Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review: a flagship trio of cameras, but without the flagship price

Founded only five years ago, Nothing has very quickly made a name for itself by delivering uniquely designed, minimalist tech products that stand out in a saturated market.

The London-based company gained early recognition with the Nothing Phone (1), which was notable for its transparent aesthetic and intuitive Glyph Interface, before following up with the Phone (2) and Phone (2a), which stuck to the same design aesthetic but refined the formula, offering improved performance, software, and camera capabilities.

Now, the Nothing (3a) Pro aims to take the company’s vision one step further, introducing a periscope-style telephoto camera, a rarity on a phone in this price bracket, as well as a larger AMOLED display, AI-driven optimizations, and a more powerful Snapdragon processor, all while staying true to the brand’s commitment to affordability.

The Phone (3a) Pro is designed for users who want a unique, feature-rich smartphone without the premium flagship price tag. But does it deliver on its promises?

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Specifications

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Price

Coming with a high-quality screen, decent processing, triple camera setup (including a periscope lens), and standout design you’d expect a more flagship price tag – yet at a very competitive $459 / £449 – I think the Nothing (3a) Pro offers one of the best value for money phones right now.

However, it's not a straightforward decision, as some tough competition makes it a very close-run thing. The Google Pixel 8a is my current reigning champion for the best value cameras, and while the extra periscope telephoto on the Nothing phone clinches it for hardware, I prefer the processing and AI editing tools on Google’s device. And with the Pixel 9a just around the corner, there might be some even hotter competition soon.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Design & Handling

Nothing’s signature is its design. The Nothing 3a Pro unmistakably fits into that language, but this time out, it's a more refined version of the brand's unique style than we have seen before. Of course, there are still Nothing elements like the transparent back panel, but this time it is made of glass rather than polycarbonate, the metallic parts underneath are a little more eye-catching, and the phone now sports an IP64 rating for water and dust resistance. The brand's Glyph lighting system for notifications and alerts is still present, but now it fits a little better around the camera bump design.

The new camera design is the most immediately noticeable change to the design, with the cameras moving from a Pixel camera bar-esque hump to a larger circular camera island. While it's a shame to see another brand opt for the big circle design, Nothing has at least put its spin on it with an asymmetrical layout with the wide camera and flash moving off-center at the top. It sounds odd but does look good, and this off-center design also has the benefit of enabling your finger to slip over the bottom of the camera bump without blocking any of the lenses (or leaving smudgy fingerprints).

There is also a new button on the side. The button has a slightly different finish to the power button and volume buttons, which immediately lets you know it's special. When the phone first arrived, I was really hoping this was a two-stage shutter button for the camera, but disappointingly it's not. Instead, this is a new physical way to access Nothing’s new Essential Space – but more on exactly what that is later.

The downside is though that this button can only be used for the Essential Space, which if you end up loving Essential Space then great, but if you don't then it is an otherwise redundant button (that you will almost certainly accidently press a lot).

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The Nothing designers have themselves admitted that the design divides opinion. Some of you out there will absolutely hate the look of this phone, and that's fine, but plaudits must go to Nothing for daring to be different in a sea too similar to separate phone design.

But I for one really like the design, I think it looks cool, and sophisticated but also a little fun. Plus it reminds me of the translucent Playstation controllers I loved as a kid. But of course, if you decide to put the phone in a case, then none of this matters anyway.

Screen

The screen is a large 6.77-inch AMOLED panel and comes with a factory-applied screen protector fitted. The screen doesn't have class-leading specs at a respectable 1080 x 2392 (387 PPI) resolution, but it's a nicely sharp and colorful display to use. There are two color tuning options – I found ‘Standard’ gives a pretty accurate representation of scenes in photos and video although errs slightly on the dull side. There is also ‘Alive’ for a little more saturation, which is nicely controlled and I think my preference day-to-day.

The screen has a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate so scrolling is nice and smooth and I didn't see any major jittering in use or through the camera viewfinder, although I can't attest to how this holds up in high-intensity gameplay. The screen manages an impressive 1300 nits of peak outdoor brightness and 800 nits typical, which is solid for outdoor use, and I found the screen easy to read, although the screen finish is a little more reflective than others.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Camera Performance

The Nothing 3a Pro's cameras are good performers and are a step up from the Nothing 2a, with larger sensors offering more detail, and performing better in low light. The (3a) Pro handles contrast and HDR much better than the previous model, controlling highlights for a more even picture.

The (3a) Pro can also use Nothing's new processing to auto-tone images, which I found offered much more pleasing tones and colors, with the non-toned photos being more flat.

There are also a lot of options to make your own presets using different focal lengths, which can be quickly accessed from the bottom of the screen. There are a few programmed in already including soft portrait, and my favorite which was a black and white filter with a tighter focal length. If you have favorite LUTs, you can also save these to the Phone (3a) to tone your images.

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As one of the only phones launching at this price with a periscope camera, this already has a head start on the market with the only true competition coming from older discounted models. Other would-be rivals including the Google Pixel 8a, Samsung A56, and iPhone 16e miss out on a telephoto altogether.

