In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all things hardware, including phones, audio products, storage servers, and networking gear.
When I reviewed the Phone 2a last year, I called it the best budget phone of the year. In 2025, the Phone 3a Pro is carrying that mantle. Nothing's latest phone retains a similar foundation as its predecessor, so you get an interesting design at the back, clean software with useful extras, good customizability, timely software updates, and great cameras.
Interestingly, the 3a Pro gets a 50MP telephoto lens, giving it a distinct advantage over the 2a. Nothing switched over to Qualcomm silicon once again, and that's a good thing — the phone has much better performance in gaming and daily use versus the 2a and 2a Plus.
I used the Phone 3a Pro for just over a week now, and I'm convinced that this is the only budget phone worth buying in India. I like the POCO X7 Pro as well, but the software on that device isn't anywhere as good, and it doesn't quite have the same design flair.
