Nothing · Updated June 2026
Nothing Phone (3a): price, specs & release date
Nothing Phone (3a), released 2025-03. Every price and spec below is linked to its source and dated — no guesses.
Source: gsmarena.com verified ✓ corroborated verify in ledger
The Nothing Phone (3a) is listed at $379 on gsmarena.com as of 2026-06-27, the cheapest smartphones (median $849); other retailers may be lower. It earns a Gold Deskmark — 72/100 pay-blind standing, #3 of 21 in class.
Verified Jun 27, 2026 · figures linked to their source in the table below
- Best for Outstanding value and price-to-performance for under $400; Bright AMOLED display usable in sunlight (measured ~1,190-1,290 nits despite 3,000-nit claim).
- Skip if Measured peak brightness far below the manufacturer's 3,000-nit claim is a dealbreaker.
Is the Nothing Phone (3a) a good buy?
At $379, the Nothing Phone (3a) is the cheapest of the 16 smartphones we track, where the median is $849. On the spec sheet, its RAM of 8 GB is the lowest of the 19, its storage of 128 GB is the lowest of the 21, and its display of 6.77 in is above the median of the 21.
Evidence of Record
Our data- Independent labsmeasured it
- 3
- Physical metricsrecorded
- 11
- Outlets on recordall tested
- 3
3 independent labs measured this product, logging 11 distinct physical metrics between them — brightness, battery, geekbench 6.7 single-core and 8 more. That is how much independent evidence stands behind any claim about it — not a rating of the product.
brightness · battery · geekbench 6.7 single-core · geekbench 6.7 multi-core · antutu v10 total · thermal · 3dmark steel nomad · noise · geekbench 6 single-core · geekbench 6 multicore · 3dmark wild life
Review consensus · sourced & dated
What reviewers say about the Nothing Phone (3a)
Three whitelisted testers (GSMArena, Notebookcheck, Tom's Guide) lab-benchmarked the standard Nothing Phone (3a) and agree it is an exceptional-value sub-$400 phone: distinctive Glyph design, bright AMOLED, all-day battery, and no meaningful thermal throttling under load. Main gripes: only modest performance gains over the 2a, weak speaker bass, and measured peak brightness well below the 3,000-nit claim.
Based on 3 reviews · 3 lab-tested · 2025-03-04–2025-04-09
Tested by GSMArena, Notebookcheck, Tom's Guide
Consistently praised
- Outstanding value and price-to-performance for under $400 · 3 sources
- Bright AMOLED display usable in sunlight (measured ~1,190-1,290 nits despite 3,000-nit claim) · 3 sources
- Long battery life with fast 50W charging · 3 sources
- Distinctive Glyph design and unique Nothing OS · 2 sources
- Strong, stable performance with essentially zero thermal throttling under load · 2 sources
Commonly flagged
- Measured peak brightness far below the manufacturer's 3,000-nit claim · 3 sources
- Only modest performance improvement over the Nothing Phone (2a) · 2 sources
- Weak speaker bass / imbalanced stereo output · 2 sources
- No eSIM support (unlike the 3a Pro)
Where reviewers disagree Battery endurance framing differs by test method: Tom's Guide's cellular web-surf test (15h 24min) and Notebookcheck's Wi-Fi browsing test (20h 33min) both rate runtime as good-to-long, while GSMArena's Active Use Score (13h 32min) calls it 'solid' but says gaming and web-browsing endurance 'could be improved' and slightly down versus the 2a.
The sources (3)
Max manual brightness (75% white): 737 nits · Max auto brightness (75% white): 1,273 nits · Active Use Score (battery endurance): 13 hours and 32 minutes · Charge in 15 min: 34% · Charge in 30 min: 61% · Time to full charge: 1:06 h
In our testing, we recorded a maximum manual brightness of 737 nits and 1,273 nits in auto mode, making it perfectly usable even in direct sunlight.
In our testing, the device achieved an Active Use Score of 13 hours and 32 minutes. While this is a solid result, it falls short of being exceptional.
We found that the phone's gaming and web browsing endurance could be improved.
The Nothing Phone (3a) achieved a VERY GOOD loudness score in our standardized testing.
Average SDR brightness: 1274 cd/m² · Maximum brightness (X-Rite i1Pro 3): 1291 cd/m² · Maximum HDR brightness: 1179 cd/m² · Geekbench 6.7 Single-Core: 1171 Points · Geekbench 6.7 Multi-Core: 3250 Points · AnTuTu v10 total: 795329 Points · WiFi web-browsing battery runtime: 20h 33min · Full charge time (65W third-party PSU): 1:03 hours · Max surface temperature under load: 46.5 °C · 3DMark Steel Nomad stress-test stability: 99.6 % · Speaker loudness: 90.5 dB
When displaying SDR content, the average brightness we noted was 1274 cd/m² (APL18: 1202 cd/m²), so slightly higher than its predecessor. Even so, the AMOLED panel is a long way from the promised peak brightness of 3000 cd/m².
