Hmmmm... it seems like I'm loading up on a bunch of electronics recently! But not on purpose... and apart from this particular purchase, nothing was really for my own daily use! The things that are meant for me have some tighter requirements for what I want!

So, my OnePlus Nord has started to play up a bit... which means that every few days, it needs a complete reboot otherwise weird glitching starts to happen. Lack of syncing, and biometric fails... and rebooting a phone when you are actively wanting to do something is pretty damn annoying!

I've been a OnePlus user since the early first version... the invite to purchase original! However, it has since moved away from the tech nerd roots... and the more recent phones have moved more mainstream... with the attendant mainstream pricing as well.

In addition, OnePlus don't really support Australia's networks... there is a gray market, but I had noticed that my European variant that I had brought over didn't seem to always get very good reception on the Australian radio bands.

So, I needed something that was a bit mid-range... no need these days for top of the line models anymore... but that had enough RAM to run nicely, decent enough shooter, light software touch, limited AU, and most importantly, dual-SIM.

... and the Nothing 3a fit the bill. I was sort of looking at these ones anyway, as the Nothing founder is one of the founders of OnePlus who had left recently. I liked his vision for the phones, and they seemed to be more in line with the original minimalist and efficient OnePlus ideas. The top line phones were a bit overkill, and there was a new one due out in a few months... but the mid-range "a" phones had just updated in March. So, this was the one for me!

Okay... first impressions... nice box, but a pain in the arse to figure out how to open easily without just tearing into the thing.

This little open tab was pretty easy to miss...

... sigh, and it didn't quite behave as I had thought that it would! I was expecting an all-round the box tear... but all it did was to release a tab on the regular boxed opening.

And on the inside, a lovely embossed box. I do like this... and it has a bit in common with the visible internal design on the backs of these phones. Nothing flashy or too colourful... just understanded coolness.

Yes yes... a personal message. I really can do without these... and I'm pretty sure that no-one ever reads them. I'm buying a friggin phone... not a "creativity" tool!

The packaging is very minial as well.. just the handset and a USB C cable... no wall wart. No problem, got more than enough of those and ones that are better quality and higher power than what normally comes bundled.

A pretty normal looking glass slab... thankfully, only a little bit bigger than the Nord, and smaller than my daughter's Samsung. I do like a mid size phone, I tend to be a one-hander... and about 6-7 inches is about the limit of using those comfortably.

A pre-installed screen protector... I don't think it is tempered glass, but I'll leave it as is for the moment.

I will definitely miss the Alert Slider from the OnePlus phones... but I see that they have started removing those from the latest models. I thought that a physical switch for muting and Do no Disturb was one of the best things ever... especially for a musician who would NEED to know that it was definitely on silent mode without looking at the phone and doing it just by feel.

Instead, there is a dedicated button for Notes and Reminders. Not useful, but maybe okay, as I do tend to have lots of things to note down for later action... but it can't currently be remapped... sigh, I am long past my days of reflashing Android phones with custom ROMs. I'm not going to do it for a single button... maybe...

And the back... what is most noticeable is the camera bump. No attempt to hide it... they have just leaned into the bump. A glass back allows you to see the fake(?) internal design... which is pretty damn cool! And there is the Glyph interface of lights around the camera ring. Not sure if I will use those, as there is always the dangerof my pockets glowing whilst on stage... not a good look!

The glass back is pretty slippery... especially compared to the sandstone covers of the OnePlus phones... I will also miss those. And I've jumped straight onto AliExpress to wrangle a custom sandstone cover... pity it will cover up the fake internals... but I really like the grippiness!

So, that is a the unboxing and physical first impressions. I'll wait a few days to get the phone setup... I want the cover to arrive first, so that I can immediately move to it as my daily driver! It is promising though... feels good in the hand!

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