The 50MP telephoto sensor has a 3x zoom, equivalent to a 70mm focal length, with up to 6x (140mm) pixel-bin crop – and I am so happy Nothing included this lens, not just because I am a telephoto fan, but this periscope camera is actually the best lens on the phone with the great sharpness and the most consistency out of all the lenses. The sensor also performs really well in low light, even at 6x details were still clear.

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Above: Nothing AI-assisted super zoom in action

The lens also has an AI-enhanced zoom up to 60x, which is acceptable, but like all these superzooms, it looks a little too processed to pass unnoticed. In a pinch, it is definitely usable but I wouldn't rely on it.

The telephoto also handles macro photography, which – listen up Apple and Google – is the correct focal length for macro. The macro shots are excellent, you can get very close, especially with the 6x crop, which still keeps plenty of detail, and with the extended focal length has a nice falloff to the focus.

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Above: The Nothing (3a) Pro telemacro

When it comes to the wide and ultra-wide cameras – both are good but just a few too many inconsistencies stopped me from falling in love with them. In its price bracket, I don't think the cameras can't quite match up to the very best.

When conditions for shots were just right, photos were great, and the main camera in particular captured a good amount of detail, although did have a tendency to overcompensate on the sharpening. Low light performance was solid, with the camera picking up a good amount of detail in my food in a very dimly lit tapas restaurant.

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Above: low light shots

What let the Phone (3a) down most is its image processing was just a little too inconsistent, when taking photos I was never entirely sure exactly what I was going to get. Photo processing on the (3a) Pro sometimes felt a little bit like a pot-luck, with the phone often being a bit heavy-handed with the HDR and contrast, colors could completely change between images or lenses. You can see below some examples, the first shot shows just two slightly different angles of the same subject which creates a different white balance and overall feel of the image. The other shots demonstrate some inconsistencies between color and white balance between the cameras.

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Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Phone Performance

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, combined with 12GB RAM makes the Nothing 3a Pro pretty nippy for everyday use, opening or flicking through apps is instantaneous, and larger files are quick to open. However, put too much load on it and you can slow it down.

Image processing from the camera, especially in more heavily HDR scenes, could take a few seconds to process the final image. It's not a huge deal, but occasionally I was left rooted to the spot while they rendered before moving on. Although if it's a trade-off of speed versus quality then I guess I'll settle for slower processing.

The 5,000mAh battery put in a solid performance, lasting through a day of replying to emails and Slacks, typing up work on Docs, listening to music on Spotify, and an episode or two of shows on Netflix during my commute. The battery is not as large or efficient as the top flagships, but it's a stellar performer.

Nothing is also launching the latest version of Nothing OS alongside the 3a Series. As I'm usually a Pixel user, I feel right at home with Nothing OS as this is perhaps the closest to Google's stock Android vision outside of a Pixel. But there are some Nothing design flares added on top, with the Nothing sans serif font dotted around and the Nothing launcher offering some minimalist widgets and simplified home screen icons. Overall it's simple to use, but I wouldn't mind if Nothing went even further with fonts or symbols throughout to stand out a little more.

The Nothing 3a Series does add something brand new to Nothing OS though – Essential Space. This is Nothing’s hot take on AI, with the space meant to be a place to collect screenshots and voice notes that can then be organized and analyzed. Other phone brands have similar features, Google has a very similar project with its Screenshots app on Pixel phones, but no one is putting the feature as front and center as Nothing.

Right now, I'm more intrigued by the potential than its current form, as I'd like to see where Nothing takes the app with further updates. I take a lot of screenshots of products I might want to buy, outfits I like, photography that inspires me, and stories I might want to write about – with other brands using screenshots in almost the same way, I wonder is the Essential Key, well, essential. It'll take a while to train myself to add these using the Essentials Key rather than just a screenshot.

What the Essential Key does have over others and it also adds the option to add instant voice notes, but I'm looking forward to more ways to interact with the space and the AI to be able to pull more useful insights out of my data.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Verdict

In the crowded and highly competitive mid-range smartphone market, standing out is no small challenge. However, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro pulls it off with a bold, distinctive design that feels refreshingly different – though its unconventional look may not be for everyone. What truly sets it apart is its triple-camera setup, featuring a periscope telephoto lens – an unexpected addition at this price point. Beyond its design and camera system, the Phone (3a) Pro delivers solid value with reliable performance, a long-lasting battery, and a high-quality display. That said, while the camera system offers impressive versatility, inconsistencies in image processing hold it back from being truly exceptional. Even so, for those looking for a mid-range phone that dares to be different, this one is hard to ignore.

Alternatives

Google Pixel 8a
This is my top-rated camera phone for value, with The best of Google's excellent camera processing in its high-quality main lens as well as top AI editing tools. However, the Pixel 8a super-zoom can't compete with the Nothing 3a Pro’s periscope telephoto camera. Read the full Google Pixel 8a review…