So, for under 40,000 NPR, the best phone in Nepal over the last 6 months was definitely the CMF Phone 2A Pro. Which, if you didn't know, is a Nothing’s sub-brand. Overall, it was a balanced phone with cool unique design, asolid display, good performance, and the software experience was just really nice.

Recently, Nothing just launched the Phone 3(a) Lite at the same price as the CMF 2A Pro— starting at NPR 37,200 for 8/128GB, and 42,500 for 256GB. Plus, if you prebook, you get CMF Buds 2A free! Which makes it an even better deal. But once prebooking is over, both phones will cost about the same—so which one’s the better value? Let’s see in this review. 

Nothing Phone 3a Lite Specifications:

• Design, build: 164 x 78 x 8.3 mm, 199 gm, IP54 rating
• Display: 6.77-inch AMOLED screen, FHD+, 120Hz refresh rate
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro (4nm mobile platform)
• Memory: 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage (expandable up to 2TB)
• Software & UI: Nothing OS 3.5 on top of Android 15
• Rear Camera: Triple (50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro)
• Front Camera: 16MP sensor (hole-punch)
• Security: Fingerprint sensor (optical in-display)
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.4, GPS / Glonass / Galileo / BDS / QZSS, USB-C, NFC, 4G LTE, 5G
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light, E-compass, Gyroscope, Proximity
• Battery: 5000 mAh with 33W charging (power adapter not provided)
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Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite Review

Design

Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite looks way better than CMF. CMF has a plastic back, a bit clunky with screws. Gen Z might like the colorful options, but the 3(a) Lite feels like the Phone 3—glass back, modern, premium, could even appeal to professionals. Ask your office buddy which design they like more, haha.

Compared to OPPO or Vivo phones, this phone isn’t crazy waterproof—it’s just IP54, so only splash protection. But what you do get better with Nothing is the overall smartphone experience.

Performance

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite runs on Nothing OS paired with the Dimensity 7300 Pro. And to be honest, its a pretty powerful for this price range. In all of my daily usage, it felt fast and smooth: no lags, UI transitions were also very seamless, and the phone didn't even overheat even after hours of regular use. Gaming-wise, the phone can easily handle PUBG and Mobile Legends at 90 fps. 

Additionally, the OS also offers good customization options and useful widgets. The only minor gripe is that if you push heavy multitasking, RAM management can feel a bit slow. But overall, the experience is solid and reliable.

One thing I really liked is the Essential Button on Nothing phones. It’s super handy for quick actions like taking screenshots, voice memos, organizing stuff, or even transcribing. 

Display

Display is solid—same as CMF 2A Pro.  The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite has a 6.77‑inch AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The display gets really bright, so using it outdoors in sunlight is fine. The touch response is also good. 

The vibration provided by Nothing here is also very decent—typing feels nice. So overall, performance + software + display = fun to use. But one issue is it shares the same problem as with CMF 2A Pro—the speaker. It has a single speaker, and because of this you are getting a very loud or clear sound. 

Battery

While its not huge like OPPO/Vivo/Realme 7000mAh phones, but 5000mAh surprisingly lasts long. 7-8 hours easily. Charging is also 33 W wired fast charging, and its enough to reach about 50% in 20 minutes.

Camera

Main camera

For its price, the Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite had a really impressive camera setup, standing out compared to most phones under 40K. The main camera captured photos that were detailed and colorful, with good sharpness for everyday shots. Daylight pictures looked lively, and details came through nicely. 

Ultrawide

The ultra-wide lens was serviceable — it worked fine for group shots or landscapes, though the quality wasn’t as strong as the main camera. 

Low light

In low-light situations, the phone sometimes struggled, and photos of people could occasionally come out a bit brighter than expected. Even so, for the price range, it was easily one of the best cameras you could get.

Portrait

When compared to the CMF Phone 2 Pro, the main and ultra-wide cameras were essentially the same, so there wasn’t a huge difference for general photography. The one area where the CMF 2 Pro pulled ahead was in portraits: it had a dedicated 2X portrait lens, which produced noticeably better portrait shots.

That said, the Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite’s portrait mode wasn’t bad at all — it just didn’t match the CMF 2 Pro’s sharper, more defined results.

Selfie

Selfies were also very solid and reliable for regular usage. Video recording on the main camera supported up to 4K at 30 fps, and the results were good enough for everyday clips, vlogging, or short social media posts. 

Overall, the camera setup felt like a B+ grade for this price. If you wanted truly top-tier photography — crisp portraits, strong low-light performance, and versatile video — you would need to spend closer to 60–70K

Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite Review: Conclusion

So yeah, Phone 3(a) Lite is probably the best value-for-money midrange phone in Nepal right now. Everything’s balanced—like Thanos would say, perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

Nothing Phone 3(a) Lite Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Decent performance
• Bright 120 Hz display
• Decent main camera
• Solid battery

Cons

• Weak ultra-wide/macro
• Single speaker

• Basic water resistance

  Check out our video of the Nothing Phone 3a Lite