Nothing has taught us two things in recent years. First, their phones always stand out. Second, not always in the way we would all like. Now, there's talk of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, which promises more, but the question remains - will it finally be an affordable flagship killer or just another interesting phone that fails to live up to expectations?
Design Nothing Phone (3a) The Pro should remain recognizable. A transparent body, a minimalist industrial look and of course the famous Glyph Interface, which will apparently be even more customizable with 26 addressable light zones. This means more options for personalizing notifications, additional functionality when taking photos and of course that iconic futuristic look that Nothing fans appreciate so much. The phone should have a 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3000 nits, which should ensure excellent readability even in direct sunlight. Panda Glass is mentioned for protection, which is better than nothing, but many would prefer to see Gorilla Glass Victus.
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 – good enough or not good enough at the start?
The performance issue is a bit of a mystery. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 that is said to be powering this model isn't exactly the pinnacle of technology. It's a mid-range processor that will handle everyday tasks, but if Nothing is really aiming for the "Pro" segment, we'd expect something more powerful, say Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or one from the newer Dimensity series. Still, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of non-expandable storage promise a decent enough experience.
50 MP on all sides – will quality finally follow quantity?
The cameras look impressive on paper. There's talk of a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilization, a 50MP periscope lens with 3x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. But numbers aren't everything. Nothing's phones haven't been known for their superb photo processing so far, so the key question will be whether this time the software optimization will be good enough to really compete with the best in this price range. The front camera will reportedly have 50MP, which is almost excessive, but could mean exceptional quality for selfies and video calls.
Fast charging? Great! Wireless charging? Where is it?
The battery should be one of the strong points. The 5000 mAh capacity promises all-day autonomy, and fast charging at 50W should allow the phone to reach half capacity in less than 20 minutes, and fully charged in less than an hour. What is a little surprising is the absence of wireless charging, which is perhaps an unusual decision for a model with a “Pro” suffix.
Nothing OS – minimalist elegance or just lacking features?
The software will almost certainly be one of the biggest draws. Nothing OS 3.1, based on Android 15, promises a minimalist experience without unnecessary apps and unnecessary bloatware. There is also mention of the integration of Google's "Circle to Search" feature, which allows you to quickly search for any content on the screen with a simple finger-circle gesture. If Nothing promises regular updates and good optimization, this phone could be a good choice in the long run.
Does the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro really bring something… well, something?
And now the key question: is the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro really worth paying attention to? If the price is under 500 euros, then this could be one of the best phones in this class. But if it approaches or even exceeds 600 euros, then with its processor and the lack of some flagship features, it will have a hard time competing with phones like the Galaxy S23 FE or Pixel 7a. As always with Nothing, it all depends on how well they can justify their hype.
