For the last two months, I have been looking for a phone with an SD card slot to address a common problem I have: running out of space due to the high number of FLAC files and photos I have taken. I was seriously considering going for a Sony phone; however, I find them expensive for what they are, and their 2010s aesthetic doesn't convince me at all. I was also considering the CMF phone 2 Pro; however, the look didn't convince me at all since its plastic cover makes it feel cheap (at least in the photos, you are more than welcome to disagree, but that's my opinion). Coming from a Pixel 7 (and as a former iPhone user), I was looking to switch to something that had that same "premium feeling" and clean software experience. So, the Nothing phone 3a lite appeared as a nice solution to all my issues. So, I decided to wake up very early in the morning, commuting from Cambridge to London and queuing for the drop off of the new phone.
Aesthetics and feelings
I first switched from my iPhone 6S to a Xiaomi 10T by the end of 2020. I wanted to try a more "advanced" phone in terms of specs and technology. However, the phone gave me "cheap vibes" despite being by far more advanced in everything; I didn't feel it as an upgrade. Then I got my Pixel 7 in late 2022. While it gave "premium" feelings, I didn't like it at all aesthetically.
This phone is beautiful! It feels significantly more expensive than it actually is. It gave me a lot of good impressions in hand. I realised that many people were looking at my phone when I took pictures in the street. This had never happened to me before, so I give extra points for that.
Software experience
Coming from a Pixel phone, the transition was flawless. Clean software with personality. This is my first Nothing phone, and I like the experience. I'm getting a lot.
This might sound polemic, but I didn't feel bothered by the pre-installed apps. I already use Instagram and X, so I will download it anyway lol. I don't use Facebook, so I just uninstalled it.
BUT I hated seeing ads on the lock screen. This gave me a terrible initial impression and triggered war flashbacks when I had a Xiaomi. It was not a big deal to deactivate this function, but still, I'm describing my initial feelings.
Camera
I have a strong opinion regarding phone cameras...
If you like to take pictures, BUY A CAMERA!!
"Uhh, but buying a camera is expensive!!"
I purchased a used Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II (released in 2014) on eBay for approximately £ 300. I also purchased a TTartisan 25mm lens for around £ 50. Despite this low-budget setup, I was able to take this picture at challenging low-light conditions with objects in constant movement:
You can buy a decent camera with some used lenses (or cheap new ones) for £400 and still easily beat any flagship phone on the market.
"Uhh, but it is hard to learn how to use a camera..."
I started taking photos with this camera 3 months ago. I'm far from being called a professional. Despite that, I used to take a lot of pictures with my phone anyway (the reason I got a Pixel back in 2022), so it wasn't hard to see a couple of YouTube videos and learn how to use my Olympus. You can see more of my pictures on Instagram (@luis_gv467) and judge for yourself. My Instagram is not private, so feel free to stalk I guess (?).
That being said, I no longer care much about the cameras on my phone. However, if I forget my camera (or something unexpected happens during my day and I need to take good pictures), I still find the camera on this phone usable.
I took these photos using the native camera app on expert/manual mode. I slightly edited these raw photos on Lightroom.
Despite taking these photos in such complex light situations, the sensor is still capable of capturing enough information, making it easy to edit the photos and capture meaningful images. Again, I wouldn't buy this phone for its camera and use it for my trips, but that's not the point here.
Sound
It only has one speaker, but to be honest, I don't care. I usually use headphones or earbuds when listening to music, so I don't care that much.
HOWEVER, I'm upset by the fact that you can't use (at least properly) DACs. I tried using my HiBY FC1 DAC with my Sony MDR-7506 or my Sennheiser HD599SE, but the sound was not coming out. I tried it with another DAC (HiBy W3 II), and I got choppy sound. I tried my in-ear HIDIZS ST2 PRO Nebula, which comes with an attached DAC, and it worked perfectly. I guess the high impedance of the headphones made it impossible to reproduce any sound from the Nothing phone, but it bothers me that this was not an issue with my Pixel 7.
The primary reason I wanted this phone was to store high-quality FLAC files on my SD card. The fact that I can't use my wired headphones gives me a bittersweet feeling. I hope they can fix this issue at some point.
Performance
I'm not a gamer, so I don't care about having the strongest chipset on the market. The phone doesn't have any issues when using casual social media apps such as Instagram, X, etc. However, I feel some lag when using Lightroom. It is not a deal breaker, but it is something to consider.
Screen
Nice experience. I realised that my Pixel 7 phone gives stronger and deeper blacks compared to the Nothing Phone; however, I don't care that much about that. I'm not feeling that I'm transitioning from a premium phone to a cheaper one. On the contrary, the fact that I now have even vessels gives me a better "premium" feeling, despite being an entry-level budget phone.
Battery
I'm not a heavy user, but overall the battery experience has been good. I still need to test this device for a more extended period, but many tech reviewers have reported no issues with it so far. Let's see how this phone still holds up. I manually adjusted the maximum charge to 90% to see if this improves the battery's health in the long run. Only time will tell if this action is meaningful.
Final thoughts
I was never expecting Nothing to release a Nothing phone with an SD card slot. If the regular Nothing Phone 3a, 3a pro or even 3 had an SD card slot, I might give them a try. Despite being my first time testing an entry-level budget phone, I'm not missing anything important. I can confidently use this phone as my dayly driver.
Again, the ability to upgrade my storage at any point, if I need more space, is invaluable. I wish phones had never lost the SD card slot. Technology should give us freedom and enhance our quality of life, not enslave us to upgrade phones every X number of years to make a profit without considering the user.
If you are looking for a phone with an SD card slot at a reasonable price that is not ugly, this is basically the only option in the market (along with the CMF phone 2 pro, but again, not my cup of tea).
I'm not a tech reviewer nor anything like that, but I find this device really interesting. I'll try to give another update in a few months if I'm not dying while writing my PhD thesis.
