An upcoming smartphone may take exception us in a way few other devices have done recently . It ’s theNothing Phone 3a Pro , and shouldseveral leak prove to be exact , the design is one that will divide sentiment . Some will see it as braw and daring , while others will see it as a dog ’s breakfast , lunch , and dinner party all rolled into one . Lets take a good feel at why Nothing ’s next phone is going to have phone fan everywhere up in weaponry .
Is it that bad?
The back of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro isbusy , with a bewildering mix of product line , curve , rectangles , circles , and stadium shapes , all every which way placed with no obvious attempt to make it all make signified , visually . The television camera genus Lens array is the worst offender . The three cameras are all dissimilar shapes and size , none of them run along up with each other , there ’s a weapons platform for a tv camera and the news bulletin unit , and another for the bowl - form photographic camera , leaving the third tv camera out on its own .
The more I appear , the more convinced I am the camera on the chopine is n’t key , and it makes my eyes go risible when I seek to operate it out . The queer arrangement would n’t be so bad if the back of the phone was n’t transparent , as the gonzo layout has to crusade for attention with the racetrack - like ribbons and components on display . Nothing ’s signature Glyph lights add even more visual complexness , and when you start to notice the screw holes and other fixings dote around , its monumental need for aid is enough to make you start up to hyperventilate .
3a propic.twitter.com/wDpwqhZDoi
& mdash ; Arsène Lupin ( @MysteryLupin)February 21 , 2025
The erstwhile proverb “ less is more , ” really go for here , because taken individually Nothing ’s design choices are n’t egregious . It ’s put them all together that ’s the offense . Nothing knows it ’s being measuredly hard too , as when you see what could be the non - Pro Nothing Phone 3a , the camera is far more sensibly design , and the quietus of the rear panel ’s madness is tone down because of it .
Snowflakes
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro ’s rearward control panel solely abandons any proportion , and this is its ruin . Symmetry is an incredibly simple aspect of conception that everyone can understand . Most people will agree a snow bunting is a of course beautiful affair , and it comes down to its unbelievable hexagonal symmetry . Ina paper release by Natureon our preference for symmetry , it ’s call a “ introductory law in graphic intent , ” stating ( rather clinically ):
” People have a universal aesthetic taste for symmetry . Symmetry preferences are manifest in diverse aesthetic configuration , from painting and carving to architecture and euphony . They tempt many aspects of daily life across cultures and historic flow , from purchasing choice to match selection . ”
How about a mobile technical school model ? Whendesign expert Porsche Designgot hold of theHuawei P20 Proand grow it into theMate RS , the first thing it did was relocate the cameras into the center of the rear control board and make them flush - fitting , then stack a forcible fingermark sensor underneath whichjoinedrather than supervene upon the in - show sensor . It was all in the name of conception symmetry , and it got rid of the notch at the top of the screen for the same reasonableness . Porsche Design ’s unique doctrine shone through , and it was unwavering in its approach . While Nothing may differ in term of the end resolution , I have a notion its purpose is exactly the same .
There are no rules
I shudder to believe what the squad at Porsche Design think of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro ’s camera layout and rear panel . However , while Porsche Design ( and I , for the most part ) may prefer a clean , symmetrical , and ordered facial expression , it ’s not a hard rule set in stone , and Nothing ’s bravery may actually devote off .
“ While symmetry serves as a reservoir of beaut in many scholarly domains , it is not an undivided germ of beauty - related reception in humans , ” a report studyingasymmetry and symmetry in the knockout of human facesconcluded . House Beautifulsays “ designed clutter ” is the upcountry design trend of 2025 , and you only have to look at creative person Jackson Pollockcreating his workto see that chaos still has reckon and intention behind it .
Nothing has rigidly stuck with its key design motif since theNothing Ear 1earbuds , and injected some much needed merriment into smartphones when it launch thePhone 1 . The caller has created beautiful products in a ocean of rather average alternatives . If the leak really show the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro , it ’s unclouded the fellowship is n’t content to simply rely on a transparent pillowcase and some dash lights to catch our eye , and Ilovethat .
Ready to be challenged?
Nothing hasearned the rightto experimentation , but will the earpiece - buying public be uncoerced to accept the effect ? The Phone 3a Pro looks like it ’s going to have a clumsy , messy , avant gardestyle all of its own , and be wholly the opponent of the cleanSamsung Galaxy S25 , or the familiarApple iPhone 16 .
It ’s unimaginable to consider this a spoilt affair , but in any sweat to push the bounds of product conception , it ’s still important to appeal to the masses . Challenging design that do n’t follow at least some form of convention belike wo n’t do that , and could turn the less daring off immediately .
What will everyone think of the Nothing Phone 3a Pro when it arrives , if it does bet like this ? Will most flock to the far more tolerably normal - looking Phone 3a instead ? It remain to be look but smasher is , as always , in the center of the beholder . Nothing is expected to announce theNothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Proon March 4 .
