Nothing has quickly built a reputation for producing great phones like the Phone 2(a) that cost less than its rivals, and with the year coming to a close, some of us are wondering what might be coming next. Fortunately for us, Android Authority has uncovered some clues inside Nothing OS 3.0, suggesting camera and processor upgrades could be coming to Nothing Phone 3.
Nothing OS 3.0 is based on Android 15, and Android Authority uncovered references to three distinct codenames in its code: asteroids, asteroids_plus and galaga. All named after the classic video games, it seems these codenames relate to future Nothing hardware — likely the Nothing Phone 3a, Nothing Phone 3a Plus and the CMF Phone 2.
The code also suggests that the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset could power the Phone 3a and 3a Plus, while the CMF Phone 2 could come with a MediaTek chip. That is no huge surprise given CMF is in the business of releasing cheap phones, and MediaTek silicon is usually more affordable.
On top of that, the code suggests that the Phone 3a could come with a telephoto camera lens, though whether it’ll be in place of the ultrawide (like the Motorola Razr Plus 2024) or be a new third lens isn’t clear. Meanwhile, it looks like the Phone 3a Plus could upgrade that lens to include a periscope camera, which should offer much higher levels of optical zoom.
Finally, Android Authority found evidence that eSIM support could come to the Phone 3a and 3a Plus. This would make them the first Nothing phones to support eSIM, though there’s nothing to suggest that the CMF Phone 2 will follow their example. So physical SIM cards are still going to be around for a while yet.
This is all great news for the Nothing Phone 3a. While not a flagship Snapdragon 8 chip, the introduction of a 7-series Snapdragon chipset should be a boon to performance and energy efficiency. A telephoto lens would also offer an extra taste of the flagship experience, by improving the overall quality of zoomed-in shots.
The only questions I have are how much optical zoom will be on offer, and how much these upgrades will affect the price. Nothing is known for undercutting the competition, but the more upgrades it includes, the more these phones cost to make — and there are only so many times you can avoid passing those costs onto the consumers.
Fortunately, we shouldn’t have too long to wait, because the Nothing Phone 3a is expected to arrive at some point in the first quarter of 2025. We’re not sure exactly when, but it hopefully means we won’t have to wait more than three months.
More from Tom's Guide
