MWC: Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro in the first test

Before the launch of the Nothing Phone 3, which is expected to take place in the summer, the still young company is sending its two new models, the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro, into the race. The most obvious difference, apart from the look, is the camera, but we also measured differences in the battery life.

The two new Nothing Phones are similar in many respects. They are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, display content on a 6.77-inch OLED display and draw their energy from a 5000 mAh battery. Only the Pro supports an eSIM, but both operate on the 5G network. The cases with the transparent back and the three-part Glyph LED element, which primarily functions as a notification light and camera light, are protected against dust and water in accordance with IP64. With only four years of security patches and three Android updates, Nothing lags behind the music when it comes to updates. Both smartphones are delivered with Nothing OS 3.1 based on Android 15.

There are differences in the cameras. While both have a 50 MP main camera, the Phone (3a) Pro has a horizontally integrated triple telephoto lens, while the standard telephoto lens of the Phone (3a) only has a 2x magnification, albeit also with a 50 MP sensor. Nothing builds ultra-wide-angle lenses into both models, but only with an 8 MP sensor – on the Phone (2a), the ultra-wide-angle still had a resolution of 50 megapixels. The front camera of the Pro takes pictures with a maximum of 50 megapixels, while the (3a) only has 32 megapixels.

Nothing claims that the two new smartphones have the lowest carbon footprint of all Nothing phones to date at 51.3 kg. The materials used are partially recycled, 100% in the case of the aluminum in the frame and the tin on the circuit boards.

With Essential, Nothing is launching a new AI function that will initially run exclusively on the two new smartphones. This is because only they have the additional button below the power button required for Essential. A click on the button creates a screenshot that is sent to Essential Space with a spoken or typed note. A long press starts the recorder for a voice recording. A double-click opens the Essential Space. This is where all the little snippets you record during the day end up, and the AI uses them to create reminders, recommendations and the like. Essential requires an internet connection. According to Nothing, the data remains within the EU on a server in Paris.

Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro in the first test

It is logical that the two Nothing phones cannot keep up with high-end smartphones that cost three times as much in the benchmarks. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is a mid-range processor, and it shows this in Geekbench, GFXBench and 3DMArk. The results are around a third of the values achieved by the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Mediatek Dimensity 9400. However, the everyday performance of both smartphones is absolutely fine, they usually run smoothly, there is rarely a hitch when starting an application or switching between apps, but they do not cause the user any major dropouts.

In terms of the measured battery runtimes, we expected both smartphones to glide along, as they have the same processors, displays and batteries. We adjusted the brightness to our test standard of 200 cd/m². However, in all three scenarios measured so far, the Phone (3a) was ahead of the Phone (3a) Pro: only five minutes more in the test with a local 4K/120fps video, but a good two hours more in the gaming test and also two hours more when streaming YouTube. This is surprising and calls for further tests. However, the runtimes of both smartphones are very good in comparison, and the (3a) Pro did not stand out as short-breathed.

The displays of both smartphones are bright. We measured a value of 1303 cd/m² in the standard range for the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, while the (3a) had a slightly lower value of 1217 cd/m². Both are therefore roughly in the 1300 cd/m² range that Nothing specifies for smartphones in outdoor use. The spot brightness in daily use can be even higher, with the manufacturer promising a value of 3000 cd/m².

Available to order now

Both new models are now available for pre-order, and the Phone (3a) will also be delivered directly. The Phone (3a) Pro will take a week longer. For the launch, many retailers are offering bundles with the Nothing Ear (a) in-ear headphones or the CMF Watch Pro 2. The Phone (3a), which is available in white, black and blue, costs 329 euros with 8/128 GB of storage, with 12/256 GB of storage available for 50 euros more. The Phone (3a) Pro is only available in gray and black in the large storage version and costs 459 euros.

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