Nothing Phone (3a) Lite review

Introduction

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite shakes up the maker's entire portfolio - it's not only the first ever Lite phone, but it's also another take on Nothing's own CMF Phone 2 Pro. Once we thought the "a" models were meant for those on a budget, but here comes the Phone 3a Lite to bring another layer to the entire series.

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is an all-glass phone, just like its Nothing peers, with a semi-transparent back panel and Glyph interface, even if it is a basic one. The back is the primary difference from the closely related CMF Phone 2 Pro, which has swappable back panels and no Glyph.

The Phone (3a) Lite features a 6.7-inch 1080p OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color depth, and HDR10 support. It runs on the mid-range Dimensity 7300 Pro chip coupled with 8GB RAM.

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a 50MP OIS primary camera on the back, accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro imager. In contrast, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a 50MP 2x telephoto instead of the macro, but its primary camera has no OIS. And this about sums up the major differences between the two phones.

The Phone (3a) Lite is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It boots Android 15 with Nothing OS 3.5, and there are plans for 3 major Android updates.

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.0x78.0x8.3mm, 199g; Glass front (Panda Glass), plastic frame, glass back (Panda Glass); IP54 dust protected and water resistant (water splashes).
• Display: 6.77" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, HDR, 800 nits (typ), 1300 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak), 1080x2392px resolution, 19.93:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; Ultra HDR image support.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro (4 nm): Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G615 MC2.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 15, up to 3 major Android upgrades, Nothing OS 3.5.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.57", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 120˚, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 33W wired, 50% in 20 min, 5W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical).

The phone has IP54 ingress protection rating, which is not ideal. We do appreciate it, of course, but many competitors will offer you more resistance at a similar price.

Unboxing the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite arrives in one of those signature Nothing boxes, with glossy paper and plenty of prints, plus a special message on the internal box.

The retail bundle contains a phone, a USB cable, and a cool SIM ejection pin.

There is also a plain silicone case inside the box.