Nothing
Nothing Phone 3a Pro Honest Review – After 25 Days of Use
After using the Nothing Phone 3a Pro for over 25 days, here’s my full and honest review. From design and display to camera and performance, I’ll cover everything that will help you decide whether this phone is right for you.
🔍 Design & Build Quality
The design is eye-catching and premium, especially in the grey color variant. Many people asked me about this phone when I used it in public – it’s definitely a conversation starter. The camera bump has a unique circular layout, and the Glyph lights now follow a new circular design too.
While the back is made of glass, the sides are plastic, so don’t expect a full premium metal build, but inside the mid-frame is made up of aluminum, so it can’t break in half. Still, the overall feel is solid. Just note that the camera bump makes the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface.
👍 Pros: Stylish, unique design, good grip
👎 Cons: Plastic frame, camera bump wobble
📦 Unboxing Experience
The phone doesn’t come with a charger – only a Type-C to Type-C cable, SIM ejector tool, and basic documents. Packaging has improved with easier access and better presentation.
👍 Nice packaging
👎 No charger in the box
📺 Display
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro has a 6.77-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate. The bezels are slightly thick but uniform. It gets bright up to 3000 nits (peak), so outdoor visibility is quite good. Watching content on YouTube or JioCinema is smooth, and HDR support is present (except for Netflix).
👍 Sharp and bright display, smooth experience
👎 Thick bezels, Netflix HDR not supported
⚙️ Software Experience (Nothing OS 3.1)
The phone runs on Nothing OS 3.1, which is very close to stock Android. There’s no bloatware, and the experience is clean and smooth. New features include:
- Essential Key: A dedicated button for quick notes, voice memos, or reminders
- Custom widgets, new lock screen styles, and ChatGPT integration
- Nothing Gallery with AI search features (though editing tools are still missing)
👍 Smooth UI, stock-like feel, frequent updates
👎 Essential Key still needs improvements, gallery editing missing
🔋 Battery Life & Charging
You get a 5000mAh battery with 50W fast charging (charger not included). On average:
- Normal use: 8–9 hours of screen-on time (it can go above 10 hrs as well in some cases)
- Heavy use (gaming/photos): 5–6 hours
- Charging time: Around 1 hour 10–20 minutes with an original charger
👍 Good battery life and decent charging speed
👎 No wireless charging, charger not included
⚡ Performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 and UFS 2.2 storage, the phone handles everyday tasks well. My unit had 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
- Benchmark scores were solid (Antutu: ~759K).
- Gaming like BGMI at 90fps and 120fps is smooth in TDM, but drops can occur in classic matches.
- There is some lag in camera app or multitasking, mainly due to UFS 2.2 limitations.
👍 Smooth multitasking, consistent updates
👎 Occasional lag in camera and heavy apps
📷 Camera – Highlight Feature!
This phone shines in the camera department with a triple camera setup:
- 50MP main sensor
- 50MP 3X periscope zoom camera
- 8MP ultra-wide
The new camera app also supports camera LUTs (filters), manual controls, and importing presets.
Photos are sharp, detailed, and especially great in 3X zoom and macro shots. Low-light and night photography is also very good for the price.
Video options:
- Rear: Up to 4K 30fps, but 3X periscope zoom only works in 1080p 30fps
- Front: 50MP, supports 4K 30fps
👍 Outstanding photo quality, especially zoom and macros
👎 Periscope zoom not available in 4K video yet, no new watermark options
🧠 Final Verdict
After using the Nothing Phone 3a Pro for almost a month, I can confidently say it offers great value for users looking for:
- A stylish and futuristic design
- Clean software with regular updates
- A very good zoom camera and overall photography experience
- Decent performance and battery life
🔻 But keep in mind:
- No charger in the box
- Slight lag in camera app
- Premium pricing might feel high without discounts
If design and camera are your top priorities, and you don’t mind minor performance trade-offs, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is definitely worth considering!
Nothing has officially rolled out the Nothing OS 3.5 August update for the Nothing Phone (3). This latest update, sized at 189 MB, brings several new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements. Most importantly, it also includes the August 2025 Android security patch, ensuring the device stays protected with the latest security enhancements.
