Nothing has just unveiled the Phone 3a Lite, a new Android smartphone that’s designed to make the “Nothing experience available to more people”.
At under £300, the Nothing Phone 3a Lite seems like a sure contender for a spot in our best cheap phone list, but what’s the catch? Can you really enjoy the full Nothing experience in a budget handset?
We explain how the Nothing Phone 3a Lite compares to the Nothing Phone 3a, and highlight the key differences between the handsets.
Price and Availability
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite is available in select markets now, with a starting price of just £249 / €249 for the 128GB handset and £279 / €289 for the larger 256GB model. At the time of writing, the Phone 3a Lite is not available in the US.
Launched earlier this year, the Nothing Phone 3a has a slightly higher starting price of £329 for its 128GB iteration which rises to £379 for 256GB. However, as we have seen the price drop a few times since its launch, so it’s worth keeping an eye out.
Powering the Nothing Phone 3a Lite is MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, the same chip behind the CMF Phone 2 Pro. While we’re yet to review the Phone 3a Lite, we found the CMF Phone 2 Pro felt quick and snappy in everyday use, with our reviewer even concluding “it’s very easy to forget that it’s a budget device and not an upper mid-ranger”. With this in mind, we can expect the Phone 3a Lite to offer a similar performance.
The Nothing Phone 3a instead runs on Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 which, although doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Snapdragon 8 Elite, has more than enough speed to even handle casual gaming too.
Nothing Phone 3a Lite has a more understated design
One of the main reasons why the Nothing Phone series stands out from the crowd is thanks to its design, and specifically the signature glyph lights found at the rear of handsets. While the Phone 3a has LED strip lights at its rear that illuminate when you receive certain notifications, a design that encourages users to reduce their screen time while still ensuring they stay connected, the Phone 3a Lite has taken quite a different approach.
Instead, the Phone 3a Lite’s rear is more understated and looks almost like a regular handset, albeit with Nothing’s signature industrial-looking finish. Instead of a group of glyph lights or the glyph matrix that was introduced with the Nothing Phone 3, the Phone 3a Lite has just one singular light at the bottom of its rear.
This circular light will illuminate with customisable patterns based on the type of notification you’ve received and who from.
Nothing Phone 3a has a 50MP telescope camera
Despite being well over half the price, the Phone 3a Lite is powered by the same TrueLens Engine 4.0 pipeline found in the Nothing Phone 3. However, it doesn’t quite match the sensors of the Phone 3 or the Phone 3a for that matter.
Although it sports a 50MP main sensor which promises to capture 64% more light than typical sensors in its class, it sports an 8MP ultrawide and a measly 2MP macro. Of course, as we haven’t reviewed the Phone 3a Lite yet, we can’t comment on how good its photography prowess is, however we do know from experience that 2MP macro lenses are more often than not an unnecessary addition.
The Phone 3a, on the other hand, sports a 50MP telescope and a 8MP ultrawide lens alongside its 50MP main. We were left surprisingly impressed by the Phone 3a’s ability, and found the cameras performed well and were versatile enough to suit many uses.
Nothing Phone 3a supports slightly faster charging
While the Phone 3a boasts slightly faster charging speeds compared to the Phone 3a Lite, Nothing’s promise isn’t actually as different as you’d expect. The Phone 3a’s 50W speed promises to see 100% charge in just 56 minutes, whereas the Phone 3a Lite’s 33W speed claims to take one hour.
Otherwise, both are fitted with a 5000mAh cell and we found the Phone 3a could potentially be a two-day device for light users. With this in mind, we can expect the same prowess for the Phone 3a Lite.
Nothing Phone 3a has an IP64 rating
Before we dive into the details of each handset’s rating, it’s worth noting that both unfortunately aren’t quite as water resistant as most of the best smartphones, which usually sport an IP68 rating. It’s undoubtedly a shame but given their respective pricetags, it’s perhaps not surprising.
Otherwise, the Phone 3a is fitted with an IP64 rating which means the handset is dust tight but only protected from water splashes. The Phone 3a Lite, on other hand, has an IP54 rating which although also means the phone is protected from water splashes but is only protected against larger dust particles.
Early Verdict
With a tempting price tag, decent processor and a solid main camera, the Nothing Phone 3a Lite is undoubtedly a promising handset for those who don’t want to splurge on a flagship handset. However, the Phone 3a is only slightly more expensive and boasts a stronger camera line-up, better dust protection and a tried and tested processor.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we’ve reviewed the Phone 3a Lite.
