What’s Inside the Nothing Phone (3) Box?
The Nothing Phone (3) comes with a streamlined selection of items in the box. Here’s what you can expect:
- Nothing Phone (3)
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- SIM Ejector tool
- Documentation
Design: Familiar Yet Flawed
Upon first glance, the Nothing Phone (3) showcases a transparent back panel, echoing its unique technopunk aesthetic. However, this time, it falls short of delivering the impressive impact its predecessors accomplished.
The phone’s flat design boasts a chamfered metal frame, weighing in at 218 grams, giving it a solid and premium feel. My experiences have shown that users appreciate this robustness, akin to other high-end models in the same price range. The back, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, emphasizes its durability.
One feature that stood out is the IP68 rating. During my recent move through the heavy rains of Delhi, the water resistance proved invaluable.
However, turning the device over, the rear panel’s design reveals an unsatisfactory tic-tac-toe grid pattern. The arrangement feels haphazard, especially with the camera lens that seems out of place, potentially triggering discontent among perfectionists.
Throughout my time using the Nothing Phone (3), I struggled to fully embrace this unconventional design. Additionally, the absence of Glyph lights, replaced by the new Glyph Matrix, felt like a lost opportunity for those who appreciated the previous models’ distinctive LED strips.
Glyph Matrix: A Gimmick or Good Idea?
The Glyph Matrix, a circular display featuring 489 small LEDs, aims to enhance user interaction by displaying notifications, battery status, and even functioning as a visual stopwatch. It certainly provides more functionality than its predecessor Glyph lights.
Additionally, there are fun features called Glyph Toys, like spin the bottle and rock-paper-scissors, which are activated via a capacitive button on the back. Unfortunately, in real-life usage, I rarely found these gimmicks particularly useful.
The Glyph Matrix primarily serves to show notifications, but lacks capability regarding more complex interactions, possibly serving distraction-free users better.
For me, the Glyph Matrix mostly became an unused feature. Despite its potential, it feels more like a gimmick than a genuinely useful addition.
Display & Battery: Eye-Catching Yet Lacking
The Nothing Phone (3) features a stunning 6.67-inch OLED display with a 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and an impressive peak brightness of 4,500 nits. This display genuinely provides a vibrant viewing experience.
While this LTPS panel impresses visually, its power efficiency suffers in comparison to LTPO displays, resulting in reduced battery life.
During my downtime, I enjoyed watching shows, such as Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and found the experience delightful. The Gorilla Glass 7i helped minimize worries during several accidental drops.
The audio quality is also a pleasant surprise. I listened to various tracks during my commutes, and the stereo sound was crisp and clear.
Performance: Solid Yet Average
While many Android flagships are touting the Snapdragon 8 Elite this year, the Nothing Phone (3) opts for the mid-range Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. This chip pairs with either 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and offers UFS 4.0 storage options up to 512GB.
This processor is solid overall, delivering dependable performance. Benchmark results validate this assertion.
Throughout daily tasks and even gaming—achieving a commendable 120FPS on low settings in Call of Duty: Mobile—the phone performs well. However, extended gaming sessions do lead to noticeable warming.
Nothing has also tailored its Android experience with the Nothing OS 3.5 update based on Android 15. This refreshing interface retains its charm while promising 5 years of updates and 7 years of security patches.
Camera: Mind Your Expectations
The Nothing Phone (3) boasts 50MP sensors across the board—main, ultrawide, telephoto, and selfie camera—all capable of 4K video recording at 60FPS. I recently tested the camera against stunning landscapes in North Bengal, showcasing its capability.
In bright daylight, the main sensor captures excellent shots with sharp details, although nighttime photos sometimes suffer from exposure issues. Shots from my journey—tea gardens, winding roads, and serene resorts—came out well-balanced.
The ultrawide lens also shows potential, capturing vast landscapes though suffers from color discrepancies and pale tones. The periscope lens impresses with its 3x capabilities, yet struggles beyond 10x.
Despite slight inconsistencies in color across the lenses, the selfie camera performs decently, delivering crisp shots under optimal light, though low-light conditions can yield unsatisfactory results.
Verdict: A Missed Opportunity?
In reflecting on my experience with the Nothing Phone (3), it’s clear the company had good intentions but perhaps fell short on execution, especially at a price point of $899 (approximately €830). Offering a flagship experience means ensuring a smoother, more polished journey.
The device has its quirks—a mid-range processor, battery challenges, and camera issues—the software experience with NothingOS is commendable, although it still lags behind leading interfaces like One UI found in the Galaxy S25.
With the unpredictable nature of this phone, it feels as though you’re paying for an undercooked lobster, falling short of satisfying culinary expectations. If an unconventional look excites you, this might be worth considering, but those desiring a traditional flagship experience may want to look elsewhere.
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