I used the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro — here's what I want to see from Phone 3

After a long wait that included teasers, leaks, and everything in between, the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro are both official as of today, March 4. The two midrange smartphones are Nothing's first since it decided to prioritize building AI over its flagship Phone 3, which is thought to be currently in the pipeline. In itself, that underscores an oddity with Nothing's launch — in a rare move, the company is releasing the budget Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro before their high-end counterpart.

The Nothing Phone 2, still available for $600 at the company's online store, was announced back in July 2023. Since then, the London-based tech startup has released four midrange phones: the Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus in 2024, and now the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro in 2025. Anticipation is building for the standalone Phone 3, which is expected to be Nothing's first true flagship offering.

I've been using the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro for more than a week, and the experience has got me excited about what Phone 3 will bring. My main SIM has been in the Phone 3a Pro, distinguishable by its large, circular camera bump. So far, it's been hard to tell I've been using a mid-ranger. For reference, my last phone was the Samsung Galaxy S25 — a bona-fide flagship — and yet it's been an easy transition.

The wait and pivot all-in on AI may have been worth it. The Nothing Phone 3a series includes two of my favorite AI features: Smart Drawer and Essential Space. It also has enough performance chops and camera quality for daily use, especially considering the phones' sub-$500 price point. Now that I've used Nothing's budget vision for the Phone 3 series, I know I want these five things in its flagship alternative.

A more premium build with metal rails

Nothing designed the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro with a striking build that's bound to be controversial. We've already seen the mixed response to the brand's teasers, specifically regarding the camera bump. I tend to like the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro's design, but sometimes I can't tell whether the fun and quirky look is endearing — or just makes the handsets look like cheap toys.

There are two specific areas of concern: the matte, polycarbonate side rails, and the glossy Essential Key. Both the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro have flat, matte plastic side rails that make the devices feel a bit cheap. This kind of finish can feel premium, like ceramic, but it falls flat on the Phone 3a series. Meanwhile, I really don't like the glossy, reflective Essential Key. I find it sticks out like a sore thumb in the worst way.

The thing worth remembering about the Phone 3a series is that they are cheap, so these aspects are forgivable. On the flagship Phone 3, however, I'd like to see a return to aluminum side rails and a more appealing camera bump. The Phone 3a Pro's camera housing looks cool from head-on but is simply too thick, and the regular Phone 3 can't make the same mistake. It should take inspiration from the base Phone 3a, which has a slim and sleek camera module.

A redesigned Essential Space Key

Essential Space is one of Nothing's key AI features available on the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, and for good reason. To me, it's like a hybrid of Google Keep, Pixel Screenshots, and Pixel Recorder all-in-one. Nothing seems to have taken the best things about each of those apps, seamlessly integrating similar functionality into the Essential Space app in a way that just makes sense.

You can click the Essential Key to take a screenshot or screen recording, and/or add a voice memo or written note to it. Then, after processing, the Essential Space app will intelligently summarize or transcribe whatever has been recorded. It led to amazing situations where my Essential Space app recapped all the advanced metrics from my running workout, and created action items for what I should work on during my next run.

I don't say lightly that Essential Space may be my favorite smartphone AI feature yet. It's useful, and after building up habits and muscle memory, I could see this really coming in handy for people. So, what's bad about it? The Essential Key's implementation is a big miss, and Nothing should scrap it and go back to the drawing board for the flagship Phone 3.

There are two main problems with the Essential Key. First, it's located way too close to the power/lock button on the right side of both Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. This makes accidental presses all too common.

More importantly, Nothing made the Essential Key protrude from the chassis, with a glossy finish and gemstone-like shape. The design is kind of obnoxious, in my opinion, and is a bad user interface choice. You want the power button to be easily discoverable by feel, not the Essential Key.

For the regular Phone 3, Nothing should look to Apple and OnePlus as examples of how to implement the Essential Key. It should be recessed, like Apple's Camera Control, or on the side of the phone with the volume rocker, like the Action button or OnePlus' Alert slider. This would reduce accidental triggers for Essential Space, which can lead to annoying unwanted screenshots or recordings.

A truly flagship-caliber processor

Expectedly, the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro are powered by midrange processors. Both phones use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is more than powerful enough for daily use without hiccups but can actually disappoint in benchmarks. CPU performance is considerably improved, although our review found graphics performance was decreased significantly compared to the Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus.

Nothing needs to shoot for the best of the best for the Phone 3's processor. The exact chip it should use depends on the price, but Qualcomm's groundbreaking Snapdragon 8 Elite processors should absolutely be the goal. Nothing started Phone 2's pricing at $599 in the U.S., and the flagship Phone 3 will likely cost more than that.

If the Phone 3 costs nearly $800, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is a must. That's especially true, considering AI is a key part of Nothing's strategy, and there's no better Android chip for AI processing.

Bigger and better cameras, with more AI

For the most part, I came away impressed with the Phone 3a Pro's camera system. It's using a 50MP main sensor from Samsung with an f/1.88 aperture and a 1/1.56-inch sensor size. That large lens is part of the reason why the Phone 3a Pro's camera bump is so big, but that is reflected in image quality. The Phone 3a Pro didn't do a great job adjusting exposure automatically on the fly, but it handled detail and motion excellently.

That main sensor is paired with a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 6x in-sensor zoom with sensor crop. You also get an 8MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view. As you can see in the sample images below, the Phone 3a Pro does take decent images at various zoom levels.

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For the Phone 3 to compete with flagships like the Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, and OnePlus 13, it'll need to take camera quality to the next level. Specifically, I'd like to see an even better periscope lens with 5x or greater true optical zoom. The ultrawide camera definitely could use improvement, as the 8MP sensor just isn't enough to keep up with the competition Phone 3 would face.

Nothing would be wise to add a few more AI camera features, like AI zoom enhancement and a reflection eraser. To be clear, the Phone 3a series offers great camera sensors for their respective price points, but I'm expecting Phone 3 to elevate the experience overall.

Better haptic feedback, Qi2, and improved software

The last item on my wishlist is really a few quick hits: better haptic feedback, Qi2 support, and improved software. Starting with haptic feedback, it's quite aggressive on the Phone 3a series but doesn't feel nearly as smooth compared to the competition. While I find Nothing OS to be an excellent Android skin — you can use it with a unique Nothing flavor or go for a more basic Pixel look — it could use a few more AI features to compete with Galaxy and Google AI.

The big one here is Qi2 support. No Android manufacturer is stepping up to the plate and adding magnets to their flagship phones. Consumers are left with a bunch of excuses, and are being forced to buy cases for the full Qi2 experience. Nothing could really set itself apart by delivering the unabridged Qi2 standard on the Phone 3.

The Nothing Phone 3a series is a solid starting point

It's very rare that we see a tech company release their budget phones before their flagship ones, and that's why what Nothing is doing in 2025 is different. To be fair, it's not a bad strategy. Nothing is making a name for itself in the midrange category, securing emerging markets like India. For reference, the brand has sold over 7 million units of its products since its inception in 2020 and already surpassed $1 billion in total revenue — a tough feat for a smartphone startup in this decade.

Using the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro for more than a week only has me more excited for what Nothing's first flagship will look like. If it builds off what I love about these mid-rangers, the company's odd release schedule could turn out to be a hit.