Refined design mixed well with quirkiness

Nothing's phones are high on style, and with unusual AI features, these two present a solid option

- Tushar Kanwar

In a sea of incremental phone designs propped up by samey AI accoutrements, Nothing stands alone. With a self-avowed mission of "making tech fun again," Nothing continues to forge its own path, delivering interesting if somewhat polarizing designs right up and down the price spectrum. This holds true with the Phone 3a and the Phone 3a Pro, both of which bring a level of refinement mixed with quirkiness to the mid-range segment. And since it's 2025, a dash of AI too.

It starts from the moment you unbox either—you know this a Nothing design, transparent glass back, flashing lights and all, and it solidly differentiates both the 3a and the 3a Pro from just about anything in the space. The 3a is available in gray, white, and a very fetching blue, while the 3a Pro is more business-like, in either black or gray. In the hand, both feel roughly identical, but it's when you turn them around that you spot the big changes—a triple camera system, via an elongated pill design on the 3a and a large, circular camera island on the 3a Pro.