Product test
CMF Phone 2 Pro test: now with NFC and three cameras
by Jan Johannsen
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: Glyph and Essential Space instead of telephoto camera
29/10/2025
Translation: machine translated
With the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite, Nothing is launching an affordable smartphone on the market with features that are very similar to another device from the manufacturer.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is basically the CMF Phone 2 Pro without telephoto camera in Nothing design and with glyph light. You can fill the AI memory «Essential Space» with the Essential Button.
Glyph and Essential Space instead of telecamera
The following overview illustrates the many similarities with the CMF Phone 2 Pro:
I particularly notice the lack of a telephoto camera in comparison. Nothing tries to compensate for this with a glyph light on the back, which has become the manufacturer's trademark in various forms. Here, however, it is nothing more than a notification light. The «Essential Space» - a collection of screenshots and voice memos sorted by an AI - is also behind a telecamera in my wish list.
The «Essential Space» is one of the adjustments that the manufacturer is making to Android 15 with Nothing OS 3.5. The update to Nothing OS 4.0 and thus Android 16 is scheduled for release in the first half of 2026. In total, the manufacturer promises three major Android updates for the Phone (3a) Lite and six years of security updates.
Low unit numbers as a test balloon
The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite will officially go on sale on 4 November at selected retail partners. The recommended retail price is 249 euros or 219 francs. This makes it as expensive as the current CMF Phone 2 Pro.
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite was mainly developed for the Indian market and is only being brought to Europe in small quantities. The manufacturer wants to test how much interest there is in devices in this price range. Conversely, this also means that it will not be available everywhere.
Header image: Nothing
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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