If i'm buying (3) or 3a Pro from shopee, can i rest assure eSim is included? Saw some article said nothing phone on some region dint included eSim

Yes, if you're a fan of Carl Pei from the OnePlus heydays you might be tempted to buy Nothing Fon

Fyi, there is a dedicated Nothing 3a Series thread here;
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/5507682

As for Shopee, check the product description to confirm it’s a Malaysia set. If the seller is reliable, you can open a chat with them and ask them to check for you. Afaik for the (3) all region models have e-sim support. 3a Pro not sure. I think some regions sell a cheaper 8/128GB model that doesn’t have e-sim. Malaysia only gets the 12/256GB model, so if it’s listed as Malaysia set confirm have. For regular 3a only Japan market gets e-sim.

I’m considering the regular 3a. Looks better, imho (especially the blue or white). Cameras aren’t important to me. Only use em for document scanning and QR codes most of the time. OS updates aren’t a concern for me since Nothing still promises 6yrs of security updates. Heck, with Google trying to shove Gemini down our throats, I would actually prefer to stay on Android 15 and just receive the security updates. Not that I see myself keeping a phone that long anyway. Only downside is lack of e-sim support on the 3a. Lack of Nothing service centres is also a concern, but the phone is cheap so not much of a loss if need to buang a year down the line.

For me their hardware is okay. It’s the software I hate. So much bloatware. China brands in particular are a joke. A friend once came over with his kid who had a Poco and asked to join my wifi, and later my router firewall logs showed all sorts of sketchy links the Poco was trying to phone home to. Only way to clean up a China phone is to root and flash, but then you will struggle with banking and finance apps. At least with NothingOS, it’s pretty much stock Android with some skinning. I can easily debloat and harden using Shizuku and Canta without having to unlock bootloader.

I've been using this for a few days already.

So far there are 2 issues I'm facing.

-i hardly play games, trying out this typical city building game, the sound would randomly get turned off. Not in mid game but like the next time I start the game.

-plugging in USB cable and my PC couldn't detect it, unable to perform file transfer with cable at the moment.

I didn't play game so don't know if have such issue but during the first few days I use the phone I'm having problem with syncing, some apps like Whatsapp doesn't notify have new message. My phone also doesn't have many of the glyph toys that reviewers shows. Turned out when I just got the phone and doing the installing apps and transferring data, it notify an update which I dismissed because doesn't want it to interfere with transferring data. After I update the phone, no more of all these problems.

I plugged to my PC and it have no issue detecting my phone. Your PC might not have the Android driver or when plugged in, you need to go to the phone notification, click to open the plugged in setting and select data transfer.

I'm set display refresh rate to Dynamic. On some apps it change the refresh rate to 90hz and some apps to 60hz. If feel choppiness then try change to High

So far no syncing issue and notification issue for me yet.

The glyphs you just need to update to the latest nothing OS hehe.

Hmm but my older phones can be detected no issue though.

Yeah I selected file transfer on the phone already too.

Can you guys running latest Nothing OS share your experience with the Private Space? So far I’ve read a lot of conflicting info, mainly because all those posting on reddit or nothing forums are not knowledgeable.

What I want to know is if Nothing’s Private Space is the same as Android’s Privacy Space?

Normally for regular Android 15 (eg: stock Pixel) when you setup Privacy Space it will ask you for an alternative google account or offer to create a new one for you. Once created you will see a separate Play Store and some other Google apps inside that Privacy Space. You cannot move them out of that space.

Is Nothing’s Private Space the same or different? Because if there’s no separate account required and you can move/clone apps then it is more like Samseng Knox and totally different.

Protect your privacy

Nothing OS introduces private space, designed to provide users with a secure environment to store and manage sensitive apps, files and photos. It acts like a digital safe, effectively protecting user privacy.

Features:

1. Additional authentication: to access your private space, you'll need to go through additional authentication, such as a password, code or pattern, to ensure security.

2. Hidden apps: your apps in your private space don't appear in your regular app list, recent apps or notifications, making it impossible for others to view sensitive information even if they have access to your phone.

3. Separate Google account: you can create a dedicated Google account for your private space, providing further privacy protection and preventing private data from leaking into the main space.


Secure your apps with App locker

Want to enhance the privacy of your chat, payment, and other personal applications?

Here's how:

1. Add a secure "lock" to your applications to thwart unauthorized access. Navigate to Settings>Apps>App locker to apply an app lock.

2. After applying the lock, every entry to the app will require verification via fingerprint, pattern, etc., ensuring enhanced security.

Private spaces are not suitable for apps that need to run in the background or send critical notifications, such as medical apps. This is because notifications and background activity are stopped when your space is locked.

Apps in your private space won't appear in permission manager, privacy dashboard, and other settings when private space is locked.

Your private space can't be restored to a new device. You'll need to set up another space if you want to use it on another device.

Anyone that connects your device to a computer or installs malicious apps on your device may be able to access your private space.

I created the private space but didn't really use everything. I added some apps into it, the apps now will not show on the normal drawer. In the private space also can add files and photos that won't show outside the private space. Also have private camera where the taken photos will be saved into private photos.

Apps added into private space will still be same app with same logged in account as before, just now it is hidden from outside. In the private space can choose which app to open photos, either Nothing's own Gallery app or Google's photos app, with Google's Photos app it is not logged in as outside app, so you can log in with different account in there. Except for Google's Photos app, I don't see ways for other app to be cloned, it can only move from outside or in private space. Only Google Photos app have 2 instances, 1 normal outside app and another already in private space for opening photos. Google Photos at outside cannot move into private space. Play Store app cannot move into private space.

These are the info of private space that Nothing put when go to the setting
Also additional notes in the private space

Can Nothing Fon use Shopee in dark mode? Inside developer options, does it have Force Dark Mode inside?

Got the option of Override Force-Dark in the developer option
After enable Shopee look like this

Nothing's Essential Space is very useful, but somehow I always forgot to use it. It is useful to record something that you going to get more information/research about it later on.

I don’t like that it sends a request to a server somewhere. If local, different story.
When Nothing OS 4 drops, can you update here if they let us remap that Essential button.
I know we can do it no, but it requires the keymap app to be running in the background at all times, which I don’t like.

I think now most brands AI stuff runs on their own server, phone hardware just not powerful enough to do the AI stuff.