Nothing Phone 3a

At Rs. 159,899, the Nothing Phone 3a sells on experience rather than raw power. You get a bright 6.77-inch AMOLED screen, a glass back, IP64 splash protection, stereo speakers, a 2x telephoto camera, a 5000 mAh battery and some of the smoothest software on any Android phone at this price.

Main drawbacks: a mid-range chip, no charger in the box, no wireless charging, no memory card slot and a weak 8 MP ultrawide camera.

Against the Oppo Reno 16F (Rs. 139,495): the Oppo costs less, has a much larger battery, IP69 protection, a memory card slot and five years of Android upgrades. The Nothing counters with cleaner software without bloatware and stronger gaming performance.

Verdict: worth it for buyers who value design, smooth software and battery life. Gamers and anyone who wants the longest software support should compare carefully before paying this price.

Official specs: a 6.77-inch AMOLED panel with 1080 x 2392 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and 1 billion colours. Brightness is rated at 800 nits typical, 1300 nits in high-brightness mode and 3000 nits peak for HDR content. It uses 2160Hz PWM dimming and Panda Glass protection.

Real-world use: this is a large, sharp screen with slim, even bezels on all sides, and it feels like a flagship display for videos, social media and scrolling. It gets very bright, although not quite as bright as the most expensive flagship phones in direct sun.

Limitations: the in-display optical fingerprint sensor can be slow to unlock at times, and the panel's sheer size makes the phone hard to use with one hand.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4 nm) comes with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. On paper it is a mid-range chip, but Nothing's optimisation makes daily use feel quick and smooth: animations such as pulling down notifications, opening folders and switching apps are consistently fluid.

Gaming and heavy use: casual games run well, but long gaming sessions and GPU-heavy apps can cause noticeable stutters. If gaming is your priority, a phone with a stronger chip will serve you better.

Other details: the vibration motor is high quality, which makes typing and notifications feel more premium. Storage is fixed at 128GB or 256GB, with no memory card slot, so choose the larger model if you keep lots of photos and videos.

Heat during long gaming sessions has not been reliably reported yet.

Official specs: a 50 MP main camera with OIS, a 50 MP 2x telephoto camera and an 8 MP ultrawide on the back, plus a 32 MP selfie camera. Rear video goes up to 4K at 30fps.

Real-world use:

• Main camera: decent, natural-looking photos with soft background blur for close-up subjects. Colours are not overprocessed, though some fringing and overexposure appear.
• Telephoto: the 2x lens works well in daylight and offers sensor-crop zoom up to 4x with good quality.
• Ultrawide: the 8 MP camera is the weak link, with clearly lower detail.
• Low light: photos take on a painted, pastel look, and indoor lighting can push colours too far. Colours also shift as you zoom further.
• Selfies: the front camera performs well in good light.
• Video: stabilisation is a real strength, and footage stays steady while walking. However, there is no 4K at 60fps, slow motion is limited to 1080p, and switching between the flash and the Glyph light requires stopping the recording.

Official specs: a 5000 mAh battery with 50W wired charging. Nothing quotes 50% in 19 minutes and a full charge in 56 minutes.

Real-world use: battery life is excellent, comfortably lasting through a full day of heavy use for most people. Charging is fast enough that a short top-up in the morning goes a long way.

Limitations:

• No charger in the box: only a USB-C to USB-C cable is included, so you need to buy a compatible charger separately to get the full 50W speed.
• No wireless charging, which some competitors at this price offer.
• The Glyph lights double as a charging progress indicator on the back.

The phone launched with Android 15 and Nothing OS and is upgradable to Android 16 with Nothing OS 4.0. The interface is clean, without bloatware, and it is the main reason this phone feels faster than its chip suggests.

Useful features:

• Glyph Interface: the rear lights react to music, show different patterns for different contacts and apps, and work as a charging indicator. Flip to Glyph silences the phone with a soft light when you place it face down.
• Essential Key: a single press saves whatever is on screen to Essential Space; pressing and holding adds a voice note, which is transcribed and summarised, and reminders are created automatically. It is easy to press the key by accident, and Essential Space works only on the phone, with no web or computer access.
• Lock screen customisation lets you change the clock style and add widgets.

Updates: Nothing promises three years of Android upgrades and six years of security patches for the Phone 3a series, according to 9to5Google. That is shorter than some competitors' Android upgrade promises.