time to start using the feature. I ended up accidentally pressing the button a few too many times because it's close to the power button (a textured button would've been smart). But now I'm slowly starting to press it down and record a quick voice note of something I want to remember or accomplish later on.
These memories are transcribed, summarized, with tasks created on my behalf if that's what I wanted. I can also play my audio clip and hear myself directly. This is paired with an Essential Space widget, which is crucial in reminding me about these tasks and memories.
This is Nothing's first real AI rodeo, and I had some qualms about the security and privacy of all these personal notes I'm creating, so here are some answers: Nothing says most of the data in Essential Space is stored on your device, like the audio data that's converted to text. For the text and screenshot processing, this data is sent to Nothing's servers (in France for global users, India for Indian users) and subsequently deleted. Some other data is also uploaded to “improve processing accuracy,” like time, time zone, and location data, though this isn't stored. Nothing says this data is not used for advertising and is not shared with third parties “beyond the scope of the service request.” That last bit refers to the third-party companies Nothing works with to enable Nothing AI's functionality, though the company declined to share exactly who its partners are.
It's taken some time, but I've been starting to use the Essential Key like how a detective uses a voice recorder. The AI-extrapolated data isn't always right nor is it well-presented—some tasks get cut off and I can't read the whole thing. But it's at the very least something I find useful in a small way, and that's more than I can say for most AI features on a smartphone. It's unfortunate that if you don't care for it, there's no way to remap this button. You can disable the app, but that's it.
It's taken some time, but I've been starting to use the Essential Key like how a detective uses a voice recorder. The AI-extrapolated data isn't always right nor is it well-presented—some tasks get cut off and I can't read the whole thing. But it's at the very least something I find useful in a small way, and that's more than I can say for most AI features on a smartphone. It's unfortunate that if you don't care for it, there's no way to remap this button. You can disable the app, but that's it.
Camera Trio
Most cheap phones have a main camera and an ultrawide. Usually, the ultrawide camera is not very good, so you'd rarely use it. Here, you get three cameras, and all of them are worthwhile. I should note that while the main camera may seem identical between both phones, the Pro model has a different sensor with larger pixels, so it can take in more light and will fare a bit better in low-light conditions. This is noticeable when you look closely at the images—the (3a) Pro offers more definition and detail in nighttime photos, though it's a small upgrade.
There are some small issues with these cameras. Incorrect white balance can cause colors to look off in some scenes. They crush shadows and present flatter images, though they do an OK job with dynamic range. Worst is that you need to stay still because there's sometimes shutter lag, which can induce blurry images.
As someone who loves telephoto cameras, I love using the zoom lenses on these phones. Nothing offers higher levels of AI-enhanced digital zoom, up to 6X on the Pro, but the quality isn't great, so I recommend not bothering and just sticking with optical quality. Overall, I've thoroughly enjoyed using these cameras over the past week. I never found them so lacking or slow that I didn't want to use them, and that's a great sign of a reliable and versatile system.
The last hallmark of these phones is the software itself. Nothing's phones run Android, but the company's Nothing OS layer on top is just different from every other Android phone. There are still some quirks—I've found it hard to figure out my battery usage because it won't give me a proper screen-on time number. Also, home screen management is lackluster. When I set it up, all my apps were installed on the home screen, and I had to manually remove each icon as there's no way to simply remove a page.
These quibbles aside, the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro remain some of the best value you'll find in a smartphone. Your other options are the upcoming Google Pixel 9A, a discounted Galaxy S24 FE, or a Moto G Power 2025. One thing's for sure—those phones don't look anything like Nothing's.
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