Recording summary · March 2025
why i regret buying the Nothing Phone 3a - Very disappointing
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Overview
Daniel expresses regret over purchasing the Nothing Phone 3a for roughly £360 and rates it 6.2 out of 10, concluding that older refurbished flagship devices provide superior hardware, better performance, and greater value.
The Nothing Phone 3a displays multiple hardware and software drawbacks, including a top-heavy sloped camera bump, low buttons prone to accidental triggers in car mounts, an unremappable Essential button, rapid battery drain despite a 5,000 mAh capacity, pixelated launcher icons, and no wireless charging.
Noted positive aspects of the Nothing Phone 3a include a transparent white design, dual SIM slots, app enlargement, screen brightness estimated at 3,000 nits, and 50-watt wired fast charging.
Benchmark testing showed that a five-year-old iPhone 12 Mini outperformed the Nothing Phone 3a across GPU, single-core, and multi-core evaluations.
Daniel performed handheld tests of the device's camera, microphones, stabilization, and zoom around the house, while doing laundry, and outdoors.
Themes
Nothing Phone 3a design, buttons, and build quality.
Performance benchmarks and value comparison with older refurbished flagship phones.
Battery life, power consumption, and wired fast charging.
Camera performance, video recording, stabilization, and zoom options.
Developments
Daniel purchased a Nothing Phone 3a for approximately £360.
Daniel ran benchmark tests comparing the Nothing Phone 3a to an iPhone 12 Mini.
Daniel charged the Nothing Phone 3a from about 20% to 70% in roughly 15 minutes.
Daniel moved between rooms and went outdoors to test video recording, microphones, stabilization, and zoom on the Nothing Phone 3a.
Uncertainties & gaps
Whether the 4x zoom in photo mode is digital.
The exact maximum screen brightness of the Nothing Phone 3a, estimated at 3,000 nits.
Whether manufacturers can offer a Snapdragon 8 processor in 2025 at the same price tier given component costs.
Whether the 1x camera provides better stabilization than other settings.