Nothing Phone (3) Review: A Potent Handset With a Unique Design
Nothing Phone (3) Review: A Potent Handset With a Unique Design
Table of Contents
Nothing Phone (3) Review: Bold, Distinctive, and Ready to Compete
The Nothing Phone (3) represents a major leap forward for the brand. Moving away from its mid-range roots, Nothing has delivered a premium, competitive device that pairs a one-of-a-kind aesthetic with a brilliant display, robust processing power, and upgraded photography. While it skips over mmWave 5G and deep AI integration, it stands out as an excellent option for tech enthusiasts looking for something genuinely different. For buyers who prefer a more traditional experience, mainstream flagship picks like the Apple iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S25 remain excellent alternatives at the same price point.
The Verdict
The Nothing Phone (3) is the brand’s most polished and capable device yet, matching excellent performance and strong cameras with its signature translucent design.
- Starting Price: $799.00
- Our Rating: 4.0/5 (Excellent)
Pros & Cons
- Pros: Highly unique design, stunning AMOLED screen, fluid everyday performance, capable triple cameras, bloatware-free software.
- Cons: Missing mmWave 5G connectivity, lack of native system-wide AI tools.
Key Specifications
- Operating System: Android 15 (with Nothing OS 3.5)
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
- Display: 6.67-inch AMOLED ($2800 \times 1260$)
- Dimensions & Weight: $6.32 \times 2.97 \times 0.35$ inches, 7.69 ounces
Design: A Translucent Statement Piece
The Nothing Phone (3) is a modern, substantial device that runs slightly larger than competing entry-level flagships. For comparison, the iPhone 16 ($5.81 \times 2.82 \times 0.31$ inches, 6.0 ounces) and Galaxy S25 ($5.78 \times 2.78 \times 0.28$ inches, 5.71 ounces) offer more compact, pocket-friendly footprints.
Built with a sturdy, 100% recycled aluminum mid-frame, the device feels incredibly premium. The front features a flat screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i with a minimal, symmetrical bezel and a subtle hole-punch cutout for the front camera. Security is handled smoothly by an under-display optical fingerprint reader.
The physical layout includes separate volume keys on the left side, while the right houses the power button and a textured “Essential Key.” The bottom edge holds the dual nano-SIM tray, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille. True to modern flagship trends, there is no expandable storage or headphone jack.
The rear panel remains the star of the show: transparent glass exposes an intricate, industrial layout complete with geometric patterns, a faux ribbon cable, and a distinct red accent. Three cameras emerge from the back, accompanied by the updated “Glyph Matrix”—a low-resolution circular array consisting of 489 micro-LEDs. An IP68 rating ensures it matches Apple and Samsung for dust and water resistance, and Nothing thoughtfully bundles a flexible clear case in the box. The phone is sold in either black or white.
The Glyph Matrix: A Quirky Visual Hub
Rather than sticking to the basic lighting strips seen on previous iterations, Nothing reimagined its signature interface. The new circular Glyph Matrix can cleanly render basic text, scroll through the time, or flash dynamic waveforms to match music playback and voice notes.
A dedicated physical Glyph Button lets users toggle through built-in software utilities called “Glyph Toys.” These include a digital stopwatch, a battery gauge, a visual clock, and even a digital spin-the-bottle game. While these features are more playful than essential, they give the phone an undeniable personality. If you find them distracting, the entire lighting system can be toggled off instantly in the settings menu.
Display: Bright, Fluid, and Large
The expansive 6.67-inch AMOLED panel delivers crisp visuals and exceptionally smooth scrolling thanks to a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. Outdoor legibility is spectacular, with the panel reaching an impressive peak brightness of 4,500 nits (and a standard brightness of 800 nits). It easily outsizes the screens on the iPhone 16 (6.1 inches) and Galaxy S25 (6.2 inches), while also beating out the iPhone’s restrictive 60Hz refresh rate.
The Essential Key & Essential Space
The physical, glossy Essential Key is designed to be easily identified by touch, giving you instant access to Nothing’s localized productivity hub, Essential Space.
- Single Press: Takes a quick screenshot.
- Press and Hold: Starts an audio recording.
- Double Press: Opens the Essential Space application.
