Hello community, I’m Debayan, a 1st year graduation student and a passionate photographer from Kolkata , India.Heres my Instagram , X/Twitter. I spent the past 14 days with the Nothing Phone (3a) as my primary device. Now let me share my experience with it after two weeks of real-world use. So, let’s dive into it!
Thank you so much @Deepanshu_Saini_ @Akis @Carl for giving me this opportunity.
Unboxing Experience:
The Nothing Phone (3a) comes with premium packaging materials, delivering a satisfying unboxing experience.
Inside the box:
Nothing Phone (3a)
Signature Nothing-style SIM ejector tool
Type-C to Type-C cable (sadly, missing the iconic transparency)
Quick Start Guide
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Design and Build Quality:
The Phone (3a) comes with a plastic frame, which doesn’t exactly offer the premium feel I was hoping for. But then comes the part that makes Nothing stand out — the iconic transparent glass-back panel and the glyph interface.
This phone has an IP64 rating, which adds to its durability. The trio glyph interface is simply great — especially the music visualization feature, which works pretty well. It’s definitely a phone that demands attention.
Okay, let me share a little story — during a solo photowalk at Asia’s largest flower market, a flower vendor noticed my phone and asked, “That’s the Nothing Phone 3, right?” I smiled and replied, “You missed an ‘a’ there 😂. The Phone (3) will be even more powerful and beautiful .”
That just shows how recognizable a Nothing phone is — even to people who aren’t into tech. The iconic designs really stands out.
Glyph Interface
The Glyph Interface is still one of the coolest things about Nothing phones, and the 3a nails it again. Features like music visualization are honestly one of my personal favorites — it just adds a vibe when you’re listening to music. Flip to Glyph, volume indicator, Glyph timer, camera countdown, and even the fill light feature — all of these aren’t just gimmicks, they’re genuinely useful once you start using them
It’s fun, functional, and still manages to grab attention every time. Definitely something that makes the 3a stand out in the crowd. And this is what grabs the attention of everyone.
Display
The AMOLED display on the Nothing Phone (3a) is actually pretty solid for this price segment. Colors look good, it’s sharp, and everything feels super smooth — especially while scrolling or watching content. It handles outdoor visibility decently too, though I did find myself wishing for a bit more brightness during some of my outdoor photowalks in harsh sunlight but atleast you can work. The bezels are a little thick — I just wish they were a bit slimmer
Here you can see how it looks in outdoor conditions.
Camera
Now lets talk about the camera. The Nothing Phone (3a) features a 50MP primary camera and a 50MP f/2.0 2x optical telephoto lens that can digitally zoom up to 30x. And honestly? The camera experience is amazing for this price point
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As a photographer, I’ve already recommended the 3a series to a few friends — one of them even went for the 3a Pro, which has a periscope lens. But sticking to the 3a, it definitely holds its own. During one of my photo walks, I captured a portrait of an American travel photographer who was visiting India — she was genuinely impressed with the results. That moment felt special
When it comes to video, it can shoot in 4K at 30fps and also offers 1080p at both 60fps and 30fps.
I tried out the slow-motion mode too, and it works pretty well. And the stability is also works fine. The front camera, though, could use a bit of improvement — photos sometimes come out slightly grainy, especially in low light.
Now, let’s talk about filters — I’m in love with that Eiffel filter. It gives such a nice look that you don’t even need to post-process the image. Just click and share
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The Food filter also works incredibly well — makes dishes pop without going overboard
One thing I do wish for, though, is a manual watermark option in the gallery. That would’ve been a sweet addition
Performance
The Nothing Phone (3a) handles day-to-day tasks really well. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which delivers a smooth experience overall. It uses UFS 2.2 storage, which can feel a bit limiting at times. You might notice some slight delays during heavy installs or file transfers, but it’s nothing deal-breaking
One thing I really liked is how well it manages heat. Even during long photowalks under 35+°C sun, using the camera continuously, the phone stayed surprisingly cool.I mean no major overheating issues so far, which is impressive
Battery and charging
The Nothing Phone (3a) packs a 5000mAh battery, and honestly, I never felt any battery issues during my 14 days of using it as my primary device.
Charging takes around 56 minutes to go from 0 to 100%, which is decent for this segment. Another thing I noticed — the phone doesn’t heat up while charging, which is always a plus
Final Thoughts
The Nothing Phone (3a) feels like a solid all-rounder under ₹25K — with a unique design, reliable performance, and a surprisingly good camera setup for photography lovers. There are a few areas to improve, but overall, it’s a phone that stands out and delivers where it matter
Now I’m super excited for the CMF Phone 2 Pro after using the Nothing Phone (3a) as my primary device for the past 14 days… are you also excited like me👀
Thanks For Reading
See you soon 🙂
