Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Review: You Can’t Judge Something Only by Its Looks… Not Even This Nothing Phone

Few manufacturers can achieve clear recognition and positioning in the highly competitive smartphone market within just four years.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro represents a significant milestone for the brand. It doesn’t aim to be a mere supporting player. Instead, it enters the market with a strong emphasis on its iconic design and unique interface. The phone makes a bold statement with its impressive camera, compelling performance, and distinctive ability to stand out–a feat that few current smartphones can achieve.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Specs

Pure Nothing Phone Design

Nothing has strategically positioned itself in a crowded market where gaining traction is challenging, both in terms of sales and word-of-mouth relevance. The company found success with the Nothing Phone (1), a unique transparent phone that got a lot of hype.

Three years and several devices later, Nothing claims to have sold more than one million units. On March 4, the company unveiled the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, which follows the same strategy that emphasizes its distinctive exterior design.

Its partially transparent rear casing immediately captures the user’s attention. However, there are noteworthy improvements in design, particularly regarding the phone’s build quality and the materials used.

The back of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is now made of glass instead of plastic, though it doesn’t feel like it to the touch. Additionally, the frame is constructed from 100% recycled aluminum, providing a perfect fit for both the back and the screen. The device also boasts an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance.

There are a few significant changes in terms of physical dimensions. The device is still big, measuring more than 16 cm in height and 7.7 cm in width. Being 8.39 mm thick and weighing 211 grams, it strikes a good balance for this type of device.

The result is visually appealing, comfortable to hold, and practical. Nothing’s latest phone feels good in hand, isn’t overly slippery, and does a good job of resisting fingerprints and dirt.

However, what stands out in this generation isn’t the transparent design of the back, but rather the large triple camera module. Its size and thickness are quite noticeable, making it overly protruding.

While I can appreciate the camera module’s aesthetically pleasing look, I find it impractical. It’s so large that when I pick up the phone the way I usually do–resting my index finger on the back–I often end up touching the bottom of the camera module. This issue isn’t unique to me. Many have reported the same problem when I’ve let them try the phone.

I found the camera module annoying when using the device. It forced me to modify how I hold my phone, something I’ve done the same way for years. As a result, I ended up leaving my index finger resting on the camera module. While it’s true that my finger doesn’t cover the lens or flash, it still wasn’t comfortable for me.

The physical buttons and controls are well-executed, but I’m not convinced about the new Essential Key located just below the on/off button. The Essential Key button provides direct access to the new Essential Space functionality, which I’ll discuss later. However, I accidentally pressed it countless times, mistaking it for the on/off button. As such, I ended up with dozens of unnecessary screenshots.

The camera module comes with the Glyph Interface backlights, one of the standout features of the Nothing terminals. However, beyond mere curiosity, I still don’t see much practical use for this feature.

A Brilliant AMOLED Screen

For those who enjoy a large display on their phone, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is sure to impress. It features a spacious 6.77-inch panel with rounded corners and a discreet camera and sensor hole that serves no additional purpose. There’s still nothing like the iPhone’s Dynamic Island here.

The Phone (3a) Pro continues to use an AMOLED panel protected by Panda Glass. Notably, this model also uses glass for its rear.

The screen resolution is 1080x2392 pixels, which translates to Full HD+ and offers a solid viewing experience with a density of 387 ppi. More importantly, the phone’s display boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate and a sampling rate of 480 Hz in standard mode and 1,000 Hz in gaming mode.

The Phone (3a) Pro’s screen reaches a typical brightness of 800 nits. Viewing content in direct sunlight is much easier. In these conditions, it can peak at 1,300 nits. Additionally, HDR mode can achieve a remarkable brightness of up to 3,000 nits.

The default panel quality is satisfactory, offering good color reproduction and an excellent viewing angle. However, you can also customize the experience slightly by choosing between Alive and Standard modes. Although the default mode is Alive, I found the Standard mode’s naturalness more convincing.

Other helpful features for adapting the screen settings to your preferences include the ability to adjust the contrast of text, buttons, and icons, which is crucial for the operating system’s Dark mode. Additionally, all layers of the phone’s interface are compatible with the Night Light feature, which users can regulate and set a schedule.

You can also set the refresh rate to 60 Hz or 120 Hz or select a dynamic mode, which is the most recommended option. The always-on display feature, complete with several customization options, is also available.

