The Nothing Phone 3a Lite could launch soon as a super-affordable alternative to the 3a – but it probably shouldn't

The Nothing Phone 3a from the back
The Nothing Phone 3a (Image credit: Nothing)

  • The Nothing Phone 3a Lite is apparently landing this year
  • Leaked specs reveal possible colors, storage, and RAM
  • It's hard to see how this phone can fit in Nothing's lineup

With the exception of the Nothing Phone 3, Nothing’s phones are all at least somewhat affordable, with most of them hovering around mid-range prices. But a new model could undercut many of these handsets, as the Nothing Phone 3a Lite is apparently on the way.

This would be the company’s first ‘Lite’ model, and as a lite version of the mid-range Nothing Phone 3a, we’d expect it to have a low-end price, undercutting the $379 / £329 / AU599 3a, though the exact pricing isn’t known yet.

Some specs have been leaked, though, with leaker and tech influencer Sudhanshu Ambhore telling XpertPick that the Nothing Phone 3a Lite will come in black and white shades, and just a single configuration: one with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

That said, the site notes that it’s possible some regions will get other configurations or colors.

Additionally, the phone will apparently launch this year and be available globally, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to buy it.

A less capable 3a

CMF Phone 2 Pro in light green showing back with exposed screws and cameras

It could have similar specs to the CMF Phone 2 Pro (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

As for what else to expect from the Phone 3a Lite, it will presumably have some things in common with the Nothing Phone 3a, a device which has a 6.77-inch 120Hz screen, a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, a 5,000mAh battery with 50W charging, a 50MP wide camera, a 50MP telephoto (with 2x optical zoom), and an 8MP ultra-wide.

We’d guess that maybe there would be one less camera on the Nothing Phone 3a Lite, but given that even the budget-friendly Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro has three rear cameras, we’re not at all sure of that.

Indeed, it might be hard for Nothing to truly differentiate this phone from the handsets it already sells, since the CMF Phone 2 Pro is in many ways already a Nothing Phone 3a Lite – with similar specs to the 3a, just a less powerful chipset, fewer megapixels for its selfie camera, and slower charging.

So, it will be interesting to see exactly what the Nothing Phone 3a Lite offers if and when it launches, as right now, it's hard to see the point of this phone.


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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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