TL;DR
- A leak has revealed the function of the new button on the Phone 3a series.
- It appears the button is a dedicated physical key to activate Nothing’s custom AI.
- The button can be used to capture content, record a voice note, and access the hub where the content is saved.
Nothing has two budget phones on the way in the form of the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. The company recently provided a look at the Pro, and today, it showed off the non-Pro model. If you look closely at both devices, you’ll notice the 3a series features a new physical button. There have been some clues as to what this button does, but a new leak has now fully revealed its purpose.
A tipster has helped Smartprix uncover the mystery behind the new physical button on the Phone 3a series. According to the outlet, the button is a dedicated key for activating Nothing’s custom AI. This button is apparently the “Essential Key” and it is linked to an AI-powered hub known as Essential Space.”
It appears the Essential Key is designed for intuitive single-hand use of Nothing’s AI. A single press allows the user to capture and send content to Essential Space. Long pressing on the button will open the recorder for you to create a voice note that will be saved in the hub. Meanwhile, double-pressing will take you directly to all of your saved content in Essential Space.
A few other features related to this AI include:
- Camera Capture: A press of the Essential Key while in the camera app will send the photo to Essential Space.
- Focused Search: This is a tool to find the content you’re looking for.
- Flip to Record: An additional way to record notes.
The outlet also lists a feature called Smart Collections twice, but this may be a typo for two different features. It’s described first as a feature that uses AI to sort through audio, images, and text. The second mention of Smart Collections says this feature “automatically recognizes and categorizes content, eliminating the need for manual organization.”
Nothing is holding an event on March 4 where it will launch the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro. This just happens to be when everyone will have their attention on Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025.
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