The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is a mid-range handset with a 6.77-inch display, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, and a uniquely designed rear triple camera design.
If you're in the market for a mid-ranger handset, then Nothing's latest products are worth considering. Here's how the Phone 3a and the Phone 3a Pro stack up against one another, from fit and finish, to camera tech, and everything in between.
For the most part, the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro are comparable in terms of internal specifications and components. Both ship with the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor under the hood, both feature 6.77-inch 1080 x 2392 resolution AMOLED display panels, and both are fitted with 5,000mAh battery packs.
The main differentiating factor between the two models is their rear zoom camera hardware, as well as the visual differences in design for their respective camera hump protrusions. Aside from that, the devices are incredibly similar, even offering equivalent optical fingerprint sensors, 50W wired charging support, and IP64 water and dust resistance.
Both Phone 3a Series devices are now broadly available for purchase.
In terms of colors on offer, the standard Phone 3a is available in black and white variants, while the 3a Pro can be had in grey or black. A blue-hued 3a model is available internationally, but there's no word on if and when it'll make its way onto American shores.
Both Phone 3a Series devices are now broadly available for purchase. In the US, the 3a costs $380 and comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The 3a Pro, meanwhile, costs $460 and ships with the same 12GB + 256GB specs configuration.
The 3a Pro stands out with its unique camera protrusion
In terms of physical design, both Phone 3a Series models look and feel similar: both share roughly identical dimensions of 6.44 x 3.05 x 0.33-inches (163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4mm), and weight clocks in at 7.09oz (201g) and 7.44 oz (211g) for the 3a and the 3a Pro, respectively.
Both units feature Nothing's distinctive design language, complete with translucent rear panels, faux-ribbon cables, and the unique triple LED Glyph interface flanking their camera sections. Where the standard 3a comes with a horizontal triple camera array that resembles that of last year's Phone 2a Plus, the 3a Pro features a full-blown camera plateau that's proven to be an acquired taste.
Both phones offer the same display panel experience
Both Phone 3a Series devices offer feature parity on the display panel front. Both models are outfitted with large 6.77-inch AMOLED screens, with the same 1080 x 2392 pixel resolution and the same 800 nits of typical brightness + 3000 nits of peak brightness.
Both displays are capable of dynamically adjusting between 30 and 120Hz refresh rate modes, and they are covered by the same Panda Glass tempered glass solution (which appears to be a lower-cost alternative to the more common Gorilla Glass on most flagship phones). Bezels are equally thin and symmetrical at 2.3mm, and both screens are entirely flat with no curved edges in sight.
The two mid-rangers share the same hardware components
Internally, the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro are essentially the same phone. They're both powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 mid-range processor, supplemented by the same 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
Both handsets include 5,000mAh battery packs, 50W wired charging speeds, official IP64 ingress protection ratings, and optical under-display fingerprint sensors. They also come with NFC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and eSIM support, while lacking wireless Qi and Qi2 charging, and not including ultra-wide band (UWB) support.
The Pro model ships with a more advanced periscope zoom lens
Regarding camera metrics, both devices ship with similar optical setups aside from their zoom lenses. The 3a and 3a Pro share the same 50-megapixel wide-angle sensor at f/stop 1.9 and the same 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter at f/stop 2.2.
The 3a comes with a 50-megapixel f/2.0 telephoto lens capable of zooming optically at up to 2x, while the 3a Pro's 50-megapixel f/2.6 camera uses more advanced periscope technology to enable 3X optical zoom. On the selfie-facing side, the 3a's 32-megapixel f/2.2 lens is of a notably lower resolution than the 3a Pro's 50-megapixel f/2.2 sensor.
Verdict: How do the two Nothing Phone 3a Series phones stack up to each other?
Both 3a Series devices are excellent mid-rangers that punch well above their weight
With the devices costing $380 and $460 for the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, respectively, both models offer a compelling package at a reasonable price. The handsets are well-built, and both provide a unique design language that elevates them well above the generic mid-range Android phone designs of the world.
The two units might lack niceties like wireless charging or more advanced IP water and dust resistance ratings, but they check all the necessary boxes needed to provide a solid Android experience across the board. This is doubly true on the software front, in which Nothing's OS skin is sleek, performant, and visually attractive.
Best bang for your buck
Nothing Phone 3a
Brand
Nothing
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
Display
6.77-inch, 1080 x 2392, 120Hz
RAM
8GB, 12GB
Storage
128GB, 256GB
Battery
5,000 mAh
The Nothing Phone 3a is a mid-range handset with a 6.77-inch display, a triple rear camera setup, and the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset.
The standard 3a offers almost the same phone experience as the 3a Pro, with the only sacrifice being in terms of its telephoto zoom capabilities. If you don't particularly care about having the best optics -- or if you simply dislike the 3a Pro's camera design -- then the regular 3a is the way to go.
Ideal for fans of unique phone designs
Nothing
Nothing Phone 3a Pro
Brand
Nothing
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
Display
6.77-inch, 1080 x 2392, 120Hz
RAM
8GB, 12GB
Storage
128GB, 256GB
Battery
5,000 mAh
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is a mid-range handset with a 6.77-inch display, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, and a uniquely designed rear triple camera design.
If you want your phone to perform double duty as a statement piece, then the 3a Pro and its eye-catching camera design is probably the right call. The phone is only marginally more expensive than the standard 3a, but it offers a lot more flexibility in terms of its optical zoom capabilities, in addition to offering a slightly more advanced front-facing shooter.
