OnePlus wasn’t just an underdog in the smartphone race, but it was also a company that decided to think outside the box. That’s why Nothing, the child of OnePlus founder Carl Pei, never surprised me with how different an approach it wanted to use for its smartphones. Design and software are key, and the pricing doesn’t hurt either.
The Nothing Phone (3a) is the next budget device in line for the company and a big leak has let us in on a lot of things about the upcoming phone, including the pretty significant decision to switch from a MediaTek chipset to a Snapdragon-branded one.
The Nothing Phone 3a And Phone 3a Plus Are Expected To Use The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
This year, Nothing refused to let the idea of the Phone 2a escape from your mind, even several months after its release. First, it was by releasing new limited edition colorways one after another, and then it was releasing the Phone 2a Plus, which we admittedly hadn’t even gotten the slightest whiff of until it was nearing release. Clearly, the company really likes the idea of the budget line that it’s introduced.
Needless to say, a successor is still in the works and will expectedly be called the Nothing Phone 3a. A “big” version will be coming along for the ride as the Nothing Phone 3a Plus, though whether it’ll be launched months after the first isn’t certain right now. I think it’d make more sense for the OEM to launch them simultaneously—only if the Plus model brings enough over the regular phone.
While the Phone 2a used MediaTek’s Dimensity 7200 Pro and the Phone 2a Plus went a bit higher for the Dimensity 7350 Pro, we’re not going to be seeing chips from the Taiwanese company next year. Instead, Nothing will go American and opt for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, according to Android Authority.
The Nothing Phone 3a Series Will See Some Other Upgrades: Camera, eSIM Support
The changes that have been brought to light don’t seem limited to the choice of chip. Nothing will be bringing some improvements to the camera setup as well. A telephoto camera will come to the Phone 3a while the Phone 3a Plus will get a periscope telephoto unit. Whether this will serve as a third rear camera or replace the ultrawide isn’t certain.
I prefer a telephoto camera to an ultrawide, as the former gets probably 50x as much use from me. I know that’s not the case for everyone though, but even if it replaces the ultrawide, I won’t mind.
The new devices also seem set to bring eSIM support to the table, which would make them the very first from Nothing to be able to install eSIMs, which would be a major win for the company. It’d pretty much guarantee eSIM support for the main Nothing Phone 3.
A Potential Price Hike Compared To Last Year Shouldn’t Be A Shock
If the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Plus end up costing more than their predecessors, I wouldn’t be surprised. MediaTek processors are generally more price-effective for manufacturers, even at comparable performance. Adding a telephoto camera to the mix would definitely add a little more viability to a price hike scheme. I’ll be surprised to see that the price remains the same, but I won’t be surprised to see a $50 price increase.
