- Launch Date: Debuts Oct 29, 2025 in Europe/UK (no US release) Techradar Theverge.
- Design: Transparent back (colors Black/White) with a single “Glyph” LED notification light Theverge Androidcentral.
- Display/Build: 6.77″ FullHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz (protected by “Panda Glass”) Hindustantimes, weight ~199g Gadgets360. IP54 dust/splash resistant Indiatimes.
- Performance: MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G chipset, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage (expandable via microSD up to 2TB) Theverge Gadgets360.
- Battery: Large 5,000mAh cell, 33W wired fast charging (about 50% in 20 min) Hindustantimes Theverge.
- Cameras: Triple rear – 50MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro – plus 16MP front Hindustantimes Indiatimes.
- Software: Android 15 with Nothing OS 3.5 and new AI tools (e.g. “Essential Space” hub) Indiatimes. Nothing promises 3 years of OS updates + 6 years of security support Gadgets360 ts2.tech.
- Price: Starts at €249 (≈$310) for 8GB+128GB Indiatimes Gadgets360 (up to €279 for 256GB).
‘Entry-level’ Nothing Phone: Nothing’s Carl Pei‑led brand is expanding rapidly: after flagship Phone (3) in July and mid‑range 3a/3a Pro in spring, the new Phone (3a) Lite is its first true budget model Techradar Androidcentral. Android Central reports this “first entry-level smartphone” from Nothing will maintain the company’s signature transparent design, but with a pared-down notification LED on the back Androidcentral Theverge. The teaser tagline was simply “Phone (3a) Lite. 29.10. 13:00 GMT. Light up the everyday.” Androidcentral. In its hands-on preview, Android Central’s Sanuj Bhatia notes the Lite “will feature Nothing’s signature transparent design with a simpler single LED setup” and is expected in black or white, priced around €249.99 for the 8GB/128GB version Androidcentral. (Indeed, initial listings peg it at €249/$310 Theverge Indiatimes.)
According to TechRadar and Gadgets360 coverage, the Phone 3a Lite follows Nothing’s new Glyph light tradition but scaled back: only one small round LED at the rear (inspired by classic notification lights) Theverge. Nothing’s PR chief Lewis Hopkins even clarified to The Verge that the large rectangle on the back is not a real removable battery cover but a “simulated battery design” – essentially just a styling flourish Theverge. The rest of the design is very Nothing‑style: a translucent rear panel (protected by Gorilla “Panda” Glass) showing some internal components, accented by a single red camera ring, giving it a “futuristic, minimalist look” as tech analysts have noted ts2.tech Theverge. (Indeed, TS2.tech reminds us that “Nothing Phone series uses a transparent back with LED ‘Glyph’ light strips, offering a futuristic, minimalist look” ts2.tech.)
Hardware & Specs: Under the hood, the 3a Lite is a capable mid‑ranger. It has a 6.77-inch AMOLED screen at 1080×2392 with a 120Hz refresh rate Hindustantimes – matching higher-end models – and the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset (4nm, octa‑core) with 8GB RAM Hindustantimes Gadgets360. Storage is 128GB or 256GB, plus a full-size microSD slot (supporting up to 2TB) Gadgets360 – a rarity at this price. The battery is a beefy 5,000mAh cell, and supports 33W fast charging (enough for roughly 50% charge in 20 minutes) Hindustantimes. These specs put it on par or ahead of many competitors: as TS2 observes, it’s now common for budget phones to pack “5000+ mAh in a $200 phone” ts2.tech. Indeed, many mid‑rangers in 2025 boast high refresh‑rate OLED displays and long battery life as key features ts2.tech ts2.tech – and the 3a Lite checks both boxes.
