A little over a year ago, The National surmised that the Nothing Phone (2a) was an “affordable killer”, a term we (as far as we know) coined to describe a smartphone ready to take on lower-priced devices already considered competitive compared to flagship devices.
Now, the UK smartphone maker wants to kill the competition again with the Nothing Phone (3a), coming with a new generative artificial intelligence service at an even lower price. We take a deeper look.
What's the difference between Nothing (2a) and (3a)?
Not much has changed in the new model, but whatever differences there are have been enough to create a stir.
On the outside, there's a subtle difference. The Phone (3a) has a slightly larger screen, now 6.8 inches (17.3cm) compared to the Phone (2a)'s 6.7 inches. The volume rocker remains on the left, while on the right, in addition to the power button, there's a new control – the Essential Key – which we'll come back to later. Overall, it's slightly thicker too, and still resembles the current iPhone's design.
And what's a Nothing Phone without two signature features – a transparent rear cover and the dancing? glyphs? We won't spend too much time on the latter, which basically serve the same purpose – as visual notifications or alerts in co-ordination with whatever app is active.
We also still maintain that the glyphs remain a novelty, unless the manufacturer repurposes them into something awesome – rejig it into a Tetris-esque game, maybe – to merit actually flipping the device over and using them.
Which colour do we prefer? We'd go with the white variant, since it has a cleaner look and complements the transparent rear and glyphs better. The white edges also give a good contrast up front. Blue – available only in the 12GB/256GB configuration – is a close second.
And, somehow, Nothing was able to lower its price further: the device now starts at Dh999 for an 8GB/128GB combo, which is Dh200 lower than its predecessor. However, you can only go up as much as 256GB of storage (with 12GB of RAM).
The 'Essential' addition
Entirely new to the Phone (3a) is Essential Space, Nothing's latest attempt to leverage generative AI. (The Phone (2a) did dangle a free one-year subscription to Perplexity's chatbot service at launch, but that's missing in the new device.)
Starting this requires the Essential Key and the drill is simple: press once to take a screenshot, long press to start a voice recording and double-press to open Essential Space. However, depending on how you use your smartphone, you may confuse the Essential Key for the power button, which has actually happened to us quite a number of times.
Once a screenshot is taken, you have the option to add a voice note before saving the image; accessing it in Essential Space will allow you to add it to a collection. The latest software update extends this to the camera app, where you can use the Essential Key to save the shot straight to Essential Space. For some reason, you cannot add a voice note once the shots are in Essential Space, which seems to be a misstep.
Strangely enough, all images taken with the Essential Key don't go into the phone's gallery. And by the way, a regular screenshot – which goes into your gallery – can be taken by pressing the power and volume-down buttons.
Essential Space basically gives suggestions and summaries, personalised based on what you've saved. Think of it as using any chatbot but with an image input. It's a nice attempt, but it still needs improvement. Nothing, however, has said new updates will be introduced soon, so that could be something to look forward to.
Even more interesting: a code teardown of the Essential Space app by Android Authority had revealed that Nothing may charge users $120 for using the feature. It is unclear if this is an annual or lifetime fee (and that's too much for a monthly basis), and Nothing has not commented on this.
A third snapper
The other big addition is a third lens to boost the camera system. Nothing added a 50MP telephoto lens, which is interesting as such a camera, with its size and function, doesn't come often with mid-range devices, let alone those below the Dh1,000 threshold. Not even the Phone (2a) had one.
While the previous model did a good job, there are subtle differences between the Phone (2a) and (3a). Shots are slightly more vivid and the (3a) captures a little more light, although there's an issue with some areas that are brighter than they're supposed to be. Night or dimly-lit shots, in certain circumstances, tend to get grainy.
It also has a new 2x optical zoom, in addition to a 4x lossless zoom; the former is more preferred as it results in less quality loss. You can max out at 30x, but it also grains out your images.
Video also does a decent job, but we did notice that it seems to struggle with focusing on subjects. We're unsure why this is the case, but hopefully Nothing will take note of this and issue a fix in a future software update.
How long does it last?
Here's where the Phone (3a) shines: battery life. Nothing claims the device lasts nearly 26 hours for YouTube videos – 5 hours more than what Apple advertises for the iPhone 16e. In our one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the Phone (3a) lost 7 per cent.
Curiously, with the Phone (2a), Nothing had said it lasts up to 29 hours for video.
Charging is also pegged by Nothing to be a breeze, claiming that the Phone (3a) will hit a full charge in 56 minutes and zip to 50 per cent in 19 minutes, which are hairlines faster than the Phone (2a)'s 23 minutes and 59 minutes, respectively. Our tests got us at 91 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively, which are still impressive.
As for how long it lasts, Nothing claims this is their best battery yet, thanks to a more advanced chipset, despite remaining at 5000mAh. It lasts practically the same as the Phone (2a), and by that we mean hobbling to a second night nearly empty. Use less battery-intensive apps and you might be able to stretch it to a third morning, though at that stage it's pointless and you'd be better off already plugging it in overnight.
Verdict
The Nothing Phone (3a) is an excellent choice in its category. It is a compelling choice for your budget, although you won't be able to go beyond the max 256GB of storage, which could be a deal-breaker for those heavy on saving files, media content especially, on their device (hello, Google Cloud).
Essential Space is a great idea, but we'd like to see more of it. Right now, it's limited to the functions we've discussed above, and the device overall doesn't have now-basic generative AI features such as tools for writing and message organisation – things not even the Phone (3a) Pro has. We expect Nothing to have these soon – at least in their higher-end models.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
RESULTS
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
