TECH/REVIEW | Nothing Quite like the Nothing Phone (3a)
So you’re looking for a more alternative phone that can reflect how edgy you are on the inside. Hey, I get it. Phones nowadays can look a tad bit indistinguishable, so it’s valid. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Let me introduce you to the Nothing Phone (3a).
Like a gift that keeps on giving, Nothing continues to make their phones better with significant hardware and software improvements. After the huge success of the Phone (1) and the (2a) series, the Phone (3a) series arrives with better cameras, intelligence, and style.
Are you ready to experience the essence of Nothing? Discover the power of your perspective with the Nothing Phone (3a) in this edition of VP Tech Review.
Build and Design
We’ve mentioned that the Nothing Phone (3a) is better, but how exactly is that? Let’s start with its iconic design. There’s just something about the see-through back design that would make heads turn and ask “What phone is that?”
At 201g the phone feels premium without feeling like you’re carrying a brick in your hand. The brand also switched the previous polycarbonate material to a full glass back making the phone look even more sophisticated.
With an IP64 rating, both phones from the (3a) series can withstand water spray from any direction. The high-grade tempered glass on both sides also protects the phone from accidental drops.
But the Glyph Interface truly feels like the main event for this design. A feature that makes you stand out and light up the room, literally! But more than the aesthetic, this Glyph interface also serves functions contributing to the overall user experience.
Aside from your usual messages and call rings, the Glyph Interface could also be set to reflect a timer, and your phone’s volume, even subtly displaying how near your Uber driver is.
Display
The Nothing Phone (3a) is a tall phone, with a large display. This 6.77” AMOLED 120Hz display display feels like it was designed specifically for streaming and gaming in mind. It’s immersive and brilliant with nice contrast and color payoff.
This display feels smooth and responsive, which I feel is what the brand truly prioritized. We’re not in the performance part of this review yet, but there’s no better way to describe this display other than smooth.
Furthermore, its display can reach up to 1300nits of brightness under direct sunlight, and up to 3000nits of brightness when viewing HDR content. With this brightness, there’s no need to squint your eyes or look for shade when using the phone.
Camera
The Nothing Phone (3a) sports a 50MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP front camera.
In a nutshell, photos taken using the Phone (3a)’s main camera were exceptional. With TrueLens Engine 3.0, every photo captured using the phone displayed superb quality with the perfect balance of highlights and shadows.
It doesn’t feel like the phone is overcompensating for anything, it just simply delivers in producing photos with nice colors and contrast that doesn’t feel low quality.
When I thought I knew what to expect, the Nothing Phone (3a) proved why I shouldn’t put it inside a box. It’s refined and elevated nothing quite like what you’d expect from a midrange phone.
Moreover, the 50MP telephoto also pulls through in taking shots up to 4x lossless zoom. Anything further than that uses AI clarity-enhancing algorithms that ensure your photos remain as sharp and detailed as possible no matter the distance.
Performance
In line with making phones better than their previous generation, Nothing has equipped the Phone (3a) with the Snapdragon 7s Gen3, turbo-charged by Nothing OS optimizations.
I know it’s not a new chip, but it works. Again, it feels like the brand focused on making the phone as smooth as possible and they successfully did that. From opening multiple apps in the background and switching from one app to another, the phone responds quickly and without delay.
This optimized 7s Gen 3 also allows games to run faster and last longer. In fact, the Nothing Phone 3a has become my go-to gaming phone these past few weeks because of how smoothly and consistently it performs.
With up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, you’ll also have a field day storing all essential parts of your life in this phone. And with 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security patches, you won’t need to worry about upgrading for quite a long time.
Furthermore, it runs on Nothing OS 3.1 powered by Android 15, which feels like a breath of fresh air. It will take some time to get used to the monochromatic theme, but it’s sleek so that’s all that matters.
Oh and one more thing, it has the Essential Space + Key which can make your life easier.
Essential Space
Aiming to make proper use of AI, Nothing introduces the Essential Space and Essential Key. As someone working in the creative field, my thoughts and ideas can be found in different apps on my phone. Screenshots, notes, voice recordings, and reminders, that sometimes get lost in the deluge of information I have to go through.
With Essential Spce, Nothing wants to make one AI-powered hub where all your ideas and moments can be found. Found just below the power button, the essential space key is the button you want to press if you suddenly have something you want to note.
Say you’re scrolling on Shopee and you see a vest you want to purchase, hold the essential space key and it will automatically start a voice recording where you can take note of why or when you need this purchase.
Instead of screenshots rotting in your gallery, Essential Space puts everything in one hub which you can revisit to find and remind yourself of the thing you want to do throughout your day.
Battery and Charging
The Nothing Phone (3a) boasts a 5000mAh battery, paired with 50W fast charging. Still, in line with making the Phone (3a) series better than previous generations, this battery is the largest Nothing battery capacity to date.
As go-getters, there’s little to no downtime in our lifestyles. With the Nothing Phone (3a) you can reach 1% to 100% in as fast as 56 minutes which comes in handy for both your busy days and lazy days when you want to splurge on gaming.
Overall Thoughts
When considering this phone, it’s important to consider its price. Only then will you realize how good of a phone the Nothing Phone (3a) is. With great cameras, a durable battery, and a smooth performance, this phone feels like a flagship in terms of its overall user experience.
Yes, it does make you look edgy, but at its core, it’s a phone that gives power. A phone that powers your perspective through a smooth performance and exceptional experience.
I‘m also really excited to know where Nothing is taking the Essential Space idea in the future. It’s a great way of redefining how AI should be integrated into phones. A convenient way of using AI to make our lives easier and organize our tasks, like a true AI companion should.
Priced at PHP 19,990 for the 8+128GB variant and PHP 22,490 for the 12+256GB variant, you can now purchase the Nothing Phone (3a) at selected Digital Walker and open_source by Beyond the Box stores. You can also purchase it online through Digital Walker’s official website as well as Nothing PH’s official Shopee Mall.
