Nothing takes on Apple and Samsung with stylish budget phone series

The Phone (3a) starts at £329 ($414) with a unique design, distinctive shapes, and Glyph lights for custom alerts

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British startup Nothing has launched its latest Phone (3a) Series, aiming to disrupt the mobile industry’s stagnation with bold design choices and high-end features at a competitive price.

The Phone (3a), starting at £329 ($414), introduces a unique design with distinctive shapes and Glyph lights on the back for customizable notifications. The higher-end Phone (3a) Pro, priced at £449, enhances the camera experience with a 50MP triple-lens setup and optical image stabilization. Both devices run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, a shift from the MediaTek chipset used in the previous generation.

CEO Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus, envisions Nothing as an alternative to the "sea of smartphone sameness". The brand has grown rapidly, with 557% year-over-year growth in India in 2024. However, the Phone (3a) Pro will not be available in India, as the company focuses on price-sensitive markets.

Despite its premium design and gaming enhancements like a 4,500 mm² vapor chamber for cooling and RAM Booster for up to 20GB memory, analysts suggest that Nothing will need to be extremely price-competitive to succeed against giants like Apple and Samsung.

With over 7 million units sold across its product lineup and $1 billion in revenue, Nothing is betting big on its latest launch, hoping to carve out a niche in an increasingly saturated market.