Nothing Phone (3a) Lite first impressions: a Nothing made for everyone

It has been half a decade since the Nothing brand launched, and in that short period, it has been successful in creating a unique identity of its own. The brand is best known for its transparent design, its Glyph interface, and the clean UI offered by Nothing OS. However, this recent launch brings some changes. Firstly, the price of this phone is set to be the most affordable ever from Nothing. Secondly, this phone retains the transparent design but features just one LED Glyph light. Thirdly, certain changes in Nothing OS mean it can no longer truly be described as clean. The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has just launched globally at a starting price of 249 euros, and the India launch is imminent. For a brief period, I was able to get my hands on the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite at the Nothing Media Briefing event.

The Phone (3a) Lite carries the same transparent design but with only one Glyph light in the bottom right corner. You can also see the battery compartment through the transparent back, and it otherwise presents a clean layout at the rear.

The single Glyph LED offers the same features as previously launched phones, including:

• Flip to Glyph for silent mode
• Light-only notifications
• Essential notifications that maintain a steady glow for key contacts and app notifications
• Camera countdown timer
• Customisation for calls and specific contacts

What began as a means of establishing the brand’s identity with the Phone (1) has now been pared down to just one LED light and shifted more towards an emphasis on transparency. But it does have the Essential key below the power button to launch Nothing AI-backed “Essential Space”. It offers the same features as other Nothing phones.

Discussing the in-hand feel, it seems similar to the Nothing Phone (3a), with the same thickness of 8.3mm but being slightly lighter at 199g. The build is polycarbonate and feels well-built.

The Phone (3a) Lite sports a 6.77-inch flexible AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It has a pixel density of 387 ppi and an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance, with Panda glass protection on both the front and back. In fact, this is the same display as used in the Nothing Phone (3a), which is a good thing, as the brand is not attempting to cut corners just to reduce the price.

On the software front, Nothing OS 3.5 (based on Android 15) is supplied out of the box, but this time it is a little different. Before this launch, Nothing officially confirmed that it would move away from a clean Android experience by introducing a “Lock Glimpse” feature and pre-installed third-party apps on its budget devices, which include the Phone (3a) series. The company claims this is necessary to reduce costs for non-flagship phones.

Consequently, we observe these changes on the Phone (3a) Lite. “Lock Glimpse” will not be activated by default and can be managed in settings, such as switching it off, adjusting preferences, displaying on the lock screen (optionally), and online articles (once you press something within Lock Glimpse). Essentially, it displays dynamic wallpapers on the lock screen, which can include advertisements or content links. Regarding third-party apps, for global users, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok will come pre-installed, but they can be uninstalled if desired, which is reassuring. As TikTok is banned in India, perhaps an alternative will appear. The specifics will be confirmed at the India launch.

Moreover, there is a promise of three years of major OS upgrades and six years of security updates, making it future-proof at this price. Nothing has also confirmed an upgrade to Android 16 with Nothing OS 4.0 by the first half of 2026.

Powering the Phone (3a) Lite is the Dimensity 7300 Pro SoC, which is a capable chipset for this segment. It is the same chipset used in the CMF Phone 2 Pro, and performance was impressive in the Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 price segment. If, however, the device launches above Rs 20,000 in India, there will be better chipsets available in that range.

Whilst real-world performance remains to be thoroughly tested, initial UI responsiveness and multitasking felt snappy in my brief time with the device.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is equipped with a triple camera setup:

• 50MP main camera (1/1.57″ Samsung sensor, OIS, 2x in-sensor zoom)
• 8MP Ultra-wide (119.5° FOV)
• 2MP Macro
• 16MP selfie camera

The main camera can shoot 4K video at 30fps, although the camera was not fully optimised, so we were not permitted to test it extensively. We will test this once the phone launches in India and share our findings in the full review.

The global model includes a 5,000mAh battery, 33W fast charging support, and 5W reverse wired charging. Further details on battery life will be provided in our full review, after the phone launches in India and we spend a few days testing it under real-world conditions.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite starts at 249 euros for the 8GB+128GB model and rises to 279 euros for the 8GB+256GB variant. The official UK prices are £249 and £279 respectively. It comes in two colours: White and Black.

After converting these prices to Indian rupees, the cost comes to roughly Rs 25,000, matching the current selling price of the Nothing Phone (3a). Prices in Europe are usually higher than in India, so it should arrive in India at under Rs 20,000, competing with its sub-brand device, the CMF Phone 2 Pro. It also needs to stand out against the OPPO K13, Realme P4, and Infinix GT 30 to prove its merit.

From my brief hands-on time, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite doesn’t feel like an entry-level phone, but it gives a mid-range or upper mid-range impression. Stay tuned for our full review to see whether the hardware, software, and cameras justify the price tag.

Disclosure: The writer attended the Nothing media briefing event at Neemrana Fort, Rajasthan, on Nothing India’s invitation.