Considering that Nothing came from the same mind that gave us OnePlus, there’s very little surprise to be had in how different the company presents itself. It does a pretty good job of being eye-catching and unique in an industry where products are starting to look a bit too much like one another.
However, I don’t think being unique is actually hard, especially in terms of aesthetics. The hard part is being unique and actually looking good at the same time. For the most part, Nothing hasn’t had a problem with that. However, leaked renders (thanks, Android Headlines!) of the upcoming Nothing Phone 3a series have me a bit split.
The Nothing Phone 3a’s Design Is a Clear Upgrade From Its Predecessor
The Nothing Phone 2a had a pretty simple design, once you got past all the knick-knacks that make a Nothing Phone what it is. The camera module was a simple, centrally-placed, horizontal setup. I personally prefer it to what you see on the Nothing Phone 2, which just seemed a lot more mundane in comparison. The Nothing Phone 3a is expected on March 4th, and fortunately, it doesn’t stray too far from the design of the Nothing Phone 2a.
The front sides of most phones look the same these days, so there’s nothing to really dissect over there. The back of the phone is where you’ll find its visual DNA. In the case of the upcoming Nothing Phone 3a, we see that it maintains the horizontal camera alignment, though with three cameras this time, placed in a little mound. Glyph lights form the idea of a circle around the cameras.
Of course, the whole “exposed hardware” look continues on from last year (and the year before)—that’s part of what makes Nothing the company that it is. The device is going to be available in black and white colorways.
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro Is Drastically Different, and I’m Not a Fan
Sometime after the Nothing Phone 2a launched, four months or so, Nothing introduced the Nothing Phone 2a Plus. That was a bit of a surprise because I personally hadn’t heard any whispers about the device, and the regular Phone 2a was big enough that I wondered what a “Plus” model could add to the table. It seems that an analog to that device will come this year, but it will be called the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, which I think is more apt.
Unfortunately, with the renders of the Phone 3a Pro that have just leaked, I have to say that I am not a fan of the design of the phone. The 2a Plus basically had the same look as the “smaller” model, but in this case, Nothing made things a bit too unique. I’ll say it: I think the Phone 3a Pro is rather ugly.
The camera lenses seem to be doing whatever they want, and while I can see a rough L-shape to them, the offset flash ruins any form of symmetry. Their upper-left placement in the circular module doesn’t help either. The rest of the package is pretty standard for Nothing, but I think I’m going to find a lot of people who don’t like the cameras as much as me. The device will be available in black and grey.
