Nothing Phone (3a) Pro

Three Android OS upgrades and six years of security patches from its March 2025 release, so security support runs to March 2031. Nothing publishes this commitment. The gap between three OS upgrades and six years of patches means the final three years keep you safe without new Android versions.

Genuinely good for the price. A 50MP periscope at 3x optical gives real detail at distance that digital cropping cannot match, and Nothing's processing extends usable results to around 6x. It is not a match for a flagship's 5x periscope in low light, where the smaller sensor struggles, but in daylight it produces shots no other $429 phone can.

The LED strips on the back can be assigned to specific contacts or apps, act as a fill light for photography, show a countdown timer, or display charging and volume progress. It is genuinely useful as a face-down notification system — you can leave the phone screen-down and still see who is calling. Whether it justifies itself is a matter of taste.

For gaming, somewhat. It is a mid-tier 4nm chip that handles everyday use, photography and casual games without difficulty, but demanding 3D titles will need reduced settings. Given the phone's camera-led pitch, that is a defensible trade — but if you game seriously, a Poco F7 5G at a similar price offers far more performance and far less camera.