Nothing’s next affordable phone may feature a telephoto camera

Nothing’s 2024 lineup of smartphones was all about budget phones like the Nothing Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus, and it looks like the next year as well, we’ll see a profound focus on affordable models. Fresh details of the next affordable Nothing devices reveal the presence of dedicated telephoto camera.

Additionally, the models could be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip instead of a MediaTek chipset. Here’s everything we know so far about these phones, and why you should be excited if you’re looking for a new mid-range device soon.

Nothing's future phones going big on optical zoom

According to a report from Android Authority, the next affordable Nothing phones may feature dedicated telephoto and a periscope telephoto sensors. For the uninitiated, these are special auxiliary camera sensors that let you zoom into far-off subjects without compromising on details. Naturally, these are often found in more premium devices like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The report suggests that the Nothing Phone (3a) may have a telephoto camera unit, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Plus may get a periscope zoom sensor, making them the first Nothing phones to get a an auxiliary camera that’s not an ultra-wide sensor. That’s if Nothing decides to launch these before the Nothing Phone (3), which will be a flagship device, and could also sport one of these sensors.

Apart from the cameras, these phones are said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC, replacing the MediaTek chipset from the existing Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus. Early benchmarks reveal the presence of a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, which is the same chipset as the newly launched Redmi Note 14 Pro+.

Furthermore, both models are expected to have dual-SIM support with the second SIM having an eSIM compatibility. As for the operating system, they will most likely run Android 15 OS out of the box with Nothing OS 3.0.

ALSO READ: Nothing Phone series in chronological order

For the those unaware, Nothing recently rolled out the Nothing OS 3.0 stable update for the Nothing Phone (2a) and Phone (2), and it brings a host of new features and changes. This includes a customisable lock screen, redesigned quick settings panel, shared widgets, and some AI features.

That’s all we know so far about the upcoming affordable Nothing phones, which are expected to launch in 2025. Other than this, the next CMF Phone is also expected to launch next year with a new MediaTek chipset and Android 15. The exact chipset, however, has yet to be known.