Is Nothing Phone 3a Lite the Best Budget Smartphone of 2025? Find Out

Nothing, a tech startup you would not expect out of London, has presented its new budget smartphone model, the Phone (3a) Lite, to the Indian market with a starting price of Rs. 20,999. The device offers a combination of design elements that are well-known and low-cost materials and is aimed at markets sensitive to high pricing as well as first-time mobile phone users.

The Phone (3a) Lite presents a back cover that lets light through and has a faint red mark and a layout of the interior that is visible. The design is in line with Nothing's trademark style but has been scaled back as far as the luxury models are concerned. The back has an LED Glyph light encased in a single round at the center which can be personalized for notifications, calls, or specific contacts.

The phone's right side is home to the Essential Key that was a hallmark of the Phone 3a series. This key opens up access to the AI-powered Essential Space where users can organize their notes, photos, and other private content. The button also captures voice notes that are directly transcribed into the Essential Space.

The phone comes with an OLED display of 6.77-inch size and refreshes at a rate of 120Hz. It is perfect for video streaming, eBook reading, and running general-purpose apps, however, it is not suitable for gaming performance owing to the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor and 8GB RAM configuration. Monophonic speakers may compel the use of headphones for sound coming from movies or music.

Battery life is among the best, with the 5000mAh power source going up to two days with average use. In addition to that, the device offers 5G service, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, as well as the ability to expand memory through the microSD card, which is a rare feature in today's mid-range smartphones.

The Phone (3a) Lite operates with Nothing OS 3.5, which is based on the Android 15 platform, and provides a variety of personalization options, one of which includes the monochrome and retro pixel themes. Besides that, Nothing has guaranteed three Android updates and six years of security patches. Restricted content like Lock Glimpse articles can be disabled in the settings, even though the device comes loaded with apps like Facebook and Instagram.

At the rear camera setup, there goes a 50MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The main camera is able to produce decent photos which can be used for non-professional purposes and the ultrawide and macro are not as good that performance can be considered as limitation. The camera quality altogether is enough for daily photography but it cannot reach the standard of high-end devices like iPhone 17 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Phone (3a) Lite has undergone processor, camera, and software compromises but it still takes the place of an intro-level device for new users, kids, or those migrating from very old smartphones. It comes with the gist of a well-known design and handy features, thus, the device competes in a very crowded segment that also includes Nothing's higher-priced Phone (3a) which is of their own brand.

Price: Rs. 20,999 onwards

Availability: Now in India