Nothing Phone 3a to get a new Essential Key with customisable options

Nothing Phone 3a

UK-based smartphone brand, Nothing is set to unveil its Phone 3a series on March 4, which will comprise two smartphones, Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. While the former is a direct successor to the Nothing Phone 2a, the latter is a new device expected to offer better hardware features at a slight price premium. The company has also teased a new button for the Phone 3a Pro, which looked similar to the Action button on the iPhones. Now, a new leak sheds more light on this button’s functionality.

According to tipster Shivam Kumar via Smartprix, the ‘Essential Key’ button on the Nothing Phone 3a Pro will likely be an “AI-powered hub” called the Essential Space and will invoke Nothing’s custom AI functions. The report also adds that Essential Space will be different from traditional power and volume buttons, and will function as a second digital memory to store voice notes, social media saves, screenshots, and other functionalities.

As per the report, a screenshot will be captured with a single tap, while a long press will commence a voice note recording. Further, Nothing could enable users to access the stored content in Essential Space with a double tap. The key is also said to come with integration with the Camera app, similar to the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 series.

Further, with the gradual rollout of the updates, it is also believed that Nothing will add other major functionalities to the Nothing Phone 3a series, such as flip to record, smart collections, and focused search.