During use, the Nothing Phone (3a) can get quite warm but always remains within a thermally safe range. On the surface, the temperature rose to up to 46.5 °C during our test.
Other advantages include its high-quality finish including a glass back and Glyph interface, good cameras, very smooth Nothing OS as well as long battery life and fast charging.
However, bass tones are almost completely absent from the sound mix.
Maximum brightness (standard setup, light meter): 1,194 nits · Battery life (web surf over cellular, 150 nits): 15 hours and 24 minutes · Geekbench 6 single-core: 1165 · Geekbench 6 multicore: 3288 · 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited: 25.1 fps · Charge in 30 minutes: 72%
Using our standard set up, we recorded a maximum brightness of 1,194 nits, and fiddling around with different instruments, we got a reading as high as 1,370 nits.
The Nothing Phone 3a lasted 15 hours and 24 minutes on this test, beating out the Nothing Phone 2a's time by a modest 15 minutes.
In Geekbench's single-core test, the Nothing Phone 3a's result of 1,165 was only 5% better than what the Nothing Phone 2a produced on that same test.
It's hard to find a phone with a better value-to-price ratio, which is pretty impressive given how feature-rich a lot of midrange phones are becoming.
Specifications
| Price (US) | $379 US price $379 via Nothing's US Beta/Developer Program; global base 8GB/128GB |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nothing |
| Released | 2025-03 |
| Display (in) | 6.77 |
| Display type | LTPS AMOLED |
| Refresh (Hz) | 120 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
| RAM (GB) | 8 |
| Storage (GB) | 128 |
| Main camera (MP) | 50 |
| Battery (mAh) | 5000 |
| Charge (W) | 50 |
| Weight (g) | 201 |
| OS | Android 15 |
| IP rating | IP64 |
| Fiveg | Yes |
Source: gsmarena.com (verified 2026-06-15) · corroborated by 9to5google.com. Specs read via GSMArena spec content (correct ID 13672; the originally supplied ID was wrong) and corroborated by launch coverage (9to5Google, CNBC). priceUsd 379 is a real, officially-stated US price but was sold only through Nothing's US Beta/Developer Program due to limited US carrier-band support; the global base config is 8GB/128GB. Panel is LTPS AMOLED; ip_rating IP64. Launch OS is Nothing OS 3.1 over Android 15. Nothing was nulled.
Is the Nothing Phone (3a) worth it vs cheaper smartphones?
Nothing Phone (3a) against its closest cheaper and pricier smartphones on the specs that matter — every value sourced. See all 16 ranked
| Product | Price | Display (in) | Display type | Refresh (Hz) | Chipset | RAM (GB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing Phone (3a) this | $379 | 6.77 | LTPS AMOLED | 120 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | 8 |
| Google Pixel 9a | $499 | 6.3 | OLED | 120 | Google Tensor G4 | 8 |
Frequently asked questions
What do reviewers say about the Nothing Phone (3a)?
Three whitelisted testers (GSMArena, Notebookcheck, Tom's Guide) lab-benchmarked the standard Nothing Phone (3a) and agree it is an exceptional-value sub-$400 phone: distinctive Glyph design, bright AMOLED, all-day battery, and no meaningful thermal throttling under load. Main gripes: only modest performance gains over the 2a, weak speaker bass, and measured peak brightness well below the 3,000-nit claim. Praised: Outstanding value and price-to-performance for under $400; Bright AMOLED display usable in sunlight (measured ~1,190-1,290 nits despite 3,000-nit claim); Long battery life with fast 50W charging; Distinctive Glyph design and unique Nothing OS; Strong, stable performance with essentially zero thermal throttling under load. Flagged: Only modest performance improvement over the Nothing Phone (2a); Weak speaker bass / imbalanced stereo output; Measured peak brightness far below the manufacturer's 3,000-nit claim; No eSIM support (unlike the 3a Pro); No charger included in the box. (From 3 tester reviews, 3 lab-tested.)
How much does the Nothing Phone (3a) cost?
The Nothing Phone (3a) has a US price of $379 (US price $379 via Nothing's US Beta/Developer Program; global base 8GB/128GB), as of 2026-06-15.
How does the Nothing Phone (3a) compare on price?
At $379, the Nothing Phone (3a) is the cheapest of the 16 smartphones we track, where the median is $849.
When was the Nothing Phone (3a) released?
The Nothing Phone (3a) was released 2025-03.
What are the Nothing Phone (3a)'s key specs?
Nothing Phone (3a) (Nothing): display in 6.77, display type LTPS AMOLED, refresh hz 120, chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, ram gb 8. Full sourced spec sheet verified 2026-06-15.
Price of record: $379 at gsmarena.com, 2026-06-27. Other retailers may be lower — check the current price:
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