The Nothing universe continues to expand. The company launched the fourth model in the Phone 3 series – the Nothing Phone 3a Lite – designed to be the most affordable entry into the company’s branded ecosystem. Priced at NIS 249, this device offers Nothing’s signature unique transparent glass design, along with a fairly balanced specification for an entry-level phone. However, behind the elegant screen lies a change that signals a possible compromise between user experience and the company’s business interests – the integration of advertisements and pre-installed apps.
In Europe, the device launched in white and black, with a Panda Glass body and aluminum frame. The design retains the brand’s recognizable lines – transparency, a balance between glossy and matte, and a look unlike almost any other device in this price range. The multifunctional Essential Key remains, and the phone even features IP54 resistance against dust and water splashes. Like previous company models, the Phone 3a Lite is expected to arrive in Israel through Bug Retail Chain, which holds Nothing’s local license and promotes the brand in the country.
To preserve the famous Glyph language, Nothing integrated a simple yet smart LED light, enabling silent alerts, countdowns for photos, and personalized notifications. The 5,000 mAh battery provides up to 22 hours of video playback and charges to half capacity in about 20 minutes via 33W fast charging. On the back, there is a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel wide lens, and a macro lens, while the front features a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
The screen – a 6.77-inch flexible AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits – sets a high bar for budget devices. Under the hood, it is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor built on a 4nm process, with 8 cores reaching speeds up to 2.5GHz, alongside 8GB of RAM and storage options of 128 or 256 GB.
Alongside the impressive specification, Nothing confirms that future versions of the Nothing OS will include a feature called Lock Glimpse – lock screens that display sponsored content from a Chinese advertising company. While the feature is disabled by default, its existence – together with pre-installed third-party apps – raises questions about the future direction of a brand that built itself on the promise of a clean, uncluttered system.
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite is already available in Europe at prices of NIS 249 for the base model and NIS 279 for the 256GB version, and is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming months.