Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro Review: Budget Excellence

I’ve not had many issues with performance. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 inside feels snappy almost everywhere. In the camera app, you may see some stutters or shutter lag, and that’s the only area where I felt that this phone was equipped with a midrange processor. In all other respects, it feels just as powerful as a flagship, though intensive games like Genshin Impact may not offer the highest graphics fidelity.

I’m glad to see Nothing stuff 256 GB of storage in here—it’s high time phone manufacturers started making this the default. Nothing has also beefed up the software update policy with three Android OS updates and 6 years of security updates, which is respectable, though Samsung is promising 6 years total for both on its new Galaxy A series phones. Nothing will argue that Samsung is a megacorp while it is a lowly startup. Fair. I’m just glad to see these companies increasing software support every year.

My only complaints are the lack of an IP68 rating and wireless charging. Motorola just debuted its budget Moto G Power of 2025 a few weeks ago, and it sports an IP68 rating for the first time, not to mention it can wirelessly charge. The IP64 rating on the Nothing phones means they will be fine in the rain, but you can’t submerge them underwater, so be careful around the pool. It’s hard to ding the company too harshly for wireless charging as it’s still not too common on sub-$500 phones, but that certainly seems to be changing. Something to consider for the Phone (4a).

The Glyph lights remain on the back. I still like these LEDs—they can light up to music, notifications, show the remaining time left on a timer, and more. Do I find them tremendously useful? No, but they’re a fun touch that add a bit of levity. It’s a conversation starter.

Thoughtful AI Touches

There is a new button on the Phone (3a) series: the Essential Key. (Of no relation to the infamous Essential Phone.) Tap it once, and it will capture your screen and let you add a voice or text note to it. This will be analyzed in the Essential Space app via artificial intelligence, extracting any useful information out of the screenshot. It’s similar to Google’s Pixel Screenshots app, except you can infuse your notes. You can also press and hold the button to record a voice note—these are analyzed and stored as memories, so you can come back to them later. If it detects you wanted to act on something, it’ll generate a task. A double-tap of the button opens the Essential Space app.

Compared to how every other smartphone maker seems to be shoving the same generic AI features down our throats—AI transcribing! Writing tools! Summaries!—Nothing’s approach here is at least different. Initially, it took me some time to start using the feature. I ended up accidentally pressing the button a few too many times because it’s close to the power button (a textured button would’ve been smart). But now I’m slowly starting to press it down and record a quick voice note of something I want to remember or accomplish later on.

The Essential Key sits right below the power button.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

There’s also a new Essential Space widget.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

These memories are transcribed, summarized, with tasks created on my behalf if that’s what I wanted. I can also play my audio clip and hear myself directly. This is paired with an Essential Space widget, which is crucial in reminding me about these tasks and memories.

This is Nothing’s first real AI rodeo, and I had some qualms about the security and privacy of all these personal notes I’m creating, so here are some answers: Nothing says most of the data in Essential Space is stored on your device, like the audio data that’s converted to text. For the text and screenshot processing, this data is sent to Nothing’s servers (in France for global users, India for Indian users) and subsequently deleted. Some other data is also uploaded to “improve processing accuracy,” like time, time zone, and location data, though this isn’t stored. Nothing says this data is not used for advertising and is not shared with third parties “beyond the scope of the service request.” That last bit refers to the third-party companies Nothing works with to enable Nothing AI’s functionality, though the company declined to share exactly who its partners are.

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