The phone includes an in-screen fingerprint sensor, which users can combine with facial recognition to ensure that the device’s secure unlocking is instantaneous and effective.

Snapdragon to the Rescue

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro enters the market aiming to compete with the best in the mid-range category. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen3, which features 8 Kryo cores. The phone comes with one Prime core at 2.8 GHz, three performance cores at 2.6 GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.9 GHz. Additionally, it includes the Adreno graphics processor and offers support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The only model available in the U.S. combines 12 GB of RAM with 256 GB of internal storage. Notably, it scored more than 27,000 points in the PCMark benchmark.

In raw performance tests, the Snapdragon 7s Gen3 solidifies its status as the go-to system-on-chip in the competitive space between the best mid-range and entry-level high-end devices. The phone scored nearly 12,500 points in the PCMark Work 3.0 test. Meanwhile, it achieved 1,164 points in the single-core GeekBench 6 test and 3,291 points in the multi-core benchmark.

The Phone (3a) Pro offers an experience similar to that of high-end phones, even if the Nothing device isn’t a flagship model. Overall, the Phone (3a) Pro operates smoothly and confidently handles all tasks.

The most significant improvements are in efficiency and graphics performance. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro scored nearly 4,000 points in the 3DMark Wild Life test and more than 5,000 points in the Sling Shot Extreme benchmark.

In terms of AI capabilities, the phone also performs well, achieving almost 1,500 points in the GeekBench AI test.

Another notable advantage of this device is its lack of overheating, even under demanding tasks, and its excellent performance in stress tests.

Satisfying Autonomy

With such a large device, featuring many subtleties in the interface and light tricks in the case, battery life is always a concern.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro relies on a battery that delivers. Its 5,000 mAh capacity ensures longevity, maintaining 90% of its maximum capacity after 1,200 charge cycles—equivalent to almost three and a half years with a full daily charge.

In real-world tests, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro demonstrated impressive efficiency, averaging nearly two days of use with 7 to 8.5 hours of screen time in varied cycles.

The device supports 50 W fast charging, but the box only includes a cable. You must buy a charger separately.

When tested with a 65 W charger, the device nearly matched the official charging claims. With just under 10% battery life, it reached 50% in 20 minutes and fully charged in 63 minutes.

Nothing OS 3.1: A Unique Layer in the World

After its debut in late 2024, the Nothing OS reached the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro in version 3.1. Despite its short time on the market, this iteration already delivers stable performance.

The OS maintains the essence that makes it unique in the Android ecosystem. It’s designed to engage the senses, offering an interface where sounds, movement details, special icons, and exclusive fonts create an immersive experience.

While the interface stands out in the industry, it requires a controlled use to maintain its appeal. Otherwise, inconsistencies appear, such as unrepresented icons or apps that struggle with extreme customizations.

The new version doesn’t introduce many features. The most noticeable additions include eSIM support and modifications to apps like the gallery and camera. The updated gallery makes it easier to navigate between images without losing sight of important details. AI enhancements improve media organization and search capabilities.

Aesthetically and functionally, Nothing OS 3.1 feels familiar. It doesn’t bring a dramatic leap forward, but over time, its AI-driven features, such as intelligent app grouping, may enhance the user experience—though this particular feature remains unconvincing.

Among Nothing’s proprietary apps, the most notable is Essential Space, a hub for organizing voice notes and screenshots. While its usefulness isn’t immediately clear, early access for buyers may expand its functionalities, making it a potential tool for collecting ideas, planning trips, and managing images creatively.

Audio transcription works well, and AI helps identify potential appointments or tasks. Learning to use these features effectively takes time.

A Triple Camera With a Surprise

A large camera module doesn’t always guarantee top-tier photography, but exceptions exist. In the case of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, the inclusion of a 3x telephoto lens stands out.

Starting with the camera app, a carousel allows quick access to preferred modes with easy personalization.

However, the camera app lacks responsiveness. Switching modes can feel sluggish, occasionally causing missed shots. However, improvements in speed should come with future updates.

As an interface, it provides essential settings within two taps. The Preset Modes tab, which allows for fully customized shooting modes, proved more useful than expected.

Users can configure lens selection, shooting modes, filters, focal lengths, and blur intensity, among other settings.

