First of all, I am truly grateful to get my hands on the new nothing phone 3(a) Pro. So thank you team, it was a pleasure putting the phone to test.
I have been using the phone since the past week and here are my first impressions and quick review.
Packaging & Unboxing
Usually Packaging & Unboxing are not part of reviews but it would have been unfair if I did not include as it was such an exciting experience. Reminds me of the time when we were kids and got our first video game! The packaging is compact & premium and everything is well placed inside.
Build Quality
The Nothing phone 3(a) Pro continues the brand’s signature semi-transparent aesthetic industrial design. The device is sandwiched between two glass panels and matte plastic finish on the sides ensuring a comfortable grip. The bezels are quite thin and uniform thanks to the flexible panel along with 3 glyph zones at the back. The volume buttons are on the left and the power button and the shiny essential key on the right. The camera bump is slightly larger on the Pro but it helps to hold the phone preventing it from slipping away. The phone is 211 grams but doesn’t feel like it as it is quite balanced. The grey variant looks like a phone from the future and it’s truly gorgeous.
Performance
Under the hood, the Phone 3(a) Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor (4nm) promising a seamless and lag-free experience for multitasking and gaming. I’m not much into gaming but tried a few games and it runs quite well without any stutter or lags. I did not encounter any heating issues as of now. The Nothing OS helps it as well but more on the software later!
Cameras
The triple-camera setup on the Pro includes a 50MP primary sensor, 50MP telephoto sensor and the 8 MP ultrawide. The Periscope lens is excellent for portraits and macro photography and gives astonishing results. Th 3x/6x zoom works wonder if you’re into macro photography. The primary camera works great as well giving out great details,accurate colors and no shutter lag in good lighting conditions. The phone 3(a) Pro also does not disappoint in low light conditions as the sensors capture enough light with no grainy images. The ultrawide lens does it’s job most of the times but it struggles in some cases and could’ve been better.
The video quality is fair and the stabilization is on point. I shot some videos while riding a bicycle and it came out really well. The pro also comes with a 50 MP front camera and the images are crisp and up to the mark. The presets are a great addition to the 3(a) series and the camera interface is quick, easy to use and provide all the tools I require. There’s a lot more to talk about the camera which I’ll share in a detailed camera review later but overall the cameras and the processing on the phone are impressive! Here are some shots I clicked on the Phone 3a pro -
Battery and Charging
The phone comes with a 5,000mAh battery with 50 W fast charging support which easily lasts 2 days with regular usage. It charges 50% in 19 minutes, 100 % in 56 minutes. During the test period I never charged my device more than once a day even with heavy usage so the backup is quite good. No heating issues encountered while charging the phone.
Software
The Nothing OS 3.1 is clean, quick and reliable and probably my favourite thing about the Nothing Phones. It is a perfect balance of minimalism and utility. The attention to detail is what I love about OS and the monochrome icons feels less intrusive and keeps me away from addictive apps and games. The folders on the homescreen keeps it clutter free and the widgets helps me check things in a glance. My personal favourites are the photo widget, pedometer, screentime and the calendar. The animations are smooth and it feels light in day to day interactions. The essential key is a new addition. I’m yet to get a hang of it but I tend to forget stuff a lot so I guess it will be useful for me once I start using it full fledged. Overall the software experience on the phone is top notch, Hat’s off the team!
If you’re looking for an aesthetic, feature-packed smartphone with a focus on design and user experience along a powerful camera setup and a solid battery life the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is for you.
Hope this helps!
