Nothing Phone 3a To Bring Back Snapdragon Chips, Carl Pei Confirms. Here's Which One It Could Get

Nothing Phone 3a series will be assembled at the company’s manufacturing facility in Chennai.

Nothing Phone 3a's new CPU will perform 25 per cent faster than predecessors, Pei confirmed.

Source : Nothing

Nothing Phone 3a: The upcoming Nothing Phone 3a series is set to launch on March 4, and ahead of its debut, the company has confirmed a significant shift in its choice of processors. Nothing CEO Carl Pei announced that the new lineup will be powered by a Snapdragon chipset, marking a departure from the MediaTek Dimensity processors used in the Phone 2a series.

Pei revealed this change in a community update, stating, "I'm happy to announce that we are going back to the Qualcomm Snapdragon series with the Phone (3a)." However, he did not specify which Snapdragon processor would be featured in the new smartphones. He did claim that the CPU will offer a 25 per cent performance boost, while the neural processing unit (NPU) will see a 72 per cent increase in speed compared to the Phone 2a Plus. This suggests significant enhancements in AI-driven functionalities and overall processing power.

Which Snapdragon Chip Will Nothing Go With?

Reports suggest that the Nothing Phone 3a might be equipped with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset. The device is also expected to feature a 6.8-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Additionally, it is likely to run on Nothing OS 3.1, based on Android 15, and maintain the brand’s signature Glyph interface.

A design tweak could also be in store, with speculation hinting at an additional button on the right side of the device. While its function remains unconfirmed, theories suggest it could serve as a dedicated camera button, an AI action button, or even a multi-toggle key for enhanced usability.

Made In Chennai

On the production front, the Nothing Phone 3a series will be assembled at the company’s manufacturing facility in Chennai. The plant employs over 500 workers, with women making up 95 per cent of the workforce. However, it remains unclear whether the assembled units will be sold exclusively in India or made available for export to global markets.

With the confirmed shift to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform and the promise of improved processing power, the Nothing Phone 3a series is shaping up to be an interesting release. More details are expected as the launch date approaches.