Nothing has just announced its new Nothing Phone 3a collection at MWC 2025, which includes the budget-friendly Nothing Phone 3a and slightly pricier Phone 3a Pro.
Considering the 2023 Nothing Phone 2 earned a 4.5-star rating and was hailed by us as a “great performer that looks different to practically every other phone around”, how does the new Nothing Phone 3a compare?
We’ve compared the initial specs of the Nothing Phone 3a to the Nothing Phone 2 and highlighted the main differences between the two. Keep reading to see whether you should upgrade in Nothing Phone 3a vs Nothing Phone 2.
Pricing and Availability
Available in three colours, the Nothing Phone 3a has a starting RRP of £329 for its 8GB and 128GB handset.
In comparison, the Nothing Phone 2 is considerably more expensive, with a current starting RRP of £579. However, as it’s the older of the two, you are more likely to find a deal for the Nothing Phone 2.
Nothing Phone 3a runs on Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
Although both Nothing Phones run on Qualcomm chipsets, they differ with the generation used. While the Nothing Phone 3a runs on the 2024 Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, the Nothing Phone 2 instead relies on the older Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.
Nothing promises the Nothing Phone 3a’s processor results in “up to 33% faster CPU” than last year’s Nothing Phone 2a and is “up to 92% better” at processor AI tasks, which makes it more “future-proofed”.
Despite being the older chipset of the two, we still found the Nothing Phone 2’s performance to be “very capable” and delivered “top-notch everyday performance […] at a rapid pace”. We even found high-end gaming titles like Call of Duty Mobile ran well, although it did have a tendency to overheat after a while, so dedicated gamers might be better off looking at our best gaming phones list instead.
Nothing Phone 3a has three rear cameras
The Nothing Phone 3a is made up with a total of four cameras, which includes a 32MP front camera. Flip the phone over and you’ll find three rear lenses: a 50MP main, 50MP telephoto and 8MP ultrawide.
Nothing explains its 50MP telephoto lens has a 2x optical reach for “quality zoom” and enables up to 4x lossless in-sensor zoom. It’s worth noting that when comparing the Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs Nothing Phone 3a, the former offers double the lossless zoom.
The Nothing Phone 2 instead has two rear sensors, a 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide. We found the lenses could deliver a solid photo in most conditions, especially in well-lit environments where “snaps are detailed, vivid and packed with light”.
Having said that, we did find the camera was let down in low-light conditions so it’s perhaps not the most reliable snapper around.
Otherwise, the Nothing Phone 2 shares the same 32MP selfie lens as the Nothing Phone 3a, which is sufficient for video calls and selfies, but we did find shots came out as slightly soft.
Nothing Phone 3a has an IP64 rating
Compared to most of the best smartphones and the OnePlus 13 which sports a whopping IP69 rating, neither Nothing Phone boasts a particularly high IP rating. The Nothing Phone 2 has a rating of IP54, which means it’s protected from “limited amounts of dust and splashes of water from all directions.”
It’s worth mentioning that the Nothing Phone 2’s low IP rating is quite rare in smartphones, as most flagships sport a mightier IP68 instead.
The Nothing Phone 3a has a slightly higher rating of IP64, which means the phone is dust-tight but is only protected from water splashes “from all directions”.
Essentially, while both phones can be used outside, they can only really withstand a few drops of rain and should not be submerged in water, even temporarily.
Nothing Phone 3a has a larger battery
With a 5000mAh battery, the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro both boast among the largest capacities found in any Nothing phone. Nothing explains this battery, combined with the efficient Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, can deliver up to two days of use on a full charge.
The Nothing Phone 2 has a smaller battery capacity at 4700mAh. Having said that, we still found the phone was able to power through an 18-hour day which included lots of social media use, phone calls, music playback and taking photos. In fact, the handset ended the day with 35% remaining.
With this in mind, we can expect the Nothing Phone 3a to boast an improved battery life to the Phone 2, but we’ll have to wait and see for this.
Nothing Phone 3a has the Essential Key button
A new addition to the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro is the Essential Key button. Found on the right hand side of both new phones, pressing the button acts as a shortcut to Nothing’s new AI hub, Essential Space, and more.
Speaking of Essential Space, the AI toolkit is currently limited to just the Phone 3a series and acts as a home for your notes, ideas and “inspirations”. Nothing promises the space will take the “friction out of logging and recalling content”, much like the Pixel Screenshots app.
At the time of writing, Nothing hasn’t officially confirmed when Essential Space will be available on the Nothing Phone 2.
Early Verdict
With a powerful chipset, a 50MP telephoto lens and the brand new Essential Key button, the Nothing Phone 3a is an exciting new addition to the Nothing Phone series. Considering it’s cheaper than the Nothing Phone 2, even at this early stage it’s an easy phone to recommend for anyone deciding between the two.
Having said that, as you can pick up the Nothing Phone 2 at a discounted price and it’s still a solid all-rounder, it might not be worth upgrading just yet.
We’ll be sure to update this review once we’ve tested the Nothing Phone 3a.
