Nothing Phone (3a) vs Nothing Phone 3a (Pro): Does ‘Pro’ Make a Difference?

Both phones come with an introductory Rs 2,000 discount and an additional Rs 3,000 off on exchange.

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Design

Both Nothing phones retain Nothing’s semi-transparent design ethos, with an additional element: the Essential Key. This helps you take screenshots, record thoughts, and enter the Essential Space to store them.

The Phone (3a) Pro also has a new circular camera bump, which is large and protrudes visibly. The new look is refreshing, and the minimal Glyph lights add to the overall aesthetics. However, the phone feels hefty and attracts a lot of dust and smudges.

As for the Phone (3a), it looks a lot like the Phone (2a). However, it now has an extra camera, which makes the camera strip look a lot better. The design is polarising but hard to ignore. Nothing has nailed the weight distribution, and the best part? It hardly attracts dust and smudges.

While both retain the signature Nothing vibe, the Phone (3a) stands out for its lightweight design. The Phone (3a) Pro, on the other hand, offers a slight twist on this aesthetic.

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Display

Both phones are nearly identical in the display department, delivering sharp picture quality, vivid colors, and deep blacks. As a result, the viewing experience is enjoyable, and performance remains largely the same across both models.

The brightness levels are also adept at handling sunlight and indoor lighting well without causing discomfort in viewing the screen. So, it’s a tie here.

Sadly, there’s no HDR support, which would have otherwise made the experience better.

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Performance and Software

The new Nothing Phone (3a) phones get the same Snapdragon chipset, and here’s how both perform in benchmarks:

The score difference isn’t much, and the same story continues in everyday usage. The phones can handle all the daily tasks like social media usage, camera usage, and much more without breaking a sweat. Both can multitask effortlessly and flex their gaming muscles without causing noticeable heating issues or battery drain.

The devices have the same update cycle and Nothing OS version, and it’s safe to say it’s awesome. The UI is clean without the threat of bloatware, and the various customisation options make it a simple and exciting product at the same time.

The Essential Key may not be for everyone’s cup of tea, but it can help those who want a space to declutter their thoughts and put them in a safe place.

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Cameras

This is where the major difference lies; the Phone (3a) Pro brings the additional functionality of a periscope lens and a higher-resolution 50MP selfie shooter. Let’s look at their performance for a better understanding:

The Phone (3a) Pro’s periscope lens offers impressive results with its 3x optical zoom, but there’s some colour inconsistency. The primary camera offers great shots with vivid colours, and the ultra-wide lens is good. Although the edges feel a little stretched, there’s nothing major. The portrait mode and low-light photography are equally impressive and handle the colours well. However, the background blur can be inconsistent. The front camera does a fairly good job and shows the skin tones as they are.

Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Camera Samples

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The Phone (3a)’s camera arrangement is adequate to reproduce crisp photos with great colours. Bright colours appear poppy, and skin tones are mostly natural. The ultra-wide lens has a good field of view without causing grainy edges, and the telephoto lens can easily capture a distant object without hampering the colours and details much. The portraits and selfies turn out pretty good, and the low-light photography is handled well. That said, the camera app and the shutter button are buggy, which I hope gets resolved with a future update.

Nothing Phone (3a) Camera Samples

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Overall, both phones perform quite well and give tough competition to each other. While a periscope lens is a nice addition, the difference isn’t significant if there isn’t one available.

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Battery and Charging

The Phone (3a) and the Phone (3a) Pro have the same battery and charging speeds, but when it comes to the PCMark test, the former wins by a big difference, which is quite impressive. The Phone (3a) Pro, on the other hand, has faster charging speeds. That said, both phones do a great job in daily usage and can last up to a day.

Additionally, both phones come without an in-box charger, meaning you’ll need to spend extra for faster charging speeds

Nothing Phone (3a) vs Phone (3a) Pro: Verdict

Nothing has again brought good midrangers to the market that offer a distinctive design and appreciative performance. Both the Phone (3a) Pro and the Phone (3a) are great phones, but is the difference in price tags justified? I would say no.

The Phone (3a) is an equally good competitor with a highly impressive battery life. At a sub-Rs 25,000 price point, the product feels just right. The (3a) Pro feels like the company’s attempt to embrace the ‘Pro’ tag, however, this puts the phone in a weird spot. So, which one to buy?

If you have a budget of Rs 25,000, the Nothing Phone (3a) (review) is an awesome deal. But if you wish to have a periscope lens and more storage without worrying about shelling out extra money, the Phone (3a) Pro (review) would fit the bill!