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The Nothing Phone 3 is the business’s finest phone by a large margin, however is that enough?
The Nothing Phone 3 has a distinct style.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Nothing Phone 3 has an unique style.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The last couple of years have actually seen numerous mobile phone makers draw back or completely desert their mobile efforts. UK-based Nothing Technologies, nevertheless, is still attempting to take a specific niche in the significantly competitive mobile phone market. Its tools have actually been eccentric styles and radiant lights, together with a concentrate on markets outside the United States. With the Nothing Phone 3, the business has actually brought its “first flagship” phone stateside.
Absolutely nothing didn’t swing for the fences with the Phone 3’s specifications, however this gadget can hold its own with the similarity OnePlus and Google. Plus, it has that cool Nothing style visual. There’s a transparent back, a small dot matrix screen, and a thorough Android skin. At the end of the day, the Nothing Phone 3 is not treading brand-new ground.
Creating Nothing
In spite of Nothing’s discuss special styles, the Nothing Phone 3 looks typical from the front. The bezels are slim and balanced all the method around the screen. Under a sheet of Gorilla Glass 7i, it has a 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED screen with an outstanding 1260 x 2800 resolution. It strikes 4,500 nits of brightness, which is even greater than Google and Samsung phones (we’re not seeing much distinction in practice). It’s more than intense adequate to be legible outdoors, and the touch level of sensitivity is outstanding– often too exceptional, as we’ve seen a couple of unexpected edge touches.
Specifications at a look: Nothing Phone 3 – $799
Like lots of other phones, the Nothing Phone 3 has an optical finger print sensing unit under the screen. It’s fast and precise, however it’s a bit too low (hardly a pinky finger’s width from the bottom of the gadget). As an optical sensing unit, it’s likewise extremely brilliant in a dark space. Comparable phones from Google and Samsung have much faster and less disruptive ultrasonic finger print sensing units.
Absolutely nothing OS is a fantastic Android skin.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
Absolutely nothing OS is a fantastic Android skin.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The total shape of the phone is nearly the like existing Samsung, Apple, and Google phones, however it’s closest to the Pixel 9 series. The IP68-rated body has the exact same minimalist visual as those other phones, with flat edges and rounded corners. The aluminum frame curves in to combine flawlessly with the front and rear glass panels. It has a matte surface, making it fairly grippy in the hand. Absolutely nothing consists of a clear case in package– we value the effort, however the case feels really low-cost and will most likely stain after a number of months of usage.
You will not see anything elegant like an earphone jack or IR blaster. The volume and power buttons are flat, tactile, and really steady, without any noticeable wiggle. Listed below the power button is the Essential Key, a convex button that plugs into Nothing’s on-device AI functions (more on that later). It’s a pleasure for button-lovers, however it can be too simple to inadvertently push when getting the phone. And no, you can’t remap the button to do something else.
The Essential Button has a good feel, however it’s too simple to error for the power button.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Essential Button has a good feel, however it’s too simple to error for the power button.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
It’s not up until you get to the back that the Nothing Phone 3 stands apart. The back has a clear panel of extra-strong Gorilla Glass Victus, however you’re not seeing the phone’s internals through it. The panels under the glass have somewhat various colors and textures and were picked to produce a fascinating visual result. It’s definitely distinctive, however whether you like it refers taste. The cam sensing units are near the top in a staggered plan, best throughout from the “Glyph Matrix.”
The monochrome Glyph Matrix is Nothing’s replacement for the Glyph light bars on its older phones. A pressure-sensitive button under the glass can be pushed to change in between different screen choices, a few of which may periodically work, like a clock and battery display. There are likewise less helpful “Glyph toys” like a Magic 8-ball, a low-fi mirror, and a Rock, Paper, Scissors simulator. It can likewise show call and status notices, for example letting you understand when Do Not Disturb is triggered or when you have actually a missed out on call. Or you can simply turn the phone over and utilize the complete screen.
The Glyph matrix is a trick, however it does look cool.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Glyph matrix is a trick, however it does look cool.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
There’s just a lot you can do with 489 LEDs and a single button, that makes a few of the toys irritating. You have to long-press to stop the stop-watch, which beats the function, and the selfie mirror is extremely tough to utilize for framing a picture. The Glyph dot matrix is enjoyable to experiment with, however it’s simply a trick. Truly, just how much time do you invest taking a look at the back of your phone? Examining the time or playing Rock, Paper, Scissors is not a game-changer, even if the screen is aesthetically intriguing.
Flagship-ish efficiency
Absolutely nothing states this is a flagship phone, however it does not have Qualcomm’s flagship mobile processor. While you’ll discover the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the majority of high-end gadgets today, Nothing opted for the somewhat more modest Snapdragon eights Gen 4. It does not have the Oryon CPU cores, relying rather on 8 Arm referral cores, in addition to a slower GPU.
The Nothing Phone 3 (left) has to do with the exact same shapes and size as the Pixel 9 Pro XL (best).
