When anyone asks me for a camera-centric smartphone that captures stunning close-ups, macros, and zoomed photos, I always suggest a flagship device. Why? Because of their sensor superiority and overall optical quality, which is unheard of in midrange devices. The new Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, however, challenges this notion by packing a physical 50MP 3x periscope lens alongside a 50MP main camera and an 8MP telephoto sensor.
With a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a 6.77-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, and a new Essential Key, the Phone (3a) Pro does sound impressive on paper. But having reviewed a lot of devices over the years, and one thing is clear: numbers aren’t everything. So I tried out the Phone (3a) Pro’s periscope camera for a week and went on a photography spree to find out if this new camera is just talk or can bite.
Is the Phone (3a) Pro’s Periscope Camera Capable?
The new Nothing Phone (3a) Pro brings several upgrades over its predecessor. I have gone over this in my Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro review. However, I felt the Pro needed extra attention because Nothing stuffed an L-shaped 50MP Sony LYTIA 600 3x periscope lens inside it. This is the same setup often seen in flagship devices like Samsung’s Ultra series, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro.
Why is it so special? Here, the light reflects off of a glass before reaching the sensor. This allows for the camera to capture more light while preserving plenty of details even at higher zoomed ranges. However, it requires more space inside the device, which explains the odd design of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. But enough explanations, I’ll let the results show its prowess.
The images turned out to look pretty impressive, riddled with details, and plenty of clarity even in low light situations. Whether I am capturing human subjects, macros, or portrait shots, the Phone (3a) Pro’s periscope didn’t disappoint. I honestly didn’t expect the shots to come out looking so good.
Phone (3a) Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – 3x, 6x, 10x, 30x, 60x
Some credit also goes to the new TrueLens Engine 3.0 computational photography that Nothing has implemented this time around. It further enhances the look of the image, cleaning up the shot, while keeping the details and highlights in check.
Where Nothing’s Periscope Lens Shines (and Falters)
By this point, I was really pleased with the periscope system on the Phone (3a) Pro, especially given the price. However, I wondered if other smartphones in this segment can match its capability. A quick Google search later, I had my answer.
The new Realme 14 Pro+ also includes a 50MP 3x periscope system; fortunately, we had it here at the Beebom office. So I immediately put the periscope cameras of these phones to the test, and the results were shocking. The following gallery is laid out for a side-by-side comparison, but you can click on any of the images to expand them for a better look.
Phone (3a) Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – 3x, 10x, 30x, Macro, Portrait
Realme 14 Pro+ Periscope shots (from left to right) – 3x, 10x, 30x, Macro, Portrait
Photos obviously differ between the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and the Realme 14 Pro+. As you might be able to tell, Nothing captures better details in every image consistently. Whether it is macro photos or 30x shots, the results always look better on the (3a) Pro. It even retains the natural look of the shots, whereas Realme goes for a slightly boosted appeal.
Nothing’s camera system was showing promise, and I didn’t want to end my little experiment here. So I went up a notch and grabbed the next best option, which is the recently released OnePlus 13 (review). It also uses a 50MP 3x LYT 600 sensor with a W-style periscope. This phone had impressed me with its images back when I reviewed the device, so I pit its periscope lens against the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro’s and see how it goes.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – Macro, 3x, 6x, 10x, 60x
OnePlus 13 Periscope shots (from left to right) – Macro, 3x, 6x, 10x, 60x
The competition got stiff here. There were times when Nothing had the better shot, while in others OnePlus 13 secured the perfect click, especially at long ranges. But it also revealed that it is using an AI’s helping hand to fill the gaps. The 60x shot clearly shows AI adding the missing details in the sign.
OnePlus 13 also had an edge handling photos with direct light like the lamp or the sunlight. Nothing struggled in such situations, blowing them out. However, it still did a good job against a device twice its price range. It was a tough pick, but in the end, OnePlus took the upper hand by a slight margin.
But now that we have the ball rolling, I didn’t want to stop here. I wanted to see if this midrange camera setup has any chance against the big boy like last year’s Vivo X200 Pro (review). It has received many accolades for being the “best camera phone of the year”. It also features a proper L-style 3.7x 200MP periscope. You already know where I am going with this, so let’s look at the photos.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – 3x, 6x, 10x, 30x, 60x
Vivo X200 Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – 3x, 6x, 10x, 30x, 60x
The Vivo X200 Pro blows the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro out of the park. This is especially evident in the night time photos with strong light sources. The Vivo’s 3.7x 200MP sensor not only carries the most details but also shows its supremacy in computational photography. The Phone (3a) Pro 3x periscope tries its best to hold its own, but couldn’t compete with the crystal clear images by Vivo.
I guess I expected a bit too much from the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro. I was just about to conclude my test when a colleague suggested that I should compare it with the Defacto best camera phone, the Pixel 9 Pro XL. It also features a 48MP f/2.8 x5 periscope lens. Since the phone is universally praised for its photographic charms, so I thought to myself, why not give Nothing one last shot?
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – Macro, 3x, 6x, 10x, 30x
Google Pixel 9 Pro Periscope shots (from left to right) – Macro, 3x, 6x, 10x, 30x
In this comparison, the Pixel offers many true-to-life colors, with excellent accuracy. The images turn out to have clear edges and details without overblowing the exposure from light sources. It may not be apparent in these images, but Pixel 9 Pro XL preserved every detail in the dog’s fur while the Nothing turned it into one smudge. There’s not much competition here at all.
But it also did some aggressive oversharpening on the flower, which made it look quite artificial. The Phone (3a) Pro needs some tweaking to help in night photos, as they don’t come out as good as the day shots. Comparing it with devices like Vivo and Pixel makes its issues more apparent, but I feel they can be fixed to some extent with further updates.
If you are curious about the results yourself, then you can take a look at the photos captured from all the devices from the Google Drive link below.
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Periscope: Setting a New Premise
After trying out all these cameras, I can say one thing for sure. Nothing Phone (3a) Pro’s periscope is an excellent first attempt. However, these tests also brought out some issues with the phone that I feel need to be improved, and the company takes notice of them quickly.
As for results, I think it does a fair enough job with whatever tools it has and at times, with the perfect shot, can compete with flagship devices. It surprised me more times than I can count, and it can only be made better with further upgrades.
Nothing’s decision to go with a full-fledged periscope sensor instead of opting for a W-style one clearly paid off here. And unless some other midrange phone tries to mimic its astounding capabilities, I can say for sure that this is THE midrange camera phone to beat this year.
