Want to try something new?

How about theNothing Phone (3a) or Phone (3a) Pro?

They are two affordable Android devices, with light-up LEDs on the back and a see-through chassis.

The Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro are solid buys if you want to try something different for a change.

The Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro are solid buys if you want to try something different for a change.© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

All this at under a $500 starting point.

It depends on what youre looking for.

The camera system and battery life are solid reasons to try out this light-up equipment.

an animated image of the nothing phone 3a glyphs

© Florence Ion / GizmodoThe flashing glyphs are so much fun.

Pros

Cons

Its been a while since weve had our hands on a Nothing gear.

The last time was the NothingPhone (2a).

It was just as cool-looking, but left me feeling tepid over its middling camera.

Nothing Phone 3a Pro 1

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

They both feature the signature see-through casing.

Theres also a black variant if you prefer.

Those lights come when you receive a flurry of notifications, whether alarms or pings from oft-used applications.

Nothing Phone 3a Pro 2

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

you’re free to customize them to your liking, down to the light pattern.

Its a 6.7-inch AMOLED with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.

The larger screen size means the Nothing Phone (3a)/(3a) Pro is wide.

Nothing Phone 3a Pro 4

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

An oblong rear-facing camera system distinguishes the Nothing Phone (3a).

It also allows for playing popular games likeAsphalt Legendswithout feeling woefully left behind.

The battery life on the Nothing Phone (3a) is substantial for your everyday smartphone life.

Nothing Phone 3a 3

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

That style extends to even the incorporation of AI.

I love this feature.

Its pretty similar to what the Google Pixel lineup can do already.

Nothing Phone 3a 7

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

But lets get down to what really matters for a lot of you.

The quality of the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pros cameras has improved.

The Phone (3a) Pro offered a dramatic depth-of-field for close-up shots of small items.

Nothing Phone 3a 4

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

For comparison, most high-end phones shoot with a minimum of f/1.6 aperture.

There arent too many artifacts like jagged edges until you exceed 6x.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro at 1x, 3x, and 6x.

Nothing Phone 3a 3a Pro 2

© Florence Ion / GizmodoA quick look at the difference in interfaces on the Nothing Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro, depending on your setup.

Both devices come with 256GB of storage.

Youre after something different if youre even reading this and these are the phones for you.

Not because of the capabilities of its insides, but because youre bored with the status quo.

Nothing Phone 3a 2

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

News from the future, delivered to your present.

Nothing Phone 3a 1

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo Shot with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo Shot with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo Shot with the Nothing Phone (3a)

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo Shot with the Nothing Phone (3a)

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

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© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

Nothing Phone 3a Series3

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