Nothing Phone 3a, 3a Pro Review: Clever Engineering? Or Sly Marketing?

Let’s be real: most budget phones feel like settling. They are the tech equivalent of lukewarm coffee: acceptable, forgettable and functional. Enter the Nothing Phone 3a and the Phone 3a Pro, two devices that stand out in the sea of generic slabs, at least in the design department. The Nothing Phone 3a Pro continues the trend with its signature transparent aesthetic, clean software experience and promise of delivering a flagship-like feel without the flagship price.

But does it live up to the hype? With a mix of bold design choices, refined hardware, and a few inevitable compromises, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro raises an important question—how much of "Pro" is actually necessary?

This isn’t just another phone review. It’s a reality check. Can a device this bold really be your daily driver? Let’s find out.

DESIGN

Design is Nothing’s biggest differentiator and it still turns heads in 2025. When I first pulled out the Nothing Phone 3a Pro in front of friends and family, their reaction was the same as everyone else’s—"Yeh konsa phone hai?" (What phone is this?)

Even three years after launching its first device, Nothing’s transparent-back design remains a conversation starter. Everyone who saw the phone thought it looked and felt premium, and they were even more shocked when they heard the price. (More on that later.)

You get the same transparent back philosophy with exposed-looking internals—though let’s be clear, they’re fake.

Nothing often draws comparisons to Apple, and in terms of design, there’s definitely a resemblance. The Phone 3a Pro features a boxy frame with rounded corners, and while it looks great, the width of the phone makes it slightly uncomfortable to hold, especially for one-handed use. Coming from a OnePlus 11R, I’m used to large displays but even I found myself doing some finger gymnastics.

At 211g, the weight doesn’t help either—it’s on the heavier side.

And then there’s the massive camera bump, which is both a design statement and a practical addition. It’s recognisable from a distance and makes the phone stand out.

DISPLAY

On paper, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro doesn’t have a significantly different display from the standard Phone 3a.

You get a 6.77-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also a dynamic refresh rate setting that adjusts between 30Hz and 120Hz to save battery.

Brightness has been improved this year. You get 800 nits of typical brightness, 1300 nits in high brightness mode and 3000 nits of peak brightness in HDR mode. And I’m happy to report that even in the harsh sunlight that Delhi's spring has to bestow upon us, the screen remains legible outdoors—always a good sign.

The AMOLED panel delivers vibrant colours, and whether you're watching content on Netflix or YouTube, the experience is immersive. The thin bezels and punch-hole camera further enhance the viewing experience.

For the spec nerds out there, this is a 10-bit display. But honestly, can you spot the difference between 8-bit and 10-bit? I challenge you to try.

Now, let’s talk about the speakers. On paper, the dual stereo setup should complement the display, but in reality, they disappoint. The bottom speaker is significantly louder than the top one—an 80:20 imbalance. Block the bottom speaker by accident and good luck hearing anything.

PERFORMANCE

Under the hood, both the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro run on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a mid-range chipset from Qualcomm. Our unit came with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and overall, performance is smooth.

For day-to-day tasks like browsing, social media, and video streaming, the phone is buttery smooth. Even multitasking feels effortless, with fluid animations and no noticeable slowdowns.

However, during my office commute, while switching between WhatsApp and Google Maps, I noticed occasional lags. It wasn’t a dealbreaker but worth mentioning.

Now, let’s talk software. This was my first time using Nothing OS, and honestly, it’s refreshing—especially considering how OnePlus’s software has gone downhill. The monochrome theme, minimal UI, and widgets feel polished.

Both phones come with Android 15 out of the box, with three years of Android updates and six years of security patches promised. That’s decent, but compared to Samsung and Google promising six years of OS updates, Nothing needs to step up its game.

CAMERA

Both the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro share the same 50-megapixel Samsung main sensor (with OIS and EIS) and an 8-megapixel Sony ultra-wide sensor. However, the Phone 3a Pro adds a 50-megapixel Sony periscope lens with 3x optical zoom (up to 60x digital zoom).

For selfies, the 3a gets a 32-megapixel sensor while the Pro gets a 50-megapixel shooter capable of 4K recording.

Now, onto image quality. The main sensor produces sharp details, vibrant colours, and is great in daylight. The ultra-wide is decent but lacks clarity. The colour consistency between main and ultra-wide cameras isn’t perfect.

The periscope camera on the Phone 3a Pro is good. The 3x optical zoom is sharp and detailed, holding up well until 6x zoom. Beyond that, image quality takes a hit.

Here are some camera samples for you to decide. 

For high-resolution images, you can check out this Google drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12zBgzua5s5AxSLokK3Dxk0aUaeAH0Hg6?usp=sharing

BATTERY

Both phones pack a 5,000mAh battery with 50W wired charging—but yes, you’ll need to buy the charger separately.

Battery life is solid. Heavy users can get almost a full day without plugging in and casual users can get more than a day. So, no complaints here.

Are there any other complaints?

As a OnePlus 11R user, transferring my data to the Nothing Phone 3a Pro was a nightmare. The OnePlus Clone app kept crashing, Samsung's Smart Switch failed, and even Google Drive backups didn’t work. This has never happened with any other device I’ve tested.

Also, the call quality isn’t great. I experienced cellular connectivity issues, and the speaker volume is disappointingly low—frustrating in noisy environments. Nothing really needs to fix these basic things.

VERDICT

The sub-INR 30,000 segment in India is highly competitive. There are smartphones such as the OnePlus 12R, which for approximately INR 32,000 offers a better processor and faster charging. You can consider the newly launched iQOO Neo 10R, which also has the same benefits as the latter for a similar price.

But the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro offer nicer design and good cameras. At INR 24,999 for the Phone 3a and INR 29,999 for the Pro, I’d personally pick the standard Phone 3a. It’s essentially the same phone, minus the zoom camera, and cheaper.

However, if performance and reliability matter more, OnePlus or iQOO might be the better choice.

What would you choose? Let me know in the comments.

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