We were so excited at the first chance to check out the Nothing Phone series. Their phones look innovative yet minimalist, simple but still futuristic. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with it before putting out a review. I couldn’t wait to check out the Glyph Interface. Let’s remember it’s a budget phone, so I had to set my expectations. I had a great time using it.
DESIGN AND BUILD
Okay, let’s start with the obvious: the aesthetics. Nothing’s entire brand identity is built around transparency and that iconic Glyph Interface. The Nothing 3a Pro delivers on all counts. It’s a conversation starter. It’s got that signature look that makes passersby do a double-take. You pull this out in a crowded coffee shop, and someone’s bound to ask, “Is that… what is that?”. It happened to me a few times.
You have your 6.7- inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. 50MP selfie camera. Powering it you have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip and 12GB RAM. The back of the phone houses a round three-camera bump. It has the 50MP main, 50MP telephoto, and 8MP ultra-wide.
In terms of build quality, for a device that slots into the “Pro” category, especially at its more budget-friendly price point, it feels remarkably solid. The frame, the back panel, it all feels thoughtfully put together. It’s not as solid as a $1000+ flagship? But it’s got a pleasing heft, a certain satisfying density that belies its cost. It feels premium enough, which is a huge win in this segment. You likely won’t think its super expensive, but it certainly doesn’t feel cheap.
DAY TO DAY EXPERIENCE WITH THE NOTHING PHONE (3A) PRO
I was lucky enough to take the phone on a couple of trips with me to get the full experience. Nice display to stream a few episodes, play some games and a chance to test out the camera. This phone is about having a stylish, efficient phone at an affordable price. It delivered as expected. Nothing OS, their custom Android skin, continues to be an absolute breath of fresh air in a world saturated with clunky, bloatware-laden interfaces. It’s clean and fast. Like, shockingly fast for a phone in this category.
DISPLAY AND PERFORMANCE
The phones display is great for this price point. I’ve always enjoyed large displays. This one is bright and fluid. As for style and comfort, the Phone 3a Pro sits comfortably in the palm, and reaching the power and volume buttons isn’t a huge stretch routine. The rounded edges feel good against your fingers. The screen bezels are fairly slim and symmetrical, which adds to the overall clean, sophisticated aesthetic. It’s clear Nothing definitely put effort into making this phone feel good in the hand, not just the specs.
Performance is decent on this phone. The overall user experience feels polished and intentional. There’s no bloatware or unnecessary apps trying to sell you something or drain your battery in the background. Just pure Android, with a tasteful, minimalist Nothing overlay.
The animations are fluid, never jarring, and switching between apps is a breeze, scrolling through endless feeds is mostly smooth, and even when I had multiple apps open, including my usual rotation of social media, email, music streaming, and a few light games, the phone handled it like a champ.
On a few six plus hour flights I was able to use the phone to watch a movie and a couple of shows. Battery life was great for this.
GLYPH INTERFACE ON THE NOTHING PHONE (3A) PRO
Let’s talk about the standout feature, the Glyph Interface on the back of the phone. You can customize the Glyph Interface light patterns for notifications, charging and timer. It’s a step up from the notification LED lights from a while back. I find the interface genuinely useful and stylish. While some may find it gimmicky, I think it actually enhances the user experience. Plus, it looks awesome on a nightstand. It still startles me sometimes.
CAMERAS ON THE NOTHING PHONE (3A) PRO
This isn’t going to dethrone the reigning champions of smartphone photography. However, for your everyday needs capturing that perfectly plated brunch dish, snapping a quick pic of your pet doing something ridiculous, or documenting a night out with friends it’s more than capable. The main sensor captures decent detail and color accuracy in good lighting. It missed a few times with dynamic range. I do wish there was a bit more color saturation.
When it comes to low light pictures, it kind of struggles, as most phones in this price range do. But the dedicated night mode does a respectable job of pulling in more light and detail, even if it introduces a bit of noise.
The ultrawide is always fun to use, though the quality dips slightly compared to the main sensor. Selfies are clear enough for your Instagram stories, not too detailed and video recording is perfectly adequate for casual use but not sure if you’d use for more than that. Nothing’s camera software keeps things simple. No overwhelming modes or complicated settings just point and shoot, and usually, you’ll get a usable, shareable photo.
BATTERY LIFE ON THE NOTHING PHONE (3A) PRO
Battery life on the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is reliable. With this phone, you can comfortably make it through a full, demanding day of use. My typical day involves hours of streaming music, a good chunk of social media scrolling, answering emails, and light mobile gaming. For screen-on time, it was usually averaging around 6-7 hours, sometimes more if I was careful.
For light phone users, someone who primarily uses their phone for calls, texts, and occasional browsing, this could easily be stretched comfortably. It’s more than sufficient for the vast majority of users. You can leave the house without “charger anxiety,” which is great when traveling light.
When it does come time to charge, the wired charging is reasonably quick. 50W wired charging is helpful. However it only comes with the cable and not the charging block.
VERDICT
If you’re into heavy mobile gaming or extreme mobile photography, this phone might not be the one for you. This isn’t a bad phone at all, but you may experience some gaming lag. This phone is for the casual user. While you won’t find it in carrier stores in the states, you can order it from the Nothing website and Amazon.
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is well balanced device for the price point. It delivers both inside and out from the clean Nothing OS to the good build quality. Add a nearly full day of use and mostly reliable performance and you have a winner mid-range phone ($459).
Nothing Phone 3a Pro
$459
Pros
- Glyph Interface is unique
- Long battery life
- Solid build
Cons
- Purchase availability is limited
