The Nothing Phone 3 is a bit like a third album from a band that’s done two solid records and is now figuring out whether to go experimental or mainstream. And to be honest, Carl Pei’s latest feels like both. After living with the Phone 3 for a while, I can tell you this, it’s not chasing trends, it’s refining its own.
In 2025, when every phone starts looking like a glorified reference render, the Phone 3 is here to make a point. That design still matters. That software can feel fun. That you don’t have to pick between serious and playful. It’s got all the quirks you expect in the Nothing DNA, a new dot-matrix LED instead of Glyph lights, but also the polish of a brand that’s starting to mature. Nothing calls it their first flagship and even though you’re paying a premium for nothing, is it a flagship even? Read on.
There’s no polite way to put it, the Nothing Phone 3 still looks like no other phone on the market. And that’s either a bold flex or a red flag, depending on who you ask. The transparent back is still here, but it’s more sculpted now. It leans into asymmetry with curves and discs that feel intentional, almost like industrial art. This isn’t a design meant to blend in. It’s divisive, polarising, and that’s kind of the point. Some will call it futuristic minimalism; others will say it looks like a sci-fi Lego kit. But one thing’s for sure, it’s not boring.
All the elements have been arranged in a new three-column grid and the Glyph lights have been revamped to a “Glyph Matrix” LED array that’s made up of 489 individually addressable LEDs that form a sort of dot-matrix display right on the back of the phone.
It can show you who’s calling with a pixelated avatar, light up with app-specific icons, or act as a visual volume bar, timer, or flashlight. Paired with the new Glyph Button, the entire setup becomes this low-key, screenless interface for quick interactions. The red recording button has been carried on from the Phone 2 and gives off a subtle red blink that activates while capturing video or using the recorder.
Someone at Nothing probably also agonised over the 1.87mm bezels, which are symmetrical and slimmer than before, but couldn’t salvage the camera placement. Fun tidbit: the case that Nothing provides in the box has as many as 12 cutouts for different buttons, sensors and cameras. Anyway, the whole package is IP68-rated, with Gorilla Glass on both sides and a recycled aluminium frame sandwiched in between. At 218g it’s not exactly lightweight, but it’s the kind of heft that makes the phone feel planted and premium.
If Phone 1 was a statement and Phone 2 was a refinement, Phone 3 is what happens when you stop trying to prove a point and just show up dressed well.
The Nothing Phone 3 comes equipped with a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED panel that, on first impressions, delivers a bold and beautiful viewing experience. It combines a sharp 2800 x 1260 pixels resolution with HDR10+ support, a 10-bit colour depth, and a peak refresh rate of 120Hz, all housed within ultra-slim 1.87mm symmetrical bezels that add to its premium visual identity. However, beneath the surface, there are some trade-offs worth understanding.
In real-world usage, the display is impressively bright and touch responsiveness is excellent. We recorded a manual peak brightness of 1370 nits, with automatic HDR peaks reaching 2720 nits, which puts it among the brightest panels in its segment. Under direct sunlight, text and images remain legible, and high-brightness modes kick in effectively when needed. Watching HDR content on YouTube or scrolling through a bright interface outdoors doesn’t feel compromised.
Though, colour accuracy, based on our Calman tests, is solid but not industry-leading. In the Natural profile, the display returned an average deltaE of 2.1 and a maximum of 5.8, which is within acceptable bounds for most users but just outside what colour professionals might demand. The grayscale performance showed a slightly cooler white point (~6862K), and an average grayscale deltaE of 3.7, which is decent for daily media consumption but not perfectly neutral. The colour gamut coverage came in at 98% sRGB, with strong contrast (thanks to perfect blacks) and vivid colour reproduction. These figures won’t disappoint in real-world use, but trained eyes may spot the occasional inaccuracy.
One important detail: this is an LTPS panel, not LTPO. The latter, typically seen in flagship phones (the same ones Nothing wants to be equated with), can dynamically adjust their refresh rate all the way down to 1Hz depending on content. That helps conserve battery, for instance, when reading a static page or displaying an always-on clock. LTPS, on the other hand, lacks that level of variable refresh scaling. So while you still get a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, the phone switches only between fixed modes like 60Hz and 120Hz, not across a broad spectrum. For most users, this isn’t a dealbreaker, but it does mean slightly less battery optimisation and no true always-on display capability.
The Phone 3 delivers a bright, contrast-rich, and visually impactful display experience with strong real-world usability. It isn’t the most colour-accurate or power-efficient panel on the market, but for the price and positioning, it strikes a commendable balance between style and substance.
The Nothing Phone 3 runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 which is a top of the line Snapdragon flagship. Sure, it’s not the Elite-level flagship, but a powerful SoC at that. Paired with up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, this setup has more than enough muscle for most users, but like all high-performers without a solid cooling strategy, it sometimes forgets how to pace itself.
The Phone 3 feels fast where it matters and in regular use it is snappy and smooth. App launches are quick, multitasking is fluid, and navigating through Nothing OS 3.5 (on top of Android 15) feels deliberate and clean. Apps open fast, animations are slick. There’s a distinct visual personality to it: dot matrix fonts, monochrome icon packs, minimalist toggles, but it’s not just aesthetic frosting. The essential Space, built-in AI tools, and thoughtful haptics all contribute to a polished user experience that feels cohesive. It feels like a flagship, just one that’s playing the long game rather than sprinting for leaderboard glory.