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Nothing Phone 3 (left) has to do with the exact same shapes and size as the Pixel 9 Pro XL (best).
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
What does that mean for the speeds and feeds? The Nothing Phone 3 does not stay up to date with high-end gadgets like the Galaxy S25 in criteria, however it’s adept, either. The Snapdragon Eights Gen 4 beats Google’s newest Tensor chip included in the Pixel 9 series.
As anticipated, the basic Arm cores fall back the custom-made Oryon CPUs in Geekbench, running about 40 percent behind Qualcomm’s finest processor. The gulf is much narrower in graphics due to the fact that the Adreno 825 in the Nothing Phone 3 is extremely comparable to the 830 utilized in Snapdragon 8 Elite phones.
You might see much better video gaming efficiency with a phone like the Galaxy S25 compared to the Nothing Phone 3, however just if you’re playing something extremely graphically extensive. Even when running these gadgets side by side, we have a difficult time seeing any loss of fidelity on the Nothing Phone 3. It carries out significantly much better in high-end video games compared to the most current Pixels. The Phone 3 keeps efficiency relatively well under load, just losing 25 to 30 percent at peak temperature level. The body of the phone does get annoyingly hot, however that’s much better than overheating the processor.
That modest drop in CPU efficiency criteria does not correspond to a bad user experience. The Nothing Phone 3 is really stylish, opening apps rapidly and managing quick multitasking without doubt. The animations likewise have a Google level of polish.
Absolutely nothing handled to fit a 5,150 mAh battery in this phone, which is a bit bigger than even the Galaxy S25 Ultra at 5,000 mAh. The battery life is strong, with the phone quickly making it throughout the day– no variety stress and anxiety. It will not last through a 2nd day on a single charge. Similar to a Pixel or Galaxy phone, you’ll wish to plug the Nothing Phone 3 in every night.
You do not always have to conserve your charging for nighttime. The Nothing Phone 3 provides 65 W wired charging, which is much faster than what you obtain from Google, Samsung, or Apple phones. If the battery gets low, simply a couple of minutes linked to practically any USB-PD battery charger will get you enough juice to go out the door. You likewise get 15 W cordless charging, however it does not support the magnetic Qi 2 requirement.
We’ve had no issues utilizing the Phone 3 on T-Mobile, and Nothing states AT&T is likewise totally supported. There’s no main assistance for Verizon. The phone has all the needed sub-6GHz 5G bands, however you might have problem triggering it as a brand-new gadget on Verizon’s network.
Updated electronic cameras
An electronic camera upgrade was a required part of making this gadget a “flagship” phone, so Nothing geared up the Phone 3 with a strong selection of sensing units, guaranteeing you’ll get some great shots. They will not all be great.
The clear glass displays discreetly varying blocks and a button to manage the Glyph Matrix display screen.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The clear glass flaunts discreetly varying blocks and a button to manage the Glyph Matrix screen.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Nothing Phone 3 has a quartet of 50 MP sensing units, consisting of a wide-angle, a 3x telephoto, and an ultrawide on the back. The front-facing selfie cam is likewise 50 MP. While you can shoot in 50 MP mode, smart device electronic camera sensing units are developed with pixel binning in mind. The phone outputs 12.5 MP images, leaning on merged pixel aspects to lighten up images and accelerate captures. We’ve discovered Nothing’s color balance and direct exposure to be extremely near to truth, and the vibrant variety suffices that you do not need to fret about excessively brilliant or dim backgrounds destroying a shot.
The Nothing Phone 3 electronic cameras can produce sharp information, however some images tend to look overprocessed and “muddy.” The greatest concern is shutter lag– there’s too much of it. It looks like the phone is taking too long to stack and process images. Even outdoors and with a high shutter speed, a moving topic can look fuzzy. It’s challenging to snap a clear picture of a hyper kid or animal. In low-light settings, the shutter lag worsens, making it tough to take a sharp image. Night mode shots are usually a bit fuzzy.
Low indoor light.
Ryan Whitwam
Pictures of still topics are normally excellent, and you can get some good ones with the ultrawide electronic camera. Landscapes look especially good, and the electronic camera has autofocus for macro shots. This mode does not trigger immediately when you relocate, so you need to remember it’s there. It’s worth keeping in mind.
The telephoto sensing unit utilizes a periscope-style lens, which we generally see on sensing units with 5x or greater zoom aspects. This one is just 3x, so it will get you rather better to your topic without cropping, however do not anticipate the very same quality you ‘d receive from a Pixel or Samsung phone.
In its sub-flagship cost variety, we ‘d put the Nothing Phone 3 electronic camera experience on par with Motorola. A gadget like the OnePlus 13R or Pixel 9a will take much better images, however the Nothing Phone 3 suffices unless mobile photography is at the top of your requirements.
