After teasing for over a month, the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro are now officially revealed. These are Nothing’s mid-range smartphones which are not just better built, but they are also the brand’s first ever smartphones to come with a telephoto camera.
On paper, both Nothing phones are identical except for its camera array but the Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro are distinctively different based on the camera bump design.
What’s new with the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro?
For its new mid-range lineup for 2025, Nothing is stepping up with the use of upgraded materials. It still retains its signature semi-transparent design along with Glyph interface which doubles as notification lights.
Instead of having plastic frame and plastic back panel like the previous Nothing Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus, the new Phone (3a) series now use aluminium and glass for a more premium feel and improved durability. Both the (3a) and (3a) Plus also offer a slightly higher IP64 rating (Previous: IP54) for dust and splash resistance.
The easiest way to differentiate the two phones is by looking at the respective camera bumps. The standard Nothing Phone (3a) looks like last year’s Phone (2a) but with a horizontal triple-camera array which looks inspired by the Google Pixel 9 series. However, the Phone (3a) Pro gets a distinctive protruding round camera bump with each individual lenses laid out asymmetrically.
In terms of displays, both models feature a 6.77″ Full HD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel which boasts a peak brightness of 3000 nits. It boasts a 1000Hz touch sampling rate along with a 2160Hz PWM dimming rate.
Ditching MediaTek, the new Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro are now running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 5G platform which is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. To keep things cool while gaming, the new devices feature a large 4,500mm² steel vapour chamber which is designed to reduce temperature by up to 25%.
In the camera department, the Nothing Phone (3a) features a 50MP main camera with 1/1.57″ sensor and OIS, and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 1/4″ sensor. The third lens is a 50MP telephoto camera with a 1/2.75″ sensor that offers 2x optical zoom (4x in-sensor zoom) and it can push up to 30x Ultra zoom. For selfies, it comes with a 32MP front camera that uses a 1/3.44″ sensor.
Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro also gets a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.57″ sensor and OIS, along with an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 1/4″ sensor. However, the standout feature is the 50MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that uses a larger 1/1.95″ Sony sensor. The telephoto shooter offers 3x optical zoom (6x lossless zoom) that can push up to 60x Ultra Zoom.
The selfie camera is also better on the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, with a 50MP front camera that uses a larger 1/2.76″ sensor.
As teased earlier, one of the new additions is a new physical button that’s called Essential Key. Instead of triggering AI assistant like Google Gemini, the new button is meant for Essential Space, which is a place to help users to capture content, inspiration and thoughts when required.
According to Nothing, a simple press of the Essential Key will capture content on the screen, while long pressing the key will allow you to record your voice, ideas and inspirations on the go. Double pressing the button will bring you straight to Essential Space, which is a repository that keeps everything that’s important to you and it is organised with AI.
Keeping the lights on is a 5,000mAh battery for both models which is similar to its predecessor. According to Nothing, it can last up to 26 hours of YouTube playback and 11 hours of PUBG gaming. It claims that the battery is able to hold over 90% of its maximum capacity after 1,200 charge cycles.
The device supports 50W fast wired charging via USB-C, but there’s still no wireless charging support.
Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro Pricing
As revealed during the announcement, the Phone (3a) is priced at USD 379 (about RM1,692) for the 8GB + 128GB variant while the Phone (3a) Pro is priced at USD 459 (about RM2,050) for the 12GB + 256GB configuration.
So far there’s no pricing and availability details for the Nothing Phone (3a) series in Malaysia but we reckon that more information will be revealed in the next couple of days. Looking at the official product pages in Malaysia, it appears that we are getting a single 12GB RAM + 256GB storage option for both models.
The Nothing Phone (3a) comes in 3 colours – Black, White and Blue, while the Pro version is offered in Grey and Black.
