Nothing Phone (3a) is the latest addition to the company’s smartphone portfolio, and it brings meaningful upgrades over its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (2a). The newer model also follows Nothing’s design language with a transparent back and Glyph light. However, it also brings a faster Snapdragon chipset, a slightly bigger and better display, and faster charging.
The Nothing Phone (2a) is still a compelling mid-range smartphone at a lower price point. But does the Nothing Phone (3a) bring enough upgrades to justify the extra cost, or is the Phone (2a) still a strong contender in the mid-range market?
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Design and build
The Nothing Phone (3a) maintains the company’s signature transparent aesthetics that instantly sets you apart from the crowd. The phone still has three LED strips on the back that light up in different ways to tell you about incoming notifications, calls, charging progress, and volume levels. You can also use it as a fill light for photography and a countdown timer. What’s different is an additional camera on the rear side. The Phone (3a) is, in fact, the first company’s first phone to have a triple rear camera setup.
The Phone (3a) brings an additional “Essential key” below the power button on the right side. It’s placed in a weird position as you may sometimes mistake it for the power key, though it’s better than not having it as it lets you: take screen (single press), record an audio note (long press), and open a new Essential Space (double press).
The (3a) also bumps the IP rating to IP64 (vs. IP54 on the Phone (2a)). This means the former has better dust protection, though the water resistance level remains the same — both can only survive water splashes.
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Display
The newer model has a 6.77-inch screen, which is slightly bigger than the Phone (2a)’s 6.7-inch. It’s still an AMOLED screen with the same resolution and 120Hz refresh rate support. However, the (3a) can get much brighter with a peak brightness of 3000nits (vs. 1300nits on its predecessor).
The optical fingerprint sensor works similarly as last year’s — it can feel a bit slow sometimes but is accurate. Overall, both phones have excellent screens, the only major difference being the peak brightness.
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Camera
The biggest upgrade for Nothing Phone (3a) is the new 50MP telephoto camera, which we don’t see on budget phones (including the (2a)). That’s a nice addition, which should greatly improve the zoom quality in photos and videos. So, you can now capture up to 8X zoom shots with more details than before.
The primary camera is still the same 50MP, but the ultrawide sensor is downgraded to 8MP.
The zoom performance is where you’ll see the difference; otherwise, the camera performance is similar on both phones.
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Performance & software
The Nothing Phone (2a) features a customized Dimensity 7200 Pro that delivers better performance and efficiency than the regular Dimensity 7200. It works fine and delivers smooth performance. However, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 inside the Nothing Phone (3a) is a step forward.
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 delivers better CPU as well as graphics performance. While the difference isn’t massive, the overall software experience feels smoother. Here are the benchmarking numbers from AnTuTu and Geekbench.
AnTuTu (v10) score:
| Phone (3a) | Phone (2a) | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 816,429 | 708,492 |
| CPU | 267,405 | 222,200 |
| GPU | 206,452 | 181,842 |
| Memory | 174,623 | 134,512 |
| UX | 167,950 | 169,938 |
Geekbench (v6) score:
| Phone (3a) | Phone (2a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Single core | 1,182 | 1,134 |
| Multi core | 3,317 | 2,603 |
Talking about the software, both Nothing phones will get three years of OS updates. It’s decent for mid-range phones but not as good as other brands like Samsung and Google. You should also note that while the (3a) will receive OS updates up to Android 17, the (3a) will also get Android 18 because the newer model ships with Android 15 out of the box.
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Battery & charging
The Phone (3a) houses the same 5,000mAh battery as the Nothing Phone (2a), but that doesn’t make them last for the same number of hours. Thanks to the more efficient Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, the Phone (3a) gives you at least one hour of extended usage. With web browsing, you can get up to three hours of extra battery life on the newer model.
The charging speed also gets a slight upgrade, jumping from 45W to 50W. Unfortunately, neither phone has wireless charging support.
Also read: Nothing vs POCO: Which Smartphone Brand Offers the Better Value in 2025?
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Spec sheet
| Nothing Phone (3a) | Nothing Phone (2a) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions Weight | 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.4 mm 201 g | 161.7 x 76.3 x 8.6 mm 190 g |
| Display | 6.77″ AMOLED 1080 x 2392 pixels resolution 120Hz refresh rate, 3000nits (peak) | 6.7″ AMOLED 1080 x 2412 pixels resolution 120Hz refresh rate, 1300nits (peak) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | Dimensity 7200 Pro |
| Software | Android 15 3 OS upgrades | Android 14 3 OS upgrades |
| Rear camera | 50MP (primary) – f/1.9, PDAF, OIS 50MP (telephoto) – f/2.0, 2x optical zoom 8MP (ultrawide) – f/2.2, 120° FOV video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 50MP (primary) – f/1.9, PDAF, OIS 50MP (ultrawide) – f/2.2, 114° FOV video: 4K@30fps, 1080p60fps |
| Front camera | 32MP – f/2.2 video: 1080p@30fps | 32MP – f/2.2 video: 1080p@60fps |
| Battery Charging | 5,000mAh 50W (wired) | 5,000mAh 45W (wired) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.4 USB Type-C 2.0 | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Misc | Stereo speakers under-display fingerprint scanner | Stereo speakers under-display fingerprint scanner |
Nothing Phone (3a) vs (2a): Conclusion
Nothing Phone (3a) is an excellent mid-range phone and a nice upgrade over the Phone (2a). While the new telephoto camera is the biggest upgrade, the phone also brings a better IP rating for dust protection, a more powerful and efficient chipset, and faster charging support. The display also gets slightly bigger with a big bump to the peak brightness, making the content more visible outdoors.
There’s also a new “Essential Key” right below the power button. You know where Nothing got this inspiration from. Anyway, it’s nice to have extra shortcut keys.
| Preview | Product | |
|---|---|---|
|
Nothing Phone (2a) 5G (Black, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage) | 6.7″ Flexible AMOLED Display | 50MP (OIS) +… | Check Price on Amazon |
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Also read:
1. Nothing Phone 3a vs Phone 3a Pro: Which One Should You Choose?
2. Is Nothing Phone (3a) Pro really better than Samsung Galaxy A56?
3. Nothing Phone (3a) Pro vs Redmi Note 14 Pro+: Which offers the better value?
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