Excellent software application, plus an AI button
Absolutely nothing isn’t beating Samsung to the punch with Android 16– the very first brand-new phone to introduce with Google’s newest OS will be the Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 later on this month. Absolutely nothing is launching its phone with Android 15 and Nothing OS 3.5, however an Android 16 upgrade is assured quickly. There’s very little in the very first Android 16 release to get delighted about, however, and in the meantime, Nothing OS is really rather excellent.
Absolutely nothing’s take on Android makes modifications to nearly every UI component, which is normally a dish for Samsung levels of mess. Absolutely nothing stays real to its minimalist visual throughout the experience. The icon styling corresponds and appealing, Nothing’s baked-in apps are cohesive, and the software application consists of some beneficial home screen choices and widgets. Absolutely nothing likewise made a couple of excellent practical modifications to Android, consisting of a completely configurable fast settings panel and a faster method to clear your current apps.
We’ve come across a couple of small bugs, like the weather condition widget that will not reveal flexibility systems and a back gesture that can be a little picky. Absolutely nothing’s Android skin is likewise extremely unique compared to other OEM styles. Not everybody will like the “dot matrix” ambiance of Nothing OS, however it’s one of the more attentively developed Android skins we’ve seen.
Absolutely nothing OS has an unique appearance.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
Absolutely nothing OS has an unique appearance.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
Like every other 2025 mobile phone, there’s an AI angle here. Absolutely nothing has actually a tool called Essential Space that connects into the abovementioned Essential Key. When you push the button, it takes a screenshot you can include notes to. It logs that in Essential Space and turns an AI loose on it to obtain crucial information. It can develop order of business and suggestions based upon the images, however those ideas are misses out on as typically as they are hits. There’s likewise no search function like the Google Pixel Screenshots app, which appears like an error. You can hold the important secret to tape-record a voice memo, which goes through a comparable AI procedure.
There are likewise some personal privacy cautions with Essential Space. The screenshots you conserve are submitted to a remote server for processing, however Nothing states it will not save any of that information. Your voice notes are processed on-device, however it would be good if images were.
Absolutely nothing has part of a great concept with its mobile AI application, however it’s not as engaging as what we’ve seen from Google. And it’s not as if Google’s usage of AI is necessary to the mobile experience. The Nothing Phone 3 likewise gets the basic Gemini combination, and Google’s chatbot will most likely get a lot more usage than Essential Space.
Absolutely nothing has actually assured 5 years of significant Android variation updates, and there will be 2 extra years of security spots after that. Absolutely nothing is still a brand-new business, however, and there’s no warranty it will still be around in 7 years. If we presume the very best, this is a great upgrade policy, going beyond Motorola and OnePlus however not rather at the level of Google or Samsung, both of which provide 7 years of complete upgrade assistance.
Various however not that various
The Nothing Phone 3 is a great mobile phone, and it’s most likely the very best piece of hardware the business has actually made in its brief run. The efficiency is stylish, the software application is attentively created, and the hardware, while gimmicky, is strong and aesthetically intriguing. If you choose a more downplayed appearance or strategy to encapsulate your phone in the most resilient case you can discover, this is not the phone for you.
The Nothing Phone 3 is a rather big, heavy phone.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
The Nothing Phone 3 is a rather big, heavy phone.
Credit: Ryan Whitwam
Absolutely nothing’s Glyph Matrix is enjoyable to have fun with, however it’s the example you’ll cross out after a long time with the phone. You can just play numerous video games of Rock, Paper, Scissors before the novelty subsides. Absolutely nothing is not alone in decreasing this course– Asus has a dot matrix on its ROG video gaming phones, and Xiaomi has actually slapped complete LCDs on the back of a few of its gadgets. It’s truly no various from the days when OEMs played with secondary ticker screens and rear-facing e-paper screens. Those weren’t extremely helpful, either.
Absolutely nothing did all it might to make the secondary display screen appealing, however even if it developed a really fantastic concept, there’s little energy in a screen on the back of your phone. The transparent style and dot matrix screen assist the phone stick out from the crowd, however not due to the fact that they’re doing anything extreme. This is still a quite common glass sandwich mobile phone, like the majority of other 2025 offerings.
At $799, the Nothing Phone 3 is taking on gadgets like the Pixel 9 and OnePlus 13, both of which have it beat in the video camera department, and the OnePlus phone is quicker. Google likewise has much better upgrade assistance. If you purchase the Nothing Phone 3, it needs to be since you really like the software and hardware style, and there’s really little bad to state about Nothing OS. Otherwise, there are much better choices for the very same or less cash.
The great
- Outstanding develop quality with IP68 ranking
- Absolutely nothing OS looks and works fantastic
- Great efficiency
- Glyph Matrix looks cool
The bad
- Glyph Matrix is an unneeded trick
- AI functions are still not extremely beneficial
- Cams have visible shutter lag
- Verizon not formally supported
Ryan Whitwam is a senior innovation press reporter at Ars Technica, covering the methods Google, AI, and mobile innovation continue to alter the world. Over his 20-year profession, he’s composed for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has actually evaluated more phones than many people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see pictures of his lots of mechanical keyboards.
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