The app acts as a secure local container for your memos and image captures. It leverages offline machine learning to transcribe voice notes and extract action items, though users must sort these notes manually. You can also turn on “Essential Recorder” to trigger audio captures while the screen is completely asleep. When active, the rear Glyph panel flashes a red recording indicator alongside a live light waveform.
The biggest caveat is a lack of native cloud synchronization; your data stays locked to the hardware, meaning you’ll need to keep an eye on manual data transfers until Nothing rolls out a backup solution.
Performance: Highly Capable Everyday Power
The phone is driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 platform. The base configuration offers 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, while the upgraded tier features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage ($899).
Geekbench 6 (CPU Performance)
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Galaxy S25: ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 3,050 / 9,559
iPhone 16: ■■■■■■■■■■■■ 3,091 / 7,129
Nothing (3): ■■■■■■■■■ 2,208 / 7,002
GFXBench Aztec Ruins (Graphics FPS)
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Galaxy S25: ■■■■■■■■■■■■ 118 fps
iPhone 16: ■■■■■■ 60 fps
Nothing (3): ■■■■■■ 60 fps
While benchmark metrics place it a step behind the top-tier chips inside the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25, the real-world experience tells a different story. Demanding 3D titles like Genshin Impact run flawlessly at maximum visual configurations and a consistent 60fps. Thermal management is well handled; the rear glass gets slightly warm near the camera cluster under heavy load, but it never becomes uncomfortable.
Battery and Charging
Equipped with a generous 5,150mAh cell, the Nothing Phone (3) supports up to 65W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging. It can also share its power via reverse wireless (5W) or wired (7.5W) charging.
In a standard video streaming endurance test at max brightness, the phone survived for 15 hours straight. This outperforms the Galaxy S25 (14 hours, 15 minutes) but falls short of the highly efficient iPhone 16 (17 hours, 47 minutes). When plugged into a compatible high-speed brick, it replenishes from zero to 32% in 15 minutes, hits 59% in a half-hour, and reaches a full charge in 70 minutes.
Cellular and Audio Quality
The phone includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, dual physical nano-SIM slots, and an eSIM profile. 5G support covers sub-6GHz and C-band networks, though it lacks mmWave compatibility. On T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G network, download speeds clocked in at a respectable 378Mbps. However, long-range Wi-Fi reception at the absolute edge of a local network was weaker than premium competitors like the Pixel 9 Pro.
Voice calls sound excellent, featuring aggressive background noise suppression that easily filters out loud environments. The stereo sound setup—utilizing the earpiece and a down-firing speaker together—reaches a loud 94.8dB during media playback. Audio output remains clean and sharp, though it misses out on deeper, low-end bass frequencies.
Cameras: A Big Step Forward
The camera array is easily Nothing’s most capable hardware suite to date, consisting of three rear lenses:
- Main: 50MP, f/1.68 with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- Telephoto: 50MP, f/2.68 with 3x optical zoom and OIS
- Ultra-wide: 50MP, f/2.2 with a wide 114-degree view
By default, pixels are binned down to 12.5MP photos that boast rich details and balanced, natural colors. For far-away subjects, an AI-assisted 60x digital zoom sharpens details remarkably well compared to raw digital enlargement. The telephoto sensor also doubles as an excellent macro lens for crisp close-ups.
On the front, a 50MP f/2.2 selfie camera delivers sharp images, though its edge-detection software stands out by accurately separating complex glass objects from backgrounds—a task where many high-end devices falter. Video recording goes up to 4K at 60fps, utilizing smooth hardware stabilization on the rear lenses.
Software: Clean and Customizable
Shipping with Android 15 underneath Nothing OS 3.5, the software comes with a commitment to 5 years of core system upgrades and 7 years of security patches.
The software experience features the brand’s custom dot-matrix aesthetic, minimalist widgets, and custom app icons. If a monochromatic look isn’t your preference, you can instantly revert back to a standard, colorful Android skin. The biggest omission is the lack of a built-in proprietary AI suite. While users can freely download apps like Google Gemini, Nothing does not provide native system-wide AI tools out of the box.
Final Thoughts
The Nothing Phone (3) carving out its own identity in a crowded market. It successfully combines striking design choices, hardware-integrated productivity features, and a clean interface with great battery life and upgraded cameras. If you want a break from conventional smartphone design, it’s an excellent value at $799. However, if you prefer maximum raw processing power and deep ecosystem accessory support, the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25 remain safer, more traditional flagship choices.