Nothing is entering its "pro" era.
The U.K.-based phone and audio company officially unveiled the Phone 3a Pro, its first phone with a "pro" moniker.
As always, Nothing takes some big swings — the Phone 3a Pro has a big new tri-camera system (the first tri-cam system in any Nothing phone), a new design, and a button dedicated to AI.
This is all great news for fans of well-priced Android phones, but for another big phone company (ahem, Apple), that news could be problematic.
After using Nothing's Phone 3a Pro for a week, I'm convinced your iPhone 16e money should be spent elsewhere.
Nothing's Phone 3a Pro versus the iPhone 16e
Coincidentally, Nothing launched its Phone 3a Pro simultaneously with another phone titan — I'm talking about Apple.
Apple recently unveiled its continuation of the iPhone SE line, the iPhone 16e, which is a more affordable iPhone that sacrifices some flagship features for a budget-friendly $600 price tag.
The iPhone 16e has some perks: It comes with Apple's A18 chip, which makes it Apple Intelligence-ready; it has a new camera system; it can play back up to 11 more hours of video than the last-gen iPhone SE; and it has some flagship features, like the iPhone 16's Camera Button.
There's no denying that the iPhone 16e has its moments, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like Nothing's new phone has the 16e flat-out beat. Hear me out.
A lot for a little
Nothing has made a name for itself by leaning into a distinct design language, and naturally, the Phone 3a series is no different.
Both phones still incorporate the company's semi-transparent design, with glass backs that showcase internal components, but unlike other phone makers, Nothing separates its pro and non-pro 3a phones with a very different look.
While I like the look of both phones, there's something about the design of the Phone 3a Pro that just speaks to me. I recognize that flashy design isn't for everyone, but I appreciate a phone that's actually trying to look a little different.
Compare that to the iPhone 16e, which looks fine if you're a fan of iPhones but isn't unique. The iPhone 16e just looks like a budget-focused phone, and a big part of that is due to one of the biggest features for any phone owner—the camera.
Where things get really interesting on the camera front is the addition of a periscope zoom lens.
One of the first things you'll notice about the Phone 3a Pro is the big camera module on the back.
This year, Nothing takes a whole new direction with the camera module, with a tri-sensor system. Though both 3a phones come with a 50-megapixel primary sensor and the same ultra-wide sensors, the Pro has some distinct advantages in the camera department.
For one, the 3a Pro has a 1/1.56” sensor that takes in more light. According to Nothing, this means it's better at capturing a wider dynamic range and will produce less noisy pictures than comparable sensors.
Adding a periscope zoom lens — which works slightly differently from a standard lens — makes things interesting on the camera front.
In a periscope lens, light is redirected with a prism at 90 degrees instead of hitting the sensor directly and shot at a sensor placed vertically. This allows enough space to increase the focal length of shots and provide greater magnification for optical zoom, compromising quality less.
That equates to a 3x optical zoom, a 6x lossless zoom, and a 60x "ultra zoom."
As you can tell from how many words I used to describe the Phone 3a Pro's camera system, a lot is going on — the iPhone 16e, on the other hand, not so much.
As in years past, the budget-focused tier of Apple's iPhone lineup doesn't precisely go big in the camera department. This year, the iPhone 16e brings the same single-lens camera to the show, which has a 48MP sensor.
It does have an integrated telephoto lens that Apple calls a "Fusion Camera," but it's still not exactly what most would consider a flagship camera experience.
That's a bummer for many reasons, but primarily because of the phone's price tag — the iPhone 16e retails for $600, while the Nothing Phone 3a Pro starts at just $449.
A power struggle
One advantage that the iPhone 16e has over Nothing's Phone 3a Pro is its A18 chip.
The A18, Apple's latest iPhone chip, beats the Phone 3a Pro's Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip in almost every conceivable benchmark.
That's not surprising. Apple is a formidable force in the silicon world, and having a high-end chip was likely necessary for running AI features through Apple Intelligence.
That means if having raw power in your phone is a priority, it may make sense to spring for the more expensive iPhone 16e. The thing is, I don't think most people really need lots of compute power in their phone.
For the vast majority of people, phones are just a means of scrolling social media, watching videos, and messaging. Those aren't exactly tasks that require a lot of power, which means using a chip that's not quite top-of-the-line should be a-okay.
After using the Phone 3a Pro for a week, I didn't notice any discernible lag. Even if I did, I'm not sure that it would be enough to warrant paying $150 more for a device that still lags behind in many key phone metrics.
There are obviously some big caveats here since switching from iOS to Android isn't a decision that most people would take lightly, but on paper, Nothing's phone offers a lot more for a lower price.
Your move, Apple.
