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SpecEagle review · Nothing

Nothing Phone (3a) review: The Glyph mid-ranger gains a real telephoto and the Essential Key.

SpecEagle Editorial·Mar 2025·$379
Overall
74/100
Class rank
#2 of 6
Tier
Mid-range
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

Personality as a spec.

Phone (3a) wins the segment's software war outright and backs it with a real telephoto — two things $379 rarely buys together. The weatherproofing and glass are where Nothing saved; for most buyers the trade reads as fair.

01Display

78/100

78/100 trails the 82-point cohort average for mid-range phones of 2025.

TypeAMOLED, 120 Hz, 3,000 nits peak
Size6.77 inches
Resolution2,392 × 1,080 px (FHD+)
GlassPanda Glass

02Camera

74/100

74/100 — right at the average for mid-range phones of 2025.

Main50 MP, f/1.9 (Samsung GN9), OIS
Telephoto50 MP, 2× optical
Ultrawide8 MP
Selfie32 MP

03Performance

66/100

66/100 trails the 71-point cohort average for mid-range phones of 2025.

ChipsetSnapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm)
RAM8 / 12 GB
Storage128 / 256 GB

04Battery

76/100

76/100 trails the 79-point cohort average for mid-range phones of 2025.

Capacity5,000 mAh
Wired50 W

05Build

78/100

78/100 — right at the average for mid-range phones of 2025.

06Value

80/100

80/100 trails the 83-point cohort average for mid-range phones of 2025.

What works
  • 2× telephoto at $379.
  • Nothing OS — cleanest Android skin in the class.
  • Glyph interface + Essential Key feel genuinely different.
  • 6 years of security patches.
What doesn't
  • IP64 while rivals hit IP68.
  • Panda Glass scratches easier than Gorilla.
  • 7s Gen 3 is mid-pack for games.
  • No charger in box.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 6-phone cohort of mid-range devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .