The short version

Key points

  • The 6.77-inch LTPO AMOLED display supports a 30Hz to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and is highly visible in bright sunlight.
  • The 50MP main camera and 50MP periscope telephoto produce strong results, while the 8MP ultrawide is noticeably weaker.
  • The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage provide smooth everyday performance.
  • Glyph lights offer notification, fill-light and face-down phone features, but are more useful as a distinctive extra than an essential feature.
  • The Essential Key and Essential Space are interesting ideas but feel limited, while wireless charging is absent.

Design and Glyph lighting

The Nothing Phone 3a Pro continues the brand’s transparent-back design, with visible internal details, a flat aluminium frame and a large circular camera island. The black version reviewed has a premium appearance, while a grey version is also available. At 211 grams, the phone is noticeable in the hand, although it is not described as bulky. The large camera bump affects the balance when the phone is held in portrait orientation.

The Glyph LED lights wrap around the camera module and can flash for calls, pulse for notifications, work as a fill light, visualise music and count down timers when the phone is face down. They add personality and can be useful, particularly for notifications and as a distributed light source for photos or video. The phone has an IP64 rating, meaning it is protected against splashes but is not intended for submersion.

Display and cameras

The 6.77-inch flat AMOLED display has a 1080p resolution, HDR10 Plus support and an adaptive refresh rate from 30Hz to 120Hz. Text and video appear crisp, with vibrant colours and deep blacks. The display is also very bright; during use in Perth’s midday sun, it remained easy to see and was described as slightly brighter than the reviewer’s flagship iPhone in a side-by-side comparison.

The triple rear camera system consists of a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation, a 50MP periscope telephoto and an 8MP ultrawide. The main camera produces sharp, vibrant images with solid dynamic range in daylight, while night shots remain bright and detailed. The periscope camera provides 3x optical zoom, 6x lossless hybrid zoom and up to 60x digital zoom. Results remain surprisingly sharp at 3x and 10x, although quality falls at higher levels. The ultrawide is usable in good light but is softer and loses detail more quickly, particularly at night.

The 50MP selfie camera records 4K video at 30 frames per second and delivers sharp results at arm’s length. The Glyph lighting can also provide a softer fill light for video or portraits in dim rooms.

Performance, software and storage

The phone uses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Everyday performance is smooth, with quick app launches and effective multitasking. Casual and mid-tier games run well, while demanding titles such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty at maximum settings can produce heat and occasional frame drops. The phone is not positioned as a hardcore gaming or 4K video-editing device.

Nothing OS is clean and lightweight, with no noted bloatware or unnecessary background processes. The phone supports 5G sub-6, including Australian bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 and eSIM alongside a physical SIM. Storage cannot be expanded with a microSD card.

Essential Key and charging

The Essential Key sits below the power button. A tap takes a screenshot, a long press records a voice note and a double press opens Essential Space. The feature is intended to capture information and use AI to organise it, but it cannot be remapped and its current functions are limited. The button’s position also makes accidental presses possible.

Flip to Glyph is a more practical feature. Placing the phone face down silences alerts except for whitelisted contacts, which can then trigger a gentle light pulse. The phone supports 50W wired charging and reached full charge in just under an hour when used with a compatible 65W USB PD charger. A charger is not included, and wireless charging is unavailable.

TechManPat’s conclusion

I found the Nothing Phone 3a Pro to be greater than the sum of its parts and genuinely enjoyable to use. The Essential Key does not fully deliver on its promise, and the lack of wireless charging is disappointing, but neither is a deal breaker for me. For $849, I think Nothing has delivered a well-rounded phone with real personality that feels like good value for the money.
Source note

This knowledge-centre summary is based on the linked TechManPat video and reflects the information available when it was published. Check current pricing, availability and policies before acting.