Still, let’s go through some numbers.
Sustained gaming sessions or 4K video rendering do result in noticeable frame drops and surface heat buildup. It doesn’t crash, but it does sweat. You can run Genshin Impact and Call of Duty Mobile with high settings and enjoy the first 15-20 minutes without issue. But push longer, and the phone gets warm. Not dangerously so, but warm enough that you might take a break before it suggests one.
The Nothing Phone 3 is a sprinter, not a marathoner. It’s fast off the blocks, but not built to stay cool for the long haul.
If there’s one area where the Nothing Phone 3 plays it safe and smart, it’s battery life. You get a 5150mAh silicon-carbon battery, which is a clear upgrade from the 4700mAh unit in the Phone 2, and the benefits are immediate. This isn’t a one-day phone, it’s a phone you can forget to charge at night and still get through most of the next day without plugging in.
In our PCMark battery loop, the Phone 3 clocked just under 20 hours, which is excellent for its class. That’s the same endurance figure as the Galaxy S25, and noticeably better than the OnePlus 13, which burns hotter and faster with that Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite. Even with Always-On Display enabled and Glyph notifications running in the background, this phone doesn’t drain fast.
Charging, however, is where things start to feel a little less “flagship.” You get 65W wired charging, which fills up the battery in around 70 minutes. That’s decent, but not standout, especially when phones like the OnePlus 13 can do a full charge in half that time. Wireless charging is supported at 15W, and you also get reverse wireless at 5W, which is good for topping off earbuds or helping a friend in battery distress. But again, these are more checkboxes than actual qualifiers.
The Nothing Phone 3 brings four 50MP sensors (yes, all four), aiming to prove that good photography isn’t just for phones with a “Pro Max” suffix. But while the spec sheet is ambitious: a 50MP OmniVision OV50H main sensor, 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto, 50MP JN1 ultrawide, and 50MP front camera, the real surprise is just how well they all come together.
In daylight, the main camera is reliable and a joy to shoot with. The colours are punchy and saturated, but never overcooked. Reds, yellows, and blues pop with vibrancy, yet still feel grounded in reality. You’ll see it in the crimson of Ixora flowers or the rich turquoise of a Royal Enfield tank, it’s bright, confident, and clean. The detail capture is sharp but not overly sharpened: the texture of a motorcycle helmet, the fine weave of a shirt, even the stamens of a pomegranate flower, all rendered crisply without turning into a crunchy HDR mess. It’s leagues ahead of what we saw on the Phone (2).
Portrait mode is another standout with precise edge detection: curly hair strands, eyeglasses, even the slightly transparent edges of clothing are segmented with precision. The bokeh feels soft, rounded, and natural.
The low light performance is also shockingly competent. The shots taken in parks or alleys retain remarkably clean shadows, with minimal grain and excellent control over blown-out highlights. The detail in grass under artificial lighting, or the texture of buildings under streetlights, stays intact.
HDR performance also deserves a nod. In a shot of a building silhouetted against a bright sky, cloud detail, shadow recovery, and glass reflections are all retained without introducing artifacts or halos.
The ultrawide camera, powered by Samsung’s ISOCELL JN1, holds its own too. Yes, it softens a bit at night and can occasionally flare with strong light sources, but its 114º field of view feels immersive, distortion is minimal, and tonal balance matches the main sensor well, which is more than most ultrawides in this range can claim.
Then there’s the telephoto lens, using a 50MP ISOCELL JN5 sensor. This is not your usual 2MP filler. 3x optical and 6x lossless zoom looks detailed, and the 60x AI zoom, while a bit of a gimmick, still produces surprisingly readable images under the right lighting. Where it shines most is in macro mode, allowing for tight, sharp close-ups without switching to a gimmicky “macro” sensor, something the close-up shots of plumeria and pomegranate flowers prove beautifully.
The front-facing 50MP selfie camera, also using the Samsung JN1, is more than capable. Skin tones are pleasant, detail is high, and dynamic range is solid. The lack of autofocus is a minor frustration, especially when taking group shots, but for solo selfies and 4K60 vlogging, this setup more than gets the job done.
If there’s one thing to watch for, it’s the occasional focus hunting in low light or when switching lenses during video. It’s not constant, but it happens, particularly with the ultrawide and telephoto. HDR video occasionally overcorrects and introduces slight motion judder when panning. And while you can switch lenses in video, it’s not as fluid as you’d like during a rolling shot.
This is easily the most versatile and competent camera system Nothing has ever shipped, but at the price, you get options like the Vivo X200 Pro which offers real flagship-grade photography chops and a camera setup that looks like a distant dream for Nothing.
The Nothing Phone 3 is trying to build identity and dares to be visually bold, functionally playful and intentional.
Yes, it’s priced close to real flagships, starting at Rs 79,999, to be exact. And at that price, you’re staring directly at options like the Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, iPhone 16, OnePlus 13, Pixel 9 Pro, and the Vivo X200 Pro. Phones that come with established flagship pedigrees, better displays, more versatile camera hardware, and in some cases, faster charging or longer update cycles. So calling this a flagship is brave, but it’s not quite one.
The LTPS display lacks the finesse of LTPO. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is fast, but not cool under pressure. The charging is fine, not fantastic. And the Glyph Matrix, while fun, won’t change your life. But it nails the fundamentals with a design language that’s still miles apart from anything else on the market, divisive, but never forgettable.
