A stand-out design
If you’re looking for a phone that will really stand out, the Nothing Phone 3a employs a cool, transparent design with a unique Glyph interface and lights that have practical purposes beyond just aesthetics. It’s a pretty powerful phone, too, for the price.
For
- Cool Glyph interface
- Ultra-bright screen
- Much better, higher-res front camera
- Decent battery life
- Essential Space makes good use of AI
Against
- Only has an IP64 rating
- Software support only for three years
- Only up to 256GB storage
- Gaming performance isn’t great
- Camera island is massive
Solid performance for price
The Google Pixel 8a still remains a solid performer with more than decent specs and support that will last for many more years. It’s not as flashy in design, but it’s elegant, comfortable to hold, and powerful for the price.
For
- Higher dust and water resistance rating
- Extreme Battery Saver mode
- Family Link is great for parents
- Longer software and security support
Against
- Only up to 256GB storage
- Only up to 8GB RAM
- Slow charging
- Front camera isn’t as good
If you’re in the market for an affordable, entry-level Android phone with premium features, the Nothing Phone 3a vs. Google Pixel 8a are two good options. Both come in at under $500 but have impressive specs that suggest they cost much more. Both employ beautiful designs and software and security support for years. But they are very different phones in terms of the look and what they have to offer that makes them stand out. So, let’s dive deeper into how they compare.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a: The design and basic features
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro, which launched in early March 2025, looks like no other phone you have come across with a cool, transparent exterior design that is inspired by Japanese iconography. This includes clean, geometric shapes on a flat surface with straight sides. Nothing (pun intended) on the market looks like this phone, Nicholas Sutrich enthuses in his Nothing Phone 3a Pro review.
Made of high-grade tempered glass with machined aluminum accents and a 6.77-inch 2,392 x 1,080 FHD+ AMOLED, you’ll get a decent 120Hz refresh rate for keeping up with everything from multitasking to gaming. There’s also an impressive up to 3,000 nits brightness, so the phone is viewable in just about any scenario, even direct sunlight.
The Glyph interface sets it apart. The purpose of this unique design is to help you avoid distractions by using light and sound patterns to indicate notifications and ringtones. Rather than constantly looking at your phone, a unique color and pattern of light will tell you who’s calling, for example, or what type of notification you’re getting. You can also leverage the Glyph interface for things like music playback, a camera timer, and volume.
Finished in black or grey, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro has a 91.4% screen-to-body ratio and an Essential key on its side for taking screenshots, long pressing to record your voice, or double pressing to open Essential Space. This is a spot that organizes your content, like screenshots, voice notes, and text notes, into neat and logical categories for easy retrieval and action prompts. You can customize the look of widgets and use the smart drawer to automatically organize apps by category.
Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, the Nothing Phone 3a can last all day: Sutrich says it even easily lasts beyond a day, up to two for light users. It supports 50W fast charging as well as 7.5W reverse wireless charging. It comes with either 128GB or 256GB non-expandable storage.
The phone boasts an IP64 rating, so it’s not quite as rugged as others, but Sutrich says it feels durable with a nice, grippy texture, even with the sides being made of plastic. Additional features include Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, fingerprint sensor, face unlock, stereo speakers, and a 360° antenna. It comes with three years of Android OS updates and six years of security updates.
Launched in May 2024, the Google Pixel 8a comes in Aloe, Bay, Porcelain, or Obsidian. With a matte composite back, matte aluminum frame, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3, it has a smaller 6.1-inch Actua 2,400 x 1,080 OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate that can go from 60-120Hz, depending on the task at hand, and up to 2,000 nits peak brightness.
Sutrich says in his Pixel 8a review that the Google Pixel 8a is his favorite in terms of Pixel designs with a unique camera bar, rounded corners, and a “heavenly” feeling matte finish. Even though the back is plastic, he says it doesn’t feel as such, looking and feeling like a more premium device than it is.
The phone boasts an all-day 4,492mAh battery that can extend to 72 hours using Extreme Battery Saver mode. It supports both 7.5W wireless charging via Qi and 18W fast charging, but Sutrich says it charges very slowly, reaching only 33% after half an hour. Get it with 128GB or 256GB storage.
Google throws in some nice add-ons with purchases, including three months of Google One with 100GB cloud storage, three months of YouTube Premium, and six months of Fitbit Premium. There are also useful features like Family Link with parental controls if you’re getting this device for a child.
