Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus, has launched a new smartphone venture called Nothing. The company will announce its third-generation Android smartphones, Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro, on March 4. Although there’s limited to reveal about the devices, a new video showcases the design team’s process for incorporating a chunky camera module.
The phone industry has largely followed a trend of flat, unremarkable bodies in recent years. However, Nothing is taking a different approach with transparent panels and glowing “Glyphs” that are intended to be seen. The Nothing Phone 3a Pro features an enormous camera module that will likely stand out.
Designing smartphones comes with trade-offs, particularly when it comes to camera quality. Smaller lenses and sensors can negatively impact image quality. As a result, flagship devices often have large camera arrays that make them top-heavy. The Google Pixel 9 series is a notable example.
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro will not be a flagship device but will boast more cameras than its sibling model. The phone’s rear-facing sensors include a 50MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 50MP periscope telephoto lens. A new design video highlights the phone’s glowing Glyphs and enormous camera module, which requires some PCB tweaks to accommodate the folded periscope assembly.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/02/nothing-explains-why-the-phone-3a-pro-ended-up-with-a-giant-camera