Nothing 3a Lite vs Lava Agni 4: Which Mid-Range Phone Wins Your Money?
Discover how Nothing 3a Lite and Lava Agni 4 differ in display, cameras, battery, and price. A must-read comparison for mid-range buyers.
image for illustrative purpose
This week, the competition among mid-range smartphones has become more intense. Lava has just launched its main device, the Agni 4, and within a few days, Nothing announced the Phone 3a Lite, the cheapest model in the 3-series. Though both are in the sub-₹25,000 category, they differ greatly in design, hardware, and user experience.
Nothing is still going with its see-through design and it has also kept the well-known Glyph Interface for alerts. The contour of the phone remains flat, and the lighting strip still serves as the visual attraction for this series.
Lava, on the other hand, takes a different approach with the Agni 4. It features a metal frame and a neater back design characterized by a capsule-shaped camera module. Both handsets sport glass backs, but only the Agni has an IP64 rating, while the Phone 3a Lite is rated IP54.
The 3a Lite has a 6.77-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
Lava provides a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a sharper 1.5K resolution at the same refresh rate and thinner bezels. Maximum brightness is 2,400 nits.
The Agni 4 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 5G processor coupled with faster LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. It also comes with liquid cooling.
The Dimensity 7300 Pro is employed by Nothing in the 3a Lite along with LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage. The disparity in components puts the Agni 4 ahead in terms of raw output but also comes with a higher price tag.
The Phone 3a Lite is equipped with a three-camera setup:
50MP main with OIS
8MP ultrawide
2MP macro
16MP selfie camera
Lava has a dual camera system at the back with just the essentials:
50MP main with OIS
8MP ultrawide
50MP front camera for higher-resolution selfies
Battery identical but differing in charging speeds
The front camera of each model is 50 megapixels, allowing for higher-resolution selfies. Each model comes with a 5,000mAh battery.
However, charging speeds are what distinguish them: Lava supports 66W fast charging, while Nothing has a maximum charging rate of 33W and does not supply a charger in the box.
Lava Agni 4 comes with Android 15 and a close-to-stock UI.
Nothing is operating its special UI — Nothing OS 3.5 — which is Android 15 based and maps out more visual changes and layout controls.
Prices and availability
Nothing Phone 3a Lite: ₹20,999 (8GB/128GB), ₹22,999 (256GB), with a bank discount of ₹1,000. December 5th is the start day for sale.
Lava Agni 4: ₹24,999 (8GB/256GB), actual ₹22,999 with a bank offer. Already available for purchase.
The smartphones are both targeted towards consumers who demand mid-range performance for daily tasks. The Agni 4 targets the tech-savvy user looking for faster performance, rolled metal body and superior charging. The Phone 3a Lite caters to the user seeking Glyph technology, a bigger display and lower opening price.
