The Nothing Phone (3a) series is a mid-range line of Android smartphones developed by Nothing, announced and launched in March 2025. It comprises two models - Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro - which share key internal hardware but differ in camera setups and design features. Both devices embody Nothing’s signature transparent aesthetic and integrate the brand’s Essential Space AI features by a dedicated ‘Essential Key’ button. Phone (3a) series were the first Nothing phones to feature telephoto cameras.^[1]

Phone (3a) series tagline was “Power in Perspective” globally, except for India, where it was “Get Closer”.^[2]

Phone (3a) series was announced on 4 March 2025 and was priced at £329 / €329 / ₹24,999 for the Phone (3a) base model. Phone (3a) Pro models differed for India and globally - India’s base model was 8+128 GB starting at ₹29,999 while the global model was 12+256GB starting at £449 / $459 / €459 / ₹33,999. Pre-orders for Phone (3a) started on the same day, while Phone (3a) Pro pre-orders began 11 March.^[1]

In DTC countries, the shipment date for pre-orders was initially communicated to start from 25 March, however Nothing sent an email to customers stating that there was an error in the communication and a higher than expected demand, resulting in shipping being delayed. Orders were instead shipped before 15 April.^[3]

Nothing Store Soho was one of the first places customers could get hands on and purchase Phone (3a) Pro on 8 March 2025, with free Ear (a) for every in-store purchase.^[4]

The Phone (3a) was released in the US through Nothing’s US Beta Program. Open sales for Phone (3a) began 11 March, while open sales for (3a) Pro started 25 March 2025.^[1]

In October 2025, Nothing released the Phone (3a) Lite as a surprise addition to the (3a) series.

With the Nothing OS 4.0 update, which entered Open Beta on 24 November 2025, Nothing introduced “Lock Glimpse” to the (a) series and CMF phones. This was a feature designed to bring “fresh, high-quality wallpapers to your lock screen, curated to your taste across nine categories”.^[5] The introduction of Lock Glimpse faced immediate backlash from the community, hailing it as “bloatware” on an otherwise clean and minimal OS.^[6] Nothing released a number of statements and updates around this feature, ultimately deciding to fully remove it on (a) series devices as of 9 January 2026.^[7]

The base Phone (3a) was the chosen hardware behind the Phone (3a) Community Edition for 2025 .^[8] The winning design, ‘Translucent Memories’ by Emre Kayganacı, features a playful, throwback colourway inspired by the bold translucent gadgets of the ‘90s.^[9]

Colour Options: Phone (3a) is available in White, Black and Blue variants while Phone (3a) Pro comes in Grey or Black.

Back Design: Nothing’s signature transparent design, showcasing the Glyph Interface around the camera module at the top, similar to Phone (2a) series. It featured 3 lighting zones used for notifications, visual effects like music visualisation, Glyph Torch, Calendar progress and more.

Front Display: A 6.77-inch flexible AMOLED panel with 1080 x 2392 resolution, 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate and a peak brightness of around 3000 nits.

Build: Featuring a plastic frame, Panda Glass front and glass back. It’s IP64 dust and water resistant and weighs 201g.^[10]

Processor: Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, supported by Adreno 710 GPU.

Memory: Available in 8 GB RAM / 128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage variants.

Connectivity: Wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, Dual nano SIM, USB-C, LTE and an extensive 5G band support.^[11]

Rear Camera: On the Phone (3a), a triple setup with a 50 MP wide (OIS), 50 MP telephoto (2× optical zoom), and 8 MP ultra-wide. The (3a) Pro has an upgraded telephoto (3× optical, periscope-style) and improved overall sensor quality. Supports video up to 4K@30fps.

Front Camera: Phone (3a) features a 32 MP, 22mm wide selfie camera, while Phone (3a) Pro boasts a 50 MP, 24mm wide selfie camera.

Speakers: Stereo output (no 3.5 mm jack).^[10,12]

Battery: Both devices house a 5,000 mAh battery.

Charging: 50 W wired.^[10,12]

OS: Launches with Nothing OS 3.0 based on Android 15, with 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches.^[13]

Features:

• Glyph Interface - circular design around the rear cameras, 3 LED strips.
• The first phone series to introduce Essential Space featuring an Essential Key.
• Essential Search.