Yet, that doesnt appear to be the case with theNothing Phone3a Pro.
And you get all of this for $479.
Looking for our thoughts on the cheaper of Nothing’s two new phones?
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Check out ourNothing Phone 3a review.
For $459, it comes with a generous 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage.
Nothing’s phone comes in two colors: grey and black.
Beta Programjust as with previous releases.
Theres also the Glyph Interface, which continues to be an iconic part of Nothing’s visual identity.
I have to admit, it continues to be a conversation starter whenever the LED light strips turn on.
However, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is one of those rare exceptions when theres a big leap.
The latters important because phones this cheap dont often get telephoto cameras, especially one with 3x optical zoom.
Theres also a beefy 50MP selfie camera around the front thats capable of shooting 4K video as well.
Perhaps this one could be an exception?
The main camera holds up nicely against the iPhone 16e, evident in the daytime shots above.
Ill admit that I was caught off guard by this, but the end result is really remarkable.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Against the iPhone 16e, the 3x macro shot of this yellow flower above has almost as good details.
When I zoom in, I can see the pattern a bit better with the iPhone 16e.
However, Nothing applies a significant amount of saturation to the scene.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
At 2x zoom, the Nothing Phone 3a Pros shot of the wooden sign above is much sharper.
When I zoom in to inspect the details, I can better make out the grain pattern running horizontally.
Low light performance is much improved, so much so that it feels like a night and day difference.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Rather than blowing out the highlights, the 3a Pro manages to keep them balanced against the shadows.
Overall, Im undeniably surprised by the cameras because I didnt think the performance would be this good.
Theres aSnapdragon 7s Gen 3under the hood paired with 12GB of RAM.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Based on the benchmark scores, its no slugger compared to the silicon powering todaysbest gaming phones.
At the very least, it handles the basics with ease which I think is more important.
Nothing also dives into the busy AI space with the Essential Space and Key.
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
