Nothing Cellphone (3a) Assessment: Nothing, a London-based firm recognized for its enticing and vintage cell again designs, launched its new sequence ”3’—together with the 3a and 3a Professional—in March 2025 at a mid-price vary. The units include a number of upgrades, together with an improved digital camera, processor, show, and the brand new “Important House” button. We reviewed the Nothing Cellphone (3a) over just a few weeks and the query stays: Is it value shopping for this smartphone for its eye-catching design and different upgraded options? Learn on to search out out what we skilled.
Cellphone (3a): Design and construct high quality
Much like the beforehand launched fashions with a beautiful fashion, the brand new 3a sequence additionally grabs consideration with its clear again and visual inside construction. Based on the corporate, the cellphone options upgraded glass again panels, although in-hand it feels extra like plastic. The aspect panel, SIM tray, and quantity and energy buttons are additionally fabricated from plastic.
The again showcases a triple-camera setup as a substitute of the sooner dual-camera design, which makes it exhausting to put the cellphone flat on floor and will create scratches on the setup. The cellphone additionally has an ‘IP64’ score, which signifies that the machine resists mud and water splashes however is just not absolutely waterproof. In our expertise, the cellphone’s again design catches individuals’s consideration fairly simply. We discovered the plastic aspect panels to be of low high quality—our handset obtained broken when it unintentionally collided with a floor. A drop from a major top may trigger critical injury.
Furthermore, it feels too broad and slippery to carry comfortably, making it tough to handle with one hand.
Cellphone (3a) Digital camera: A gamechanger in capturing moments
The Cellphone (3a) encompasses a triple-camera setup: a 50 MP predominant sensor with OIS, an 8 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50 MP telephoto lens. It delivers spectacular high quality in all lighting situations—whether or not it’s in daylight, nighttime, or low-light environments. One other factor we seen is that it delivers actual photographs with out filtering and touching up faces with colors, which suggests no matter you seize will likely be actual. Furthermore, the three-camera setup comes with two sorts of flashes.
One other factor we seen is that it delivers actual photographs with out filtering and touching up faces with colors, which suggests no matter you seize will likely be actual. Furthermore, the three-camera setup comes with two sorts of flashes
Fan of touch-up selfies?
The 32 MP selfie digital camera on the Cellphone (3a) captures actual, unfiltered photographs. It delivers readability, sharpness, uncooked/pure outcomes which may not enchantment to everybody. These particularly acutely aware of their seems to be may be just a little stunned given the element it captures!
Does digital camera zoom convey issues nearer?
Sure, the zoom characteristic lives as much as the corporate’s slogan, “get nearer with out getting nearer.” From round 150 meters away, the 50 MP telephoto lens captured a text-based hoarding clearly. Now we have hooked up photographs at totally different zoom ranges—1x (regular), 2x, 4x, and even 30x — to display the zoom capabilities of the machine:
We shot a video inside a film theatre from about 40 ft away, which is a darkish surroundings as regular, and the consequence was surprisingly near OTT-level high quality (a minimum of that is what we really feel the bare eye would discover).
Nothing Cellphone (3a) Efficiency Assessment: Clean expertise in gaming, UI
The Nothing Cellphone (3a) is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, which delivers a easy and lag-free expertise, each in on a regular basis utilization and through gaming classes.
Can the RAM be upgraded?
If you’re not absolutely glad with the default efficiency, the cellphone helps RAM enlargement — permitting as much as 20GB of RAM (mixed bodily and digital), in response to the corporate.
Does it lag in BGMI?
To check its real-world efficiency, we performed Battlegrounds Cellular India (BGMI). The cellphone helps as much as 90 FPS, providing ‘Clean’ graphics at ‘Excessive’ ranges and ‘HDR’ graphics as much as ‘Extremely’, due to the Qualcomm Adreno GPU. All through the gameplay, it carried out with none lag and delivered a persistently easy expertise — till Winner Winner Rooster Dinner! The big, bezel-less show provides to the immersive really feel, making it supreme for two- to three-finger management setups, particularly throughout high-intensity gaming battles. Contact response and visibility have been top-notch.
Cellphone (3a) Battery: How lengthy does it final on single cost?
Geared up with a 5000mAh battery, the Cellphone (3a) lasts as much as two days with regular utilization and a minimum of a full day with heavy or excessive utilization. Nothing claims that the Snapdragon processor enhances charging effectivity by supporting turbo charging. In our expertise, nonetheless, it took round 1 to 1.5 hours to completely cost the machine from 0 per cent to 100 per cent.
Cellphone (3a) Show: Massive, broad display helps to entertain at greatest
The bezel-less 6.77-inch show of the smartphone presents an immersive expertise whereas watching films, movies and enjoying video games, delivering clear visuals even from a distance. It produces crisp visuals with good colors and brightness ranges, making it simple to view even underneath direct daylight.
Talking of daylight, the auto-brightness characteristic on this cellphone works exceptionally effectively. It precisely adjusts the show brightness whether or not you are outdoor in vivid daylight or in a darkish room. The cellphone boasts a refresh charge of as much as 120Hz.
Important House: A characteristic that doesn’t really feel all that ‘important’
Ever had a second the place you forgot one thing you needed to write down or struck one thing that got here to thoughts? The newly added Important House button is designed that will help you rapidly seize these ideas, any form of voice notes— making it simpler to recall concepts for artwork, creativity, or private notes afterward.
Nonetheless, in real-life expertise, this characteristic doesn’t really feel all that essential. It typically will get in the way in which. Its placement subsequent to the ability button is a bit inconvenient — I unintentionally pressed the Important House button a number of instances as a substitute of the ability button. Consequently, it recorded a number of undesirable clips or voice notes and saved them within the cellphone unnecessarily.
Nothing Cellphone (3a): Availability, pricing
The Nothing Cellphone (3a) is offered in three color variants: Black, White, and Blue. It would are available in two storage configurations — the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 22,999, and the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant will likely be accessible at Rs 24,999.
Listed here are just a few drawbacks:
- No 3.5mm audio jack
- No charger is included within the field
- It must be waterproof at this worth vary
- The machine must be extra sturdy to face regular jolts
- The machine’s width is simply an excessive amount of (it could really feel uncomfortable to make use of directly)
- The amount button may have been aligned with the ability button
- The digital camera should not stick out the way in which it does
- Cameras are to not be over the again aspect to maintain on floor with none scratches
- The amount buttons must be aligned with the ability button, particularly on wider telephones
- Important House button must be positioned away from energy button to keep away from unintentional presses
Nothing Cellphone (3a): Last verdict
General, the smartphone presents a package deal of leisure and different widespread options at its worth level.
When it comes to leisure, design, and digital camera efficiency, the machine stands out and delivers wonderful worth. That stated, throughout day by day use, the cellphone feels slippery ihand and even on flat surfaces, which can have an effect on dealing with consolation and could be broken by slipping.
Whereas fashion and leisure are usually not the one vital issues, the corporate also needs to deal with the construct high quality for long-term use. To stay aggressive within the Indian market, Nothing ought to deal with providing extra sturdy designs in such fashions relatively than specializing in fashion and appears.
