Why we chose UFS 2.2 - Phone (3a) Series
Ryan I have the Nothing Phone (1) and (2). Since my (3a Pro) is still on pre-order, I can’t compare them directly yet, but I definitely will once I get it. However, my friend has the (2a) UFS2.2 as well, which he bought on my recommendation — and it’s just awful. I feel so ashamed in front of him because of that. I just don’t want to compare the (1) and (2a), because that would be a fundamentally flawed comparison. MediaTek has a weaker UFS PHY to begin with (trust me, I’m a Linux developer — or at least consider how skillfully Raymond compares the UFS speed of the (3a) and Realme 11 Pro Plus with MediaTek).
All I’m saying is, it feels like the engineers at Nothing don’t actually use their budget devices in daily life. If they did, they’d never make these kinds of decisions. Or maybe the marketing team forced their hand—just to shave a few bucks off the production cost 
wow! Using NTFS on a phone is something new to my ears! Nice one Nothing team!
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_z_ I have already asked the same question few days back.
JeffreyRivera lmao, true 
VinayThakur_uWgnJHi4tw ,true , but then again the community would complain why was the uw camera removed
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I just think if they added ufs 3.1 then the cost would go up and every one will complain. If they want to reduce the price they will have to add bloatware and everyone will again complain about software not being clean and say things like, ''I expect to get a phone with no ads if I pay for it 
.." or something like that.
AND I don’t think they could remove the ultrawide like some people are saying lens cause I am pretty sure the cameras was there biggest focus on this phone.
And personally I am an np2a user and I don’t feel that much slowness or anything ( but I think my opinion in whether it is slow or not does not matter cause I have not used ufs3.1 sooo… I can’t actually tell the difference 
)
BUT I kinda think they should have added it in np3a pro. And I AM expecting it or something higher it on the np3.
I see a lot of cheapskates here. Buy a flagship if you need top tier specs. Phone 3 is coming this summer (assumably).
JIaxyga I agree and disagree with you.
Is the slowness you’re describing a result of the storage, or is it something else? eg. underpowered chipset or software issue? Where are these speed issues you mention occuring?
I genuinely say that using a CMF phone 1 and a Oppo Find x8 pro side by side (which I did do for a while as work and personal phones) there was no meaningful difference to me in operating speed in my day to day tasks. Obviously when I push the devices harder with more intensive loads the difference becomes apparent, but I’m talking day to day usage (emails, web browsing, messaging, camera). I’m a developer and IT professional by trade too and have extensive linux experience.
I’ll stand by my comment that for the average user the 3a will be a perfectly acceptable device. However, and this is a big however, I do not think the specifications of the device are good enough compared to the rest of their product range. A 10% performance increase over the CMF phone released nearly a year ago, that costs less than half of the price of this phone is unacceptable. When compared to the 3a pro the spec to price ratio is even worse.
It seems like to buy this phone the prospective customer must value aesthetics and material choices above all else.
Me personally, I’d prefer high performance in a cheap plastic housing. I don’t really care about the looks of the phone. My reason for interest with Nothing as a company is that I like their OS because it’s not bloated, I like the fact they allow me to unlock the bootloader, I like the underdog and I like their enthusiasm. The flashing lights and see through cases are of little interest to me but are part of the parcel.
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megatomic I bet that Phone 3 won’t be a true flagship, just as Phone 2 wasn’t. As expected, it’s powered by last year’s downgraded SoC, mid-range cameras, USB 2.0, lacks alt mode, and doesn’t support UFS 4.1 (apparently, we’ll be very lucky if they opt for UFS 3.1, xD). Also, judging by the rumors, it will feature a MediaTek INSTEAD SoC. As usual.
Phone 1 is the best device Nothing has produced so far, as it was an uncompromising mid-range offering, albeit pricier than its competitors. I’m waiting for a truly genuine, uncompromising flagship, no matter the price.
Ryan I agree with you but it’s exactly the point that a €459 phone (I mean, the 3a Pro) in 2025 is still using UFS2.2. This setup made sense for the budget segment back in the CMF 1 and maybe even in Phone 2a but neverless Phone 2a seems questionable already.
JIaxyga Phone (2) felt like a flagship, I used it for nearly 2 years now my son is using it. It was a wonderful experience. And once Nothing releases another update to work out any new device issues the Phone (3a) will also be wonderful to use (it mostly is already). You might consider just buying a Huawei or Iqoo or whatever Chinese spec warrior phone tickles your fancy and be done with it. And enjoy the crummy software.
megatomic I want both great software and great hardware. However, no manufacturer seems capable of delivering both at the same time. I’ve already mentioned that price is not an issue for me at all. Before Google Tensor, the Google Pixel looked outstanding. Google produced excellent flagships as well as a superb “a” series. Then I was won over by the Nothing Phone (1) – it was truly great. I was really looking forward to the Nothing Phone (2); I recall there were rumors it would be a flagship, which made me very excited. But in the end, we got what can only be described as a half-flagship.
And what now? The Phone (3a) series is completely baffling, and it looks like the Phone (3) will be an equally perplexing continuation of the Phone (2), in some ways even worse than its predecessor. I am very disappointed in Nothing.
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UFS for the win on CMF1 phone
Yes, it is possible to have models in between, as you say, with RAM between 8 and 12 GB, just as you have 128 and 256 GB of storage.The issue here is not the storage itself but the type of memory technology used, and companies are not going to bother giving a choice of total customization of the technologies used.Otherwise, you have to turn to other brands that allow you to customize the modules you want for your phone.
And besides, your expression “the customer is king” is an old principle which is not entirely valid. We should not forget to take the variations of the complete expression.And besides, your expression the customer is king is an old principle which is not entirely valid, we should not forget to take the variations of complete expression, “The customer is always right, as long as they are not wrong.”
Most companies now are more logical about, Most companies are now more logically focused on “valuing the customer, but also respecting employees and economic viability.”
Kiss the ring unless you want your post to be deleted, nobody wanna hear about hard truth
We welcome all types of feedback—positive or negative—as long as it’s respectful. Statements like “We are Indians, we know tech better than you Europeans…” are unhelpful and unnecessary because they make sweeping generalisations and dismiss other perspectives.
- I know that isn’t right but I wasn’t contextualising that part, but not to provide positive feedback even if it isn’t to be praised upon, I think you got the point