Nothing Phone (3a) Lite review | Infinium-tech

Introduction

The Nothing Phone (3A) Lite has shaken up the manufacturer’s entire portfolio – it’s not only the first Lite phone, but it’s also another version of Nothing’s own CMF Phone 2 Pro. We once thought that “A” models were for those on a budget, but here comes the Phone 3A Lite to bring another layer to the whole series.

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

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

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite sports a 50MP OIS primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro imager on the back. In contrast, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a 50MP 2x telephoto instead of macro, but its primary camera has no OIS. And that sums up the key 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 3 major Android updates are planned.

Nothing Phone (3A) Lite specifications at a glance:

• Body: 164.0×78.0x8.3mm, 199g; Glass Front (Panda Glass), Plastic Frame, Glass Back (Panda Glass); IP54 dust-proof and water-resistant (splash of water).
• Display: 6.77″ AMOLED, 1B color, 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 (4×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 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 minutes, 5W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
• various: Fingerprint reader (under the display, optical).

The phone has an IP54 ingress protection rating, which isn’t ideal. Of course, we appreciate it, but many competitors will offer you more resistance at the same price.

Unboxing the Nothing Phone (3A) Lite

The Nothing Phone (3A) Lite comes in one of those signature Nothing boxes, with glossy paper and lots of print, as well as a special message on the inner 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.