Budget or inexpensive phones usually fail to perform well. They have poor cameras and they look boring. Nothing’s latest smartphone — the Phone (3a) Lite — tries to change the reputation of budget phones and fixes most of the trademark flaws.
The design of the phone will catch your attention, whether you like it or not. Nothing has gone with a design language that leaves the audience divided. We usually look for elements in the design that add to symmetry but that’s not the case here.
On the bottom of the phone, you get a single glyph LED. It’s surprising to see how earlier Nothing phones had plenty of LED glyphs to the point the brand had become synonymous with the design, but on the Lite, it’s just down to one small LED light.
The dot glows for calls, notifications as well as for essential notifications. What is great to see here is glass on the back of an inexpensive phone, giving a sort of premium feel. Needless to say, the frame is made of polycarbonate. On the right is the Essential button, next to the power button. On the left are the volume rockers. Nothing has given Panda Glass protection to protect the device from accidental drops. Also, there is an IP54 rating for splashes. Despite grumbling about the design language, one thing is for sure: If you have this in your hand, people will realise it’s a Nothing phone and not one from any of the other Android brands. Well played, Nothing.
It feels like a Nothing phone
Nothing has gone with a 6.77-inch FHD+ Flexible AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. Using the phone outdoors has not been a problem.
The phone has a 5,000mAh battery, which easily lasts more than a day on a single charge. There is even support for 33W fast-charging, so it will take around 40-45 minutes to juice up. Plus, there is 5W reverse charging, helping to charge wireless buds or a smartwatch.
Be it display or battery, the phone scores high, which can also be said for the software. Nothing OS 3.5 on top of Android 15 offers a clean experience and there is the promise of more upgrades.
Nothing has been consistent with updates. Having a smart app drawer, you can automatically see apps appearing in groups, so entertainment apps stay together and productivity apps follow a similar logic. There is something called App Locker to lock apps and unlock them with authentication. It’s a good way to protect apps like Instagram.
Another good feature is Essential Space. While scrolling online, if you find something interesting, press the Essential button and the matter gets saved, so later on when you search for it, just double-tap the Essential button to bring up whatever is important to you.
Even the widgets are well planned out. As developers easily come up with new widgets, users will stay engaged. In terms of updates, you get three years of software updates and six years of security updates. And there are very third-party apps that come installed, like Instagram and Facebook, which can be uninstalled. The feel of Nothing phones has been retained.
Processing and camera
In terms of processor, there is MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor with 8GB RAM and two storage variants — 128GB and 256GB (both UFS 2.2). Whatever benchmarks you run, you will find there is very little overheating.
Playing a game like Battlegrounds Mobile India is also possible, offering a smooth graphics experience. The FPS may fluctuate but given the price range, it’s all good.
Cameras? There are three — 50MP EIS main, 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro. Given enough light, photos are acceptable… actually, more than acceptable. Colours and skin tones are more or less consistent. In portrait mode, edge detection can be uneven. In ultra-wide, colours are consistent but at night, photos can lose details. Selfies, too, are decent. In videos, you can shoot 4K@30fps but on the front camera, it’s 1080pm@60fps. Nothing will keep releasing updates to fine-tune the camera.
Make the call
For a moment, forget the design elements. If you want a phone that offers no-nonsense performance, especially in the software department, Nothing has done a good job.
It’s not the cheapest of budget phones, yet it’s sensibly priced and most users would be able to make the device work for a couple of years. If you are on a budget, you can also take a look at CMF phones from Nothing. It proves that you don’t need to make compromises even when you are buying an inexpensive smartphone. At the same time, one gets the feeling that the price tag may start a competition between Nothing and CMF. Nonetheless, Nothing Phone (3a) Lite manages to set a new budget standard.
At a glance
Device: Nothing Phone (3a) Lite
Price: ₹20,999
High notes
Distinctive Nothing design
Bright 120Hz AMOLED display
Long-lasting 5,000mAh battery
Fast 33W charging; reverse wireless charging
Clean Nothing OS 3.5
Three years of software updates; six years of security patches
Smooth performance for the price
Muffled notes
Glyph LED down to its minimum
When setting up the phone, it needs a physical SIM card for authentication; makes it difficult for those who already have eSIM