With an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, the Google Pixel 8a has Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, fingerprint sensor, face unlock, stereo speakers, and two mics with noise suppression. You’ll get support for even longer with seven years of Feature Drops and as long for security support along with built-in Google VPN, Titan M2 security, anti-malware, anti-phishing, and an auto security and privacy hub.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a: The specs
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Let’s look at the specs of these two phones in a side-by-side comparison.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Nothing Phone 3a Pro |
Google Pixel 8a |
|---|---|---|
|
OS |
Nothing OS 3.1 powered by Android 15 |
Android 14 |
|
Colors |
Black, Grey |
Aloe, Bay, Porcelain, Obsidian |
|
Screen Size |
6.77 inches |
6.1 inches |
|
Screen Resolution |
2,392 x 1,080 |
2,400 x 1,080 |
|
Screen Type |
FHD+ AMOLED |
Actua OLED |
|
Refresh Rate |
120Hz |
60-120Hz Adaptive |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
Google Tensor 3 |
|
RAM |
8GB, 12GB |
8GB |
|
Storage |
128GB, 256GB (not expandable) |
128GB, 256GB (not expandable) |
|
Cameras |
50MP main, 50MP periscope, 8MP ultra-wide, 50MP front |
64MP quad PD wide, 13MP ultra-wide, 13MP front |
|
Speakers |
Stereo Speakers |
Stereo Speakers |
|
Battery |
5,000mAh |
4,492mAh |
|
Wireless Charging |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Bluetooth |
5.4 |
5.3 |
|
Water Resistance |
IP64 |
IP67 |
|
Cellular |
5G |
5G |
|
Size |
6.44 x 3.05 x 0.33 inches |
6 x 2.9 x 0.4 inches |
|
Weight |
211 grams |
190 grams |
Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a: What can these phones do?
Now, let’s dive into what makes these two phones stand out when it comes to usability and features.
The Nothing Phone 3a runs on Nothing OS 3.1, which is based on Android 15. It has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor with an AI engine and up to 20GB RAM Booster and a Hexagon Tensor Accelerator (HTA) that boosts AI performance. It comes with 8GB or 12GB RAM to keep up with all your daily needs.
The Essential Space really stands out on this phone, making it simple to organize and catalog all your contents. Soon, the phone will also be able to transcribe on the fly, condense meeting notes, and even pull together to-dos based on your information. Now, it can do things like generate personalized suggestions, summaries, or action points, all leveraging integrated AI.
Sutrich says Essential Space, which is still in beta, is “very cool” though less useful than he had hoped. It’s basically a digital replacement for a daily planner, and it works well in accomplishing this. How useful you find it will be a personal thing.
The feature Sutrich really loves and calls a game-changer is the ability to take notes or voice memos on the fly by pressing a single key. As soon as he made a recording, like something he remembered while driving, the AI engine in the phone organized it neatly and provided a summary the next time he looked at his phone.
Gamers will appreciate the steel vapor chamber, which ensures reduced average versus 60-70FPS on the Nothing Phone 2a. However, he notes that the phone never got warm to the touch and he didn’t experience any performance issues. Nonetheless, his observations are worth keeping in mind if you plan to use the phone for gaming.
From a security standpoint, all content is stored locally on the phone, and any data sent to the cloud for processing is encrypted and then deleted once the task is done. There’s also built-in ChatGPT.
The Google Pixel 8a runs on the G3 chip and boasts less RAM at 8GB, but it’s still a pretty powerful phone. It has all the usual Google goodies, including Gemini access and the Gemini assistant, and features like live translate. You can also enjoy features like Circle to Search, call screen, clear calling, hold for me, wait times, and smart replies. Extra safety features include crisis alerts and car crash detection.
The Family Link area of the phone is useful for parents with teens and tweens who want to be able to monitor usage, set time limits, and ensure they are only accessing appropriate apps and information.
Performance of this phone varies, Sutrich notes, based on his experience compared to others on the team. While it’s better than the Google Pixel 7a in terms of benchmarks, even the Google Pixel 8 Pro, some Android Central testers find performance snappy while others found that apps constantly re-loaded when switching among them. Further, anything taxing will drain the battery faster than other phones in this class, like the OnePlus 12R.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a: Capturing and editing photos and videos
Everyone loves taking photos with their phones. How do these two stack up?
