Nothing finally revealed Phone (3): seemingly chaotic design, periscope telephoto lens, and a confident price

A short while ago, two new products from the Nothing stable were introduced to the world – the long-awaited Nothing Phone (3) and the brand’s first over-ear headphones, the Nothing Headphone 1. The London-based company led by Carl Pei finally unveiled its first „truly flagship“ smartphone during the evening event, as Pei himself had pompously called it for months. But after examining the specifications, the question arises – is the Phone (3) for almost 800 euros really a full-fledged flagship, or rather a disguised mid-range device with an inflated price tag?

After three years of building its own identity, Nothing has this time taken a path that may surprise, if not directly disappoint, many fans. The biggest twist comes in the design, which abandons the characteristic symmetrical style of previous models. Instead, we get a seemingly random arrangement of cameras and a completely redesigned lighting system, which is now only a fraction of its original size.

Design that raises eyebrows – immature, or visionary?

Nothing has been searching for its own artistic language since its inception. In the case of the Phone (3), however, it seems that the designers decided to take all previous concepts and throw them into a blender. Gone is the elegant symmetry and the full-surface Glyph interface; instead, Nothing serves us a disordered trio of cameras and a miniaturized lