Nothing is breaking out of its mid-range shell – it went from launching its first flagship to its first entry-level phone in quick succession. But now there is an awkward clash with the CMF brand, which was supposed to be Nothing’s entry-level lineup.

Based on its name, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is a dialed back, cheaper version of the Nothing Phone (3a). And there are certainly similarities, the phone is even closer to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. In fact, it is below the CMF model as it lacks the 50MP 2x/50mm telephoto camera while offering no advantage of its own to make up for it.

Here are the prices for the two models in question, but note that we are listing the launch prices – you may find better deals for the Nothing Phone (3a) and CMF Phone 2 Pro as they have been around for longer than the Lite.

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite uses the same Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset as the CMF model, which has lower performance than the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 inside the non-Lite (3a). That said, the difference isn’t huge.

All three phones feature 6.77” 1080p+ 120Hz OLED displays with 10-bit colors and HDR, plus Panda Glass protection. The batteries are the same at 5,000mAh and while there is a difference in charging speed on paper – 33W vs. 50W – the difference in practice is negligible (Nothing advertises 50% in 20 minutes and 19 minutes, respectively).

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite

The CMF is not the most beautiful phone in the world, but it is customizable with swappable backs. The Nothing looks more like the maligned Phone (3) flagship than its better accepted (3a) siblings.

By the way, we have the phone in for review, so you can expect a detailed report soon.

With that, we have to ask – would you buy the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite or would you rather go for another Nothing/CMF phone?