Nothing Phone (3a) Community Edition: Limited run, early 2000s design for RM1,699
The Nothing Phone (3a) launched earlier this year as the brand’s mainstream midrange smartphone. Featuring their signature eclectic unique look with the Glyph Interface light system on the back, the Phone (3a) proved popular among those looking for a midrange device that doesn’t look like every other one out there.
Recently though, Nothing has announced the Phone (3a) Community Edition, the result of their latest Community Edition project. The project gives their fans and users an opportunity to offer their own take on product design, software and marketing. This year’s Community Edition project saw over 700 submissions across design, software accessories and storytelling, which Nothing says is a showcase of the growing appetite from creators who want a more meaningful collaboration with their favourite brands.
The result is of course the Nothing Phone (3a) Community Edition. There are four winners: Emre Kayganacl (Hardware Design), Ambrogio Tacconi & Louis Aymond (Accessory) Jad Zock (Lock Screen Clock & Wallpaper Design) , and Sushruta Sarkar (Marketing Campaign). Each were selected for their originality, craft and ability to built and improve upon Nothing’s design language.
For hardware, Kayganacl’s design took inspiration from the late 90s and early 2000s, when things were a little more funky; we all remember the translucent plastic that was on almost everything right? Nothing says that it’s a bold, new yet nostalgic colour that makes the device look like a toy from the past, while also staying true to Phone (3a)’s futuristic identity. The accessory category meanwhile was won by Tacconi and Aymond’s Dice, complete with their signature Ndot 55 font.
Then there’s the new lock screen clock and wallpaper. Zock’s creation sees a new custom clock face with multiple font weights for reduced visual clutter while still aligning with the brand’s ethos and aesthetics. On top of that, the Phone (3a) Community Edition also come with an exclusive wallpaper designed by Zock as a bridge between the rear colour and texture to the front interface, with a total of four versions to pick from.
Lastly, the marketing campaign of the Phone (3a) Community Edition is called ‘Made Together’, by Sarkar. It’s not tied to the phone itself, but rather the concept of the collaboration. Nothing says it celebrates the design process and collaboration within its community, and reflect their goal of making tech fun to inspire human creativity.
The Nothing Phone (3a) Community Edition is already available for purchase, priced at RM1,699—the same as the original Phone (3a) that launched earlier this year. However, only 1,000 units have been made globally, so trying to actually get your hands on one might be a bit tough. The phone itself is basically identical to the original Phone (3a) with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with the only changes being the ones listed above.
For more about the Nothing Phone (3a) and the story behind what it took to make it happen, you can check out their video about how they built it below:
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