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Nothing Phone 3a Pro is the latest mid-range model from the brand in the market and also its first to feature a periscope lens but is that enough for the Pro tag?
The first Pro Nothing mid-range phone features a new camera but is that enough?
Nothing made its debut with a lot of excitement and fan fare. Even the Phone 2 series got decent feedback, followed by which we got the Phone 2a models. Now, the brand has entered the serious phase of its growth with the new Phone 3a series that includes its first-ever Pro model.
The Phone 3a Pro looks to build on the transparent Nothing design, but with the promise of a better imaging system that looks to take advantage of a fluid and responsive software. But can the Nothing Phone 3a Pro for its Rs 30,000 price tag deliver the value and performance that people expect in this segment? We are here to give you the answer.
The Nothing Design ID
Nothing Phone model started the era of the transparent design and the Phone 3a series carries it forward with more finesse. The giant circular camera module is the biggest way to differentiate the 3a Pro from the regular model. The Glyph interface LEDs are minimal but for functional things like alert timer or notifications.
Having said that, you can feel the heft of the Phone 3a Pro (8.4mm thickness and weighing around 211 grams), when compared to the 3a even though both come packing the same battery capacity. The new module design has definitely split opinions and we feel there will be people who will like the new approach, while some might not be pleased.
The front of the Phone 3a Pro has a familiar look which is not a bad thing especially with the strong frame construction in play.
The Nothing UI Effect
Nothing OS reminds you of the OxygenOS version that OnePlus offered when Carl Pei (who founded Nothing) was at the brand. This software is fluid, bloatware-free even in this range (other brands should follow) and manages to pack in a lot of customisations.
Nothing is now adding a layer of AI that will evolve in the next few years along with the new Essential Key that is more or less like a version of the Pixel Screenshots feature that we saw on the Pixel 9 series last year. You can capture screenshots and store them in the Essential space app on the device but it feels the AI aspect of this tool is still at an early stage and eager to see how it matures and adds more features.
Nothing is offering 3 OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches for the Phone 3a series but we would have liked to see them make it for 4 years.
New ‘Pro’ In The Market
Phone 3a Pro is new to the Nothing lineup in many ways. Last year we saw the Phone 2a Plus which had identical features as the Phone 2a and now we have the Phone 3a Pro which banks on the addition of the periscope lens to do its work. The 50MP sensor looks imposing at the back but does it offer the punch of a Pro variant?
Well, the overall camera setup on the Phone 3a Pro has improved over its predecessor and even the low light quality is a lot better. But the results from the periscope lens had us confused not because of the quality but its consistency.
The colour tuning seems a bit off and we feel a few updates could fix these issues to give you better quality shots. Having said that, the portraits from the Pro sensor have depth, and the skin tones are close to the real nature.
The Right ‘Pro’ Power?
Nothing has decided to go with the same Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset for both the Phone 3a models. The Pro variant feels the limiting nature of the hardware mostly because of how its rivals are packaged in this range.
Make no mistake, the overall regular performance is smooth, and you will never notice any lag while navigating across the layers of the device, but the benchmark scores paint the right picture of where the Phone 3a Pro does well and where it falls short.
This is not going to be a power-packed gaming device, even though casual games will work fine. What we can say is that this Phone 3a model is a reliable performer but for a Pro variant, we would have liked more.
The Battery Output
The Phone 3a Pro comes with a 5,000mAh battery which is the same as the previous model but now you get it with 50W charging support. You will need to spend extra for the charger as Nothing takes the minimal approach.
The tuning of the software allows you to efficiently run the Phone 3a Pro for over a day but we feel like the brand could have adopted new battery tech for its device to make the deal even sweeter. The PC Mark score of over 20 hours tells you all is well but again, for a Pro, we expect more. And yes, the 50W speed is not the best you can get in this range these days.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro has the design and software scoring high, while the camera system shows promise and improvement. The hardware could have used a Pro-level upgrade but even then for most users, not gamers, this is an adequate device. The periscope lens could use some updates to fix the consistency. So, yes, the Phone 3a Pro gives us a decent shout in the grown up league.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