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro has a 50MP main camera with a Sony sensor combined with a 50MP periscope, 8MP ultra-wide, and an impressive 50MP front camera for selfies. The cameras are arranged with a horizontally stacked lens configuration with 3x optical zoom and up to 60x ultra zoom. The large, circular camera island on the back will be polarizing, notes Sutrich, giving off a dramatic and industrial feel that not everyone will like.
The 50MP front camera supports 4K video recording as well, with AI-powered stabilization and night capture enhancement. There’s also a useful portrait mode as well as Ultra XDR that can capture 8 RAW frames at varying exposures and merge them for photos with more detail. The TrueLens Engine 3 works in the background to ensure pro-grade images, says the company.
There are also specific camera controls, including Quick record for instantly recording video, burst shot mode, a zoom indicator, and portrait effects. There are personal presets for camera settings so you can save your favorite ones, with images stored in the native Nothing photo gallery.
Sutrich says the cameras are good, a massive step up from the Nothing Phone 2a, particularly when it comes to zoom detail. “Overall,” he says, “these are great cameras and help build confidence in the brand and its capabilities.”
The Google Pixel 8a has some pretty impressive cameras, too. This includes a 64MP quad PD wide main camera, 13MP ultra-wide, and 13MP front. The main difference here is the much lower-resolution front camera, which won’t yield shots as nice as with the Nothing Phone 3a Pro. But you’ll still get decent selfies.
Where Google excels is with its many popular photo editing and capture features, which appear in all the latest models, including the Google Pixel 8a. These include ones like Best Take, Audio Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Night Sight, Real Tone, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Mode. There’s also super res zoom up to 8x.
Sutrich finds that while the Google Pixel 8a takes great photos, you’ll get the same camera performance on the Google Pixel 7a. He finds that the Google Pixel 8a get exposure right in most cases, pulling out plenty of detail. You will get high contrast and color accurate imagery as well, which is a good thing. This phone, however, doesn’t live up to others in the line in terms of capturing objects in motion. So, if you’re looking to take lots of pics of kids or pets, you might want to consider another Pixel model.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a: Which should you choose?
It’s decision time. Between the Nothing Phone 3a Pro vs. Google Pixel 8a, which should you choose? Both are wonderful phones for affordable prices. With the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, you get a cool, stand-out look that will turn heads and have people asking you what phone that is, where you got it, and if it’s any good. By comparison, the Google Pixel 8a looks plainer in comparison, but it’s one of the best cheap Android phones you can buy right now, providing tremendous value for dollar.
While the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is newer, the Google Pixel 8a offers more than two times the length of software support, through 2031 whereas software support for the Nothing Phone 3a Pro will end by 2028. That might not sound like a big deal, but even if you don’t plan to keep either phone that long, the Google Pixel 8a will have better resale or trade-in value since it has so much life left in it.
The Google Pixel 8a is slightly more durable but the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is more powerful if you opt for the 12GB RAM version. The Essential Space in the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, while still a work in progress, makes use of AI in a practical way that will only get better over time as well.
Keep in mind that if you love the Nothing Phone 3a Pro but want to save even more, you can step down to the Nothing Phone 3a, which is more affordable with marginal differences, including slightly less capable cameras without a periscope option. Comparatively, the Google Pixel 7a is still a great budget phone with plenty of years of support still left, and the same camera performance as the Google Pixel 8a. So, if you’re on a super tight budget, these are both solid alternatives that you can find for even less.
Otherwise, if you want something totally different in terms of look and feel, you might appreciate the Nothing Phone 3a Pro. For something simpler and more traditional in design that still packs a punch in performance, the Google Pixel 8a won’t disappoint.
Make a statement
If you want to make a statement with a phone design that’s unlike anything else, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro is the way to go. It boasts impressive specs, too, and the Essential Space organizer makes practical use of the built-in AI. Cool features like being able to take voice notes on the fly to organize your thoughts are appreciated.
Good ‘ol reliable
Still with six years of software and security updates left, even though the Google Pixel 8a was introduced in 2024, it’s still as relevant and worth getting today as it was then. Given the affordable price and the premium-like specs, it’s worth considering if you want something more traditional looking.