The rear camera module includes a 50 MP main camera with a large 1/1.56-inch sensor and an 8MP wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view (f/2.2). What about the third sensor?

In fact, the primary distinction between the standard Nothing Phone (3a) and its more advanced counterpart lies in the telephoto lens. The Pro model features a 50 MP telephoto lens with a sensor size of 1/1.95” (f/2.55), which captures images at 70 mm. This lens offers a 3x optical zoom that can be extended up to 6x through cropping with satisfying results in good lighting conditions.

The digital zoom can reach up to 60x, aided by AI algorithms. However, the results are highly unsatisfactory.

Interestingly, only one sensor consistently delivers the expected results among the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro camera setup: the wide lens. It isn’t the best in bright conditions and shows even more limitations in low light. When viewing the results on the phone’s screen, it’s easy to notice the disparity in detail quality compared to the main and telephoto cameras.

The rest of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro camera setup is confusing. Although it’s designed to impress on social media, it unexpectedly presents a mixed bag of performance.

The images captured by the main camera, which operates at 50 MP but defaults to 12 MP for shooting, are solid but only if you don’t look at them too closely.

The main sensor’s level of detail is subpar even in good lighting conditions. If you desire high detail, it’s advisable to use the 50 MP shooting mode directly. At night, although the sensor can detect a significant amount of light due to its larger size, the level of detail decreases considerably, resulting in washed-out images.

For night photography with the main camera, it’s recommended to use Night Mode whenever possible.

Another issue I noted when shooting at night with the main camera is the poor white balance in the presence of warm lights.

The main 50 MP camera allows for 2x zoom, although this is achieved by cropping the original image. Additionally, the results exhibit the same flaws as those seen in 1x mode.

Interestingly, in my experience, the 3x telephoto lens achieves better results both in daylight and at night, where images don’t appear blurred or lack detail.

In fact, the difference in detail was so significant that I was tempted to step back from the scene just to use the appealing 70 mm lens, particularly for portrait photography.

During my tests, using the 3x shooting mode when the scene allowed it was extremely satisfying. Switching to this mode is simple, especially when using the preset functions.

Other noteworthy shooting modes available are Macro mode and Portrait mode. In addition, Expert mode allows you to control shooting parameters manually and supports RAW shooting.

Using Macro mode is somewhat challenging. You must focus from a relatively far distance because it utilizes 3x and 6x zoom. You need a steady hand to make the most of this feature. However, I found it enjoyable, and it offers a different experience compared to macros on other cameras.

The TrueLens 3.0 Engine plays a crucial role in the entire photographic process of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. AI systems detect the scene type and adjust various parameters to optimize the shot. The results are generally good, though some images show minor over-processing.

One area where processing is particularly important is HDR. Nothing has partnered with Google to introduce Ultra XDR mode on this model. This feature combines eight RAW images with different exposures and applies pixel-level brightness adjustments, according to the brand.

Users can disable HDR mode if they want, which is a welcome option. However, in most cases, letting it work automatically produces solid results, even in challenging scenes.

The secondary (front) camera offers 50 MP resolution and 4K video recording. It delivers natural-looking images with good detail, though the bokeh effect in portrait mode could be improved.

In video mode, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro avoids excessive resolution settings, skipping the often impractical 8K option. Instead, it supports 4K recording with OIS and EIS, ensuring better stabilization. Users can also record at 1080p up to 60 fps and in slow motion at 1080p and 120 fps.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro: Xataka’s Opinion

Standing out in today’s smartphone market is no easy task. With numerous competitors, models, and user preferences that often defy logic, making an impact is increasingly challenging.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro enters the market with an improved design and premium finish, yet its transparent back remains its most distinctive feature. This year, it also introduces a rear camera module that is arguably the most intriguing part of the device—for better or worse.

With performance matching its price, a solid display, and good battery life, much of the focus is on its custom UI and camera capabilities.

The operating system is engaging, though personal preference always plays a role. As for the camera, once again, it looks impressive on paper but still requires software refinements to fully unlock its potential. However, the 3x optical zoom performs well, offering a promising glimpse of what the device can achieve.

The device has been loaned for testing by Samsung. You can learn more about our review process in the Xataka On Reviews Policy and our Corporate Relations Policy.

Images | Xataka On

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