Quirky designs aren't quite for me, but Nothing made a name for itself off of those. It was able to speed-run its way up the ladder, and now, it is one of the more popular Android smartphone brands in some major markets.
However, before now, the company never touched flagship phones. The Nothing Phone 3, freshly released, is the first of the bunch. It has a polarizing design but does the rest of the package make up for it? Let's find out. Plus, Nothing has unveiled its very first over-ear headphones, and those look very solid.
The Nothing Phone 3 Copies Nobody's Homework
When the initial leaks for the Nothing Phone 3 leaked, my instant reaction was repulsion. I still don't like how the device looks, but I think it photographs a lot better than the renders gave the impression of. One thing is certain though, and that's that the Phone 3 is original.
The Design
The Nothing Phone 3 is an icon of uniqueness. I've been looking for smartphones that try to be a little bit riskier in their aesthetic, and this is one of them. I personally don't think it looks great, especially with the arrangement of the cameras, but it certainly has the Nothing DNA. Plus, the more I look at it, the less queer it comes off as.
The geometry on the back is 100% Nothing, and the Glyph lighting is killed in favor of the Glyph Matrix, a micro-LED display, which should be several times more functional. It can display key info like notifications, progress indicators, and even games.
There's a lot happening on the back, but besides the Glyph Matrix and the oddly-placed cameras, only one other thing on the back is functional, and that's the circular Glyph Button, located some distance under the Glyph Matrix. The button will let you switch between the things the micro-LED display shows. The phone comes with IP68 certification. It's not IP69 like competitors have adopted, but it's good enough.
The Screen
The display of the phone is pretty solid, giving Nothing an early opportunity to flex the flagship nature of its new device. It's not the greatest screen in the market, but there isn't much to complain about.
| Nothing Phone 3 | |
| Screen Size | 6.67 inches |
| Technology | OLED |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Peak Brightness | 4,500 nits |
| Resolution | 1260 x 2800 |
| Screen Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 7i |
The phone also comes with bezels that are 12% slimmer than on the Phone 2, so that should make the phone feel a little more cutting-edge in the hand.
The Hardware
This is a point of contention, but instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Nothing opted for the sub-flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, and the question is whether that chip makes the device a true flagship. Not that my opinion matters, but I don't think so. Either way, you'll get extremely solid performance and that's all that likely matters.
The device will be available in two configurations: 12/256GB and 16/512GB. As expected, you get UFS 4.0 storage chips. The device gets Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi 7, and NFC.
The Battery and Charging
For most people, the battery you'll get in the Phone 3 is a 5,150mAh cell. However, if you live in India, you're lucky, as Nothing will up the capacity to 5,500mAh over there. 65W charging isn't bad, and 15W wireless charging is standard.
The Cameras
Unsurprisingly, the camera setup is the best in a Nothing device. You get a triple 50MP setup, with a main, 3x periscope telephoto, and an ultrawide. The camera on the front is a 50MP unit too. Plus, you'll be able to record at 4K/60 regardless of the camera, so that's nice too. I'm still annoyed by the physical arrangement of the cameras on the back of the phone—I think the periscope position is what ruins it the most.
The Software
On the software front, you get Android 15 and Nothing OS 3.5. Considering Android 16 is available, that's a little annoying, but Nothing says that Android 16 will start rolling out in this new quarter of the year. You will get 5 years of major Android OS updates and 7 years of security updates.
It's 2025, so we can't ignore AI. The Phone 3 brings a few unique features in that regard, to make your days a little more convenient.
- Flip to Record: Long-pressing the Essential Key and placing your phone face-down will instantly record, transcribe, and summarize meetings.
- Essential Space: A central location for your notes and ideas, automatically organized with the power of AI.
- Essential Search: A search bar that you can use to intelligently search across your phone's contacts, photos, files, and more; plus the ability to get instant answers on other things.
The Pricing and Availability
The Nothing Phone 3 will be available in two colorways, black and white, and two storage configurations. You can begin to pre-order the device from July 4th, and general availability will open on July 15th. Pricing will start at $799, with $100 added for the higher-end model.
The Nothing Headphone 1 Delivers a Retro-Futuristic Aesthetic
The unique smartphone isn't the only thing that Nothing launched yesterday. The brand is also unveiling its first set of over-ear headphones, creatively named the Headphone 1, and unlike the smartphone, I like how these look a lot. I think the design taps perfectly into “cassette futurism”, a retro-futuristic aesthetic.
Besides the design, the headphones were made in collaboration with KEF, a legendary British audio brand. Custom 40mm dynamic drivers, ANC, and support for Hi-Res Audio, LDAC, and lossless playback mean that these are guaranteed to sound great. Plus, you get 35 hours of listening time with ANC on a full charge, and 80 hours without ANC.
Unlike other headphones, the Headphone 1 comes with the “Button”, which is a customizable control that you can use to trigger voice commands, quick-switch between audio apps (Channel Hop), open Essential Space, and more.
The headphones are available in Black and White and will set you back by $299, which isn't bad if the audio quality delivers. Pre-orders start on July 4th and sales will open fully on the 15th.