Camera System: The Phone 3a Lite sports a triple‑lens rear camera. Leading the trio is a 50MP Samsung primary sensor (f/1.88 aperture, 1/1.57″ size) with OIS, paired with an 8MP ultrawide (f/2.2) and a 2MP macro lens Indiatimes Gadgets360. This marks the return of three rear cameras in the lineup (the earlier Phone 3a was the first Nothing phone with triple cameras Gizmochina, and the Lite follows suit). The 50MP main camera is expected to be the strongest shooter (aided by Nothing’s TrueLens image engine), while the macro lens likely serves basic close-ups. (Exactly what that third module is – beyond “macro” – wasn’t fully detailed at launch Gadgets360.) The front selfie camera is 16MP. As Times of India summarizes, the new handset “houses a 50MP main camera” and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery Indiatimes – an unusual pairing of high-res imaging and large cell at this price. In fact, industry watchers note that even sub-$500 phones in 2025 now commonly include versatile camera setups (e.g. the Phone 3a Pro has a triple camera with telephoto) ts2.tech. The 3a Lite keeps up with a very respectable optics package for €249.
Software & Features: The 3a Lite runs Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15) out of the box. It inherits recent software innovations: for example, it includes “Essential Space,” an AI‑powered hub for note-taking and content capture that Nothing introduced on its phones Indiatimes. (Users can trigger it via a new “Essential Key” button, as noted in Times of India.) Nothing promises 3 major Android updates and 6 years of security patches for this device Gadgets360 – a relatively long support commitment in the budget segment. Looking ahead, Nothing has already teased Android 16 (Nothing OS 4.0) for its phones; according to TS2.tech, the next OS will bring a “sharper, cleaner interface” with new UI elements, a true-black dark mode and an AI dashboard showing which models (like Whisper or Gemini) are active ts2.tech. The Lite itself ships on Android 15 but should receive this 4.0 update in due course.
Pricing & Availability: At launch, the Phone 3a Lite is priced very competitively. The base model (8GB+128GB) is €249 (about $310) Theverge Indiatimes, while the 8GB+256GB version is €279 Theverge Gadgets360. In the UK that’s £249/£279 respectively. Nothing’s official store and retailers started taking orders on Oct 29 in Europe and the UK Indiatimes Gadgets360; the phone will “soon” launch in India as well Indiatimes. (Notably, The Verge confirms there is no plan for a US release at this time Theverge.) Accessories (like chargers) are not included in-box, following industry trends, but 33W chargers are sold separately.
Analysis: This launch shows Nothing pushing its design aesthetic into the very low end. The company already has ultra‑cheap CMF‑branded phones, but those used bold plastics rather than the brand’s distinctive transparent look. By contrast, the 3a Lite brings the “flagship” design DNA right down to €249 Techradar. Some critics on forums have questioned why Nothing needs so many models this year, but CNBC remarks that this could simply be “Nothing’s strategy to saturate and conquer” the market. At the very least, reviewers note the Lite undercuts the earlier Phone 3a (launch price ~$379) by roughly 30%, at the cost of some downgraded specs (per TechRadar, expect a “slightly inferior camera setup” and perhaps a lower-end display compared to the 3a Techradar). Still, for roughly €250 we now get a large OLED screen, a 5000mAh battery (a feature that industry analysts say is increasingly common even in $200 phones ts2.tech), and a striking transparent design with a Glyph LED.
Experts agree that budget smartphones have come a long way: according to TS2.tech, even sub-$500 devices can now offer flagship-inspired features like high-refresh OLED displays and multi‑lens cameras ts2.tech ts2.tech. The Nothing Phone 3a Lite exemplifies this trend. As Gadgets360 sums up, it is “the latest midrange smartphone” from Nothing, but its spec sheet and style borrow generously from the brand’s pricier models Gadgets360. The result is a unique-looking entry‑level phone – essentially a flagship design at a mass‑market price. Whether it can carve out significant share in the budget segment remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Nothing has ensured that its “LED light on a see‑through phone” gimmick now lives on even in its cheapest handset.
Sources: Official launch announcements and hands‑on previews by Android Central, The Verge, TechRadar, Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Gadgets360 Androidcentral Theverge Techradar Hindustantimes Indiatimes Gadgets360; industry analysis by TS2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech. In-report quotes from Nothing’s PR and tech journalists are attributed and sourced accordingly Theverge Gizmochina.
