Nothing Phone 3a Review: Design Over Everything?
As of 2025, there are just a few smartphone brands that care about creative design. Gone are the days of refreshing and outlandish Nokia feature phone and smartphone designs that never failed to amaze us with their weird and wacky shapes and form factors. What excited me back then were the new and experimental designs (N-gage, Nokia 7600), where the focus was more on the experience and just doing something differently. Lately, Apple has single-handedly managed to turn every smartphone into a slab with two sheets of glass.
Even the most expensive foldables from premium brands appear like boring glass slabs. Apple's iOS and Google's Android may have paved the way for what seems to be an ideal software ecosystem. But we are now stuck with a bunch of boring icons, predictable animations, and transitions that feel far too basic. Clearly, they aren't built to amaze us anymore; they simply exist to deliver and serve a bunch of apps.
Nothing as a brand stands out in this sea of, well, nothings (at least from a design standpoint). With a product philosophy based on design, it takes those gutsy decisions that big-name brands are too afraid to take, paving a path for a refreshing series of products that not only dare to appear different (in a tasteful manner) but also strive to remain that way several years into the game. With the latest Nothing Phone 3a, it's evidently clear that its formula works and how!
Nothing Phone 3a Design: Notable improvements
- Dimensions - 163.5 x 77.5 x 8.3mm
- Weight - 201g
- Durability - IP64
The nostalgic and futuristic design philosophy between the Nothing Phone 2a and the new Phone 3a remains the same. It does not take too much effort to spot similarities between the two. The part at the top right corner, which is now made of metal, and the red square were also 0present on the Phone 2a.
Despite its design similarities with the Phone 2a, the 3a's rear panel is now made of glass instead of plastic. It no longer is a dust magnet, and we barely noticed any fingerprints on the White unit we received.
The phone's frame is made of polycarbonate and surely reminded us of the old HTC One X and the Nokia Lumias (1020 and 1520) because of its soft matte finish. The glass back has helped bump up the Phone 3a's water and dust resistance to an IP64 rating, which is not much to talk about but is good to have. It's good for splashes or sprays of water but not immersion. Like most manufacturers, it's highly recommended to avoid this as much as possible, as damage due to water ingress is not covered under warranty.