Nothing kicks off its third generation of phones with the more affordable a-series and this time there are two of them out of the gate – a vanilla and a Pro model. The former is on sale as of this week, the latter will arrive in about a week’s time (it can be pre-ordered right now, though).
The Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro share most of their hardware. They use the same 6.77” 1080p+ display (120Hz, 10-bit, HDR10+), the same Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, same 5,000mAh battery with 50W wired-only charging, same IP64 rating (dust-tight, splash resistant) and same Glyph lights on the back. What sets them apart almost exclusively has to do with the camera systems on both phones.
Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro
The Nothing Phone (3a) is the cheaper of the two, selling for €330/£330/₹25,000 for the base 8/128GB model and €380/£380 for the 12/256GB variant. The 12/256GB model is also available in the US for $380. Meanwhile, India’s 256GB variant has 8GB of RAM instead and sells for ₹27,000. Note that the (3a) lacks an eSIM, the (3a) Pro has it in all regions except for India.
Nothing Phone (3a)
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro easily has the better camera setup. Starting with the main module, both have similarly-sized 50MP sensors and OIS, but only the Pro model has Dual Pixel autofocus. The selfie camera comparison is also in favor of the Pro, a 50MP sensor with 4K @ 30fps video support against a 32MP 1080p @ 30fps. The ultra-wide modules are the same on both – basic 8MP units (does anyone miss the 50MP UW cameras of previous models?).
Finally, the telephoto module. These are the first Nothing Phones to have telephoto lenses, a 50mm (2x) on the vanilla model and a 70mm periscope (3x) on the Pro, both with 50MP sensors inside. The periscope lens on the Pro is more advanced with OIS (which is important for tele lenses) and can focus at shorter distances (15cm vs. 25cm).
Nothing Phone (3a) • Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
In most markets, the (3a) Pro comes in only one configuration – 12/256GB available for €460/£450/$460/₹34,000. In India, there are two cheaper variants as well, 8/128GB for ₹30,000 and 8/256GB for ₹32,000.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
We have already reviewed the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, so check that out for more details. We also have the Nothing Phone (3a) in for review, that is coming up soon. But while we work on that, we wanted to know – will you be buying one of these two?
Let’s start with the Nothing Phone (3a) first. It offers the better value for money for all use cases not involving the camera. And its camera is pretty good too, just not as good as on the Pro.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro’s turn – it’s rare for mid-rangers to have telephoto cameras, especially 50MP 3x modules like the one here. And despite costing €100 more than its vanilla sibling (looking at models with the same memory), it’s still reasonably priced.