The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is super cheap but they've dropped one essential camera feature

Nothing has had a prolific 2025. It all began in March with the release of the Nothing Phone (3a) and the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. These were then followed by the Nothing Phone (3) in July. Not satisfied with releasing three phones in this lineup, Nothing has now launched a budget version of the phone, called the Phone (3a) Lite.

The phone brings back the much-loved Glyph interface, which was removed in the flagship Phone (3) in favor of a dot matrix display. Unfortunately, there's only one single LED light in the bottom right corner. You can't have everything; this is a Lite version of the phone after all.

Everything else about the Phone (3a) Lite is classic Nothing, including the semi-transparent back, monochromatic finish, and geometric look. The phone ships in two different colors with customers having the choice between white and black options.

A 50MP main camera but no telephoto

The triple rear camera setup is pretty impressive for a stripped-back version of a flagship phone. It begins with a 50 MP, 1/1.57-inch Samsung sensor that's capable of an f/1.88 aperture and also includes Electronic Image Stabilization.

This primary camera is backed up by an 8MP ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a 4CM macro camera. The lack of a telephoto lens is a little disappointing, although Nothing had to make some cutbacks somewhere. At the front there's a simple 16MP selfie camera.

Nothing claims that this camera "combination takes in 64% more light and broadens your horizon by 119.5%," but without testing it we can't confirm or deny. In terms of video, the phone is capable of 4K recording with AI-powered stabilization even in low light.

Under the hood

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro SoC chip. As well as the processor, the Phone (3a) Lite features a respectable 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, depending on the model. The inclusion of a microSD card slot is a nice touch that allows for storage expansion up to 2TB.

The OLED screen is an impressive 6.77 inches in size with a refresh rate of 120Hz. These are flagship-level specs that will deliver an impressive user experience and be ideal for mobile gamers.

The 5,000mAh battery is comparable with most phones on the market at the moment, although it understandably falls short of the flagship phones being released by the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus. In terms of wired charging, the Phone (3a) Lite is capable of 33W which is nothing to write home about.

The phone ships with Nothing OS 3.5, which is based on last year’s Android 15. Customers will also benefit from three years of Android updates as well as six years of security support.

Availability

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is now available to buy in the UK and Europe, with no specific announcements regarding future markets.

The phone costs £249 / €249 for the 8GB / 128GB model, while the 8GB / 256GB alternative costs £279 / €279.

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