Nothing phone 3a is here – the best budget smartphone taking on the iPhone 16e
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The best cheap smartphone on the market is now open for orders and it is taking on Apple and the new iPhone 16e.
Apple’s newest budget phone is the iPhone 16e but while the phone maker says this is its entry level phone it has had a hefty price hike of over £150 compared to previous budget options in the iPhone range. Priced at £599, the iPhone 16e is no longer a cheap option and it means there is space in the market for a truly budget phone with a premium feel.
The space could be taken by the Nothing phone. The brand has opened pre orders for the Nothing 3a and the more premium Nothing 3a Pro phones priced at just £329 and £449 respectively.
There is an added benefit of pre ordering the new smart phones. Customers who order before 16 March will also get some Nothing Ear (a) noise cancelling ear buds to go with the phone.
The big selling point for the new Nothing 3a is the three camera system. It is rare to get a periscope telephoto camera alongside the main and ultrawide on a phone at the budget end of the market and the result is high quality photographs from the versatile camera setup.
Inside the phone a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 provides plenty of processing power and the phones have exceptional battery life for heavy usage users. It even comes with Nothing’s new AI, which is not as advanced as Apple Intelligence but punches above its weight in terms of user experience.
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Nothing has developed a reputation for taking on the big name brands with affordable but technology-packed budget phones that feel like a more expensive handset. The latest 3a and 3a Pro are two of the best value phones on the market and pre orders are now open here.
If you are looking for a budget phone from one of the more established brands you can opt for a monthly contract instead of an up front payment. Sky Mobile has the iPhone 16e from £20 a month here. Alternatively you can wait for a new Samsung Galaxy S25 FE model or the upcoming Google Pixel 9a. Both are set to arrive this year but are not available at the time of writing.