If you’re unaware of Nothing, they’re a UK-based tech brand aiming to make smartphones fun again. Think transparent backs, flashing lights and unique designs.
Nothing usually keeps its lineup simple, which is why the launch of the budget-friendly Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is confusing. It’s competing with their sub-brand’s CMF Phone Pro 2 – an almost identical phone.
I wasn’t sure why this phone needed to exist until I actually used it. After a week of daily-driving this phone, I can say I actually really enjoyed using it. You get a stunning display, signature Nothing design and software, and great performance.
Here’s my honest review.
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite at a glance…First impressions
The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is a generous offering sitting at a $439 entry price point. In the box, you receive the phone, a USB-C to C cable, a phone case, a pre-applied screen protector and a SIM tray ejector tool.
The phone feels big in the hand with a 6.77-inch display, but relatively light at 199 grams thanks to its plastic frame. Does it feel cheap? Not really. The glass back display, peering into Nothing’s iconic retro aestheticism, is more than enough for me to appreciate the asymmetrical design and up the quality.
Performance feels snappy, the display is crisp, and the battery lasts a comfortable day and a half. So, the first overall impression is in: what a great value phone!
You are met with a few goodies when you unbox the phone. (9Product Reviews / Joshua Buchwald)What I likedDesign and unique features
Nothing’s phones all feature their own spin on a “Glyph”. It’s essentially lights on the back of their phones designed to notify users without the need to check their phone. They’re customisable with different patterns for you to identify who actually messaged.
The Phone (3a) Lite features this at the bare, bare minimum of a singular dot light on the back of the phone. At first, you wonder why you would even bother, but I came to appreciate it.
It’s fun, unobstrusive, and customisable. I had it set on throughout the day, and it really was a super simple notification indicator. Then at night, I scheduled it off because I’m telling you, for some reason, it’s a seriously bright light.
The other standout hardware feature is the Essential Space key. Positioned below the power button, it allows you to quickly save notes or screenshots. While some people complain about mixing up the buttons, I ended up finding it incredibly useful.
The Nothing phone (3a) Lite offers an iconic Nothing look. (9Product reviews / Nothing)The display and battery punch above its weight
I would argue the phone punches above its weight when it comes to display. 120Hz at this price point is a luxury, and it felt very snappy. Just for comparison, Apple’s budget phone still runs at 60Hz, which is a slower refresh rate. The display also reaches a peakbrightness of 3000 nits, making it readable in direct sunlight.
The phone also features a 5000mAh battery. I’m no power user, so it survived my daily use comfortably for a good day and a half before I decided to charge it. The phone also supports 33-watt wired charging, so nothing too fast, but it gets up to 50 per cent in 20 minutes.
Software and performance
The phone runs Nothing OS 3.5, which is essentially a clean Google Android reskin with Nothing’s signature dot-matrix aesthetic. It runs perfectly fine with no stuttering in my daily use.
One area where the Phone (3a) Lite actually beats some flagships is storage. While the base is 128GB, it supports microSD expansion up to 2TB, which is a huge bonus. I also tested the ecosystem by pairing the phone with Nothing’s earbuds and watch.
Everything is well-integrated via the pre-installed Nothing X app, making the phone feel like part of a premium ecosystem rather than just a budget standalone device.
Left to right: home page, weather app, glyph interface and notification hub. (9Product Reviews / Joshua Buchwald)What could be improved (or removed)The macro lens (versus CMF Phone Pro 2)
If there is one area that defines the trade-offs of this phone, it is the camera system. Expectations weren’t high for a ‘lite’ model, but the 50MP main camera actually surprised me.
I found this primary lens to be quite capable. In good lighting, the photos I took were quite balanced, so it’s good to see how far budget phone cameras have come.
Don’t get me wrong, the primary lens is actually quite good. (9Product Reviews / Joshua Buchwald)
So what exactly could be improved?
In a strange move, Nothing swapped the 50MP telephoto lens found on their cheaper CMF Phone Pro 2 for a basic 2MP macro sensor. If you love photography, the CMF will be a more versatile phone.
This is the only area where the Phone (3a) Lite truly loses the battle. You are essentially trading that zoom lens for the signature Nothing look and glyph light, neither of which the CMF has.
Here’s the CMF Phone 2 Pro if you’re interested…
Bloatware and monospeakers
The software experience is mostly clean, but it introduces a feature called Lock Glimpse, which is code for lock screen ads. Upon booting up the device, you’re met with dynamic wallpapers that link to various articles. While you can thankfully disable this feature in the settings, you cannot fully uninstall the system app.
Additionally, the phone occasionally prompted me to “finish setting up” by suggesting to download random sponsored apps. You can skip this process, but finding the option to do so took me a moment to figure out.
Audio is the final compromise. The phone relies on a single bottom-firing speaker, so you’re not going to get a full stereo sound.
Final verdict
The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is a confusing product on paper, but a fantastic one in hand. If you’re looking for a budget phone or seeking to upgrade your years-old phone, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is a great contender in my eyes. Between its hardware, software and performance, it’s hard to argue against its value.
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READ MORE: Could the Nothing Phone (3) be the most unconventional smartphone on the market?