One of the main highlights of this update is the improvement to the Glyph Interface. Now, when you use the Glyph Mirror toy to capture a photo, a special Glyph Matrix-styled photo will also be saved. The company has also fixed an issue where ringtones would automatically switch to “Classic” in Generative mode. Additionally, bugs related to ringtone mode selection after phone data transfers and incorrect response to Telegram calls on the Glyph Interface have also been resolved.
On the camera front, the update adds support for AI SuperRes Zoom, now working between 20x and 30x zoom levels. The shutter response time after taking multiple shots has been improved, along with better autofocus and color accuracy, making your photography experience even smoother.
Apart from that, the update focuses on fixing several system bugs and improving the user experience. Some of the key fixes include the missing default search engine option in the app drawer and settings, and an issue in Universal Search where the second character would disappear. The Essential Notification border UI has been polished, and the cloned WhatsApp app can now open PDF files properly.
The update also improves the Snapchat refresh rate, ensuring smoother usage. Issues with 4K 60FPS video playback stuttering in the gallery have been resolved. The Adaptive Brightness now works more smoothly, and charging problems with certain third-party chargers have been fixed. In addition, system copywriting has been refined, and overall stability and performance have been improved.
This is a meaningful update for Nothing Phone (3) users, offering both functional upgrades and important security enhancements. Users are encouraged to download and install the update to enjoy a smoother, more secure experience.
Nothing has released a new update (v1.0.12) for its Essential Space app, bringing two exciting sharing features to select Nothing phones. The update is currently available via the Play Store for Nothing Phone 3A, 3A Pro, and CMF Phone 2 Pro.
What’s New in the Update?
The update (around 94MB in size) focuses mainly on improving sharing options within the app:
- Audio Recording Sharing Enabled
Users can now record audio using the “Flip to Record” feature and directly share those recordings with others. Previously, Essential Space only supported sharing images, PDFs, and Markdown files. The new update now supports audio file sharing in AAC format. - Image Capture with Smart Text Summary
Users can capture images using the Essential key in the camera app, and the app uses AI to summarize what’s in the image. For example, if a photo includes a Nothing phone and white earbuds, the app automatically generates a description. This summarized image can then be shared along with the AI-generated text.
UI & Functionality
While the user interface hasn’t seen major changes, the new features add a practical edge to the app. The shared content even includes Nothing branding and a “Your Second Memory” tag, enhancing the brand’s unique style.
Supported Devices
These features are currently live on:
- Nothing Phone 3A
- Nothing Phone 3A Pro
- CMF Phone 2 Pro
- Nothing Phone 3
Make sure your Essential Space app is updated to version 1.0.12 to access these features.
The popular third-party dialer app N Dial, inspired by the clean design of Nothing OS, has received a major update called the Nimbus Update. This update brings a completely new user interface, smoother animations, and several practical improvements that enhance the overall calling experience on Android smartphones.
One of the biggest highlights of the update is the redesigned interface for Recents, Dialpad, Contacts, Favorites, and Contact Cards. Everything now looks more modern and minimal, matching the style seen on Nothing Phones. A new light theme called Nimbus has also been added, giving users a clean and bright look. Additionally, the navigation bar has been improved for better usability.
The app now includes haptic feedback when scrolling through contacts or using the dialpad, giving a more responsive feel. Users can also view and delete individual call entries for each contact, making call history management more flexible. Contact photos are now supported, and a new Albums View has been added in the Favorites section, alongside the classic grid layout.
To improve performance, N Dial now allows users to set a limit on call logs. Incoming calls no longer appear as pop-ups but are shown in the notification panel, providing a less distracting experience. The update also introduces features like quick notes during ongoing calls and external links for additional functionality.
In terms of technical improvements, the app’s animations are smoother, and overall performance has been boosted. Important bugs have been fixed, including issues with the proximity sensor and Bluetooth connections with smartwatches. The quality of contact images has also been enhanced.
N Dial is available for all Android smartphones, not just Nothing devices. It aims to provide a smooth, beautiful, and easy-to-use calling experience. Users can download the updated version from the Google Play Store, making sure the version name includes “Nimbus.”
Overall, the Nimbus Update brings major upgrades to N Dial, both in looks and performance. If you’re looking for a dialer that feels modern, simple, and closer to the Nothing Phone experience, this is a great option to try.