Have you ever thought about how your situation drastically affects the smartphone you end up with?
Growing up in an upper-middle-class family, I’m glad that my dad is able to afford me a good sub-20K phone. I had been using the Motorola G54 for about two years, and my mom needed a new phone since her Motorola was even more outdated.
But all I had my eyes on was the new Nothing Phone 3a. I was hesitant to ask for it, since it does push beyond my 20K limit—but he agreed.
And a few weeks ago, I unboxed this pleasant-looking, beautiful blue phone.
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General Experience
Just going by the experience I’ve had so far, I can say it’s definitely one of the best in its league. The haptics feel great, and the software is really clean and customizable. However, I feel like some jargon can be removed in the upcoming Android 16, and I’d love to see more small widgets.
I do wish the phone was slightly smaller, but regardless, it feels good in hand. I’m using a transparent case anyway. I use a PD charger, but I’d love for Nothing to provide a proper charger within the box next time, so users feel like they’re getting more value.
The screen obviously feels amazing too. The color accuracy is nice, and content feels balanced with sharpness, softness, and contrast—pleasing to the eye. However, I hope the quality is better this time and it doesn’t sustain the quality flaws of the Nothing 2a.
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Cameras
I feel like cameras were a major focus of the 3a series. I’ve used the normal camera, people and objects as subjects, even the telephoto lens and some community presets too—and I must say, the cameras are pretty impressive for the price, especially the telephoto processing.
However, there are some easier steps and processes where I feel the phone can do better for this price. Obviously, most of it can be fixed through software.
I feel like the overall color accuracy and processing is great. I just wish that in normal non-retouched photos, it didn’t overprocess the colors on people’s faces. This issue isn’t apparent at all in normal lighting, but night is a different story.
Still, I enjoy having a great camera that I feel can compete with a lot of high-end flagships too.
I’ll be dropping some photo samples below.
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Chipset, Storage, and Performance
I’m not a heavy gamer, but in general, the daily performance is quite good. There’s no lag as of now, but I’ll be waiting to see how it holds up in the long term.
Light gaming, Snapseed processing, and file sharing are also really good. I played a bit of Call of Duty and Critical Ops, and the phone held up really well.
However, for any competitive or heavy gamer, they could look into phones in a similar price range where a better chipset might be offered with compromises in other areas.
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Other Features
If I’m being honest, I thought the Essential Space button would work great for me, but that wasn’t the case. I felt like the transcription can improve, and there should be options to directly open a Google Lens-like feature with a long press, instead of having to go through the camera and then record.
I do agree that it acts like our second memory, but I feel like the interconnection is lost.
But I must understand that right now it’s a beta feature, and I hope it caters to more types of users soon—such as those who would love to get more out of AI and camera. I’d love for it to be helpful during my university too.
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Battery Life
This is one of the main factors that puts me on edge. I love the battery life, but I feel like some days I have to charge it twice.
My usage consists of a bit of JioCinema/Hotstar, YouTube Shorts, Instagram, WhatsApp, some other apps, headphone listening, and music. It feels like the battery drains fast.
However, without the overcharging protection it lasts a day easily. However I hope the optimization improves a bit more over time, especially for content consumption.
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My Final Verdict
This phone isn’t trying to top any particular subject with a 90+. But it consistently brings 80+ in all areas, which makes it better for the long term and attractive to a LOT of users who might have to spend more for one feature but face heavy compromises in other areas.
So if there’s a user who’s into a bit of everything and wants a phone to use for 4–5 years, this is the perfect phone to buy for the perfect price.
Time will tell how my model performs, but I do feel like a company like Nothing will be there to solve any issues or problems that may persist. And that’s the kind of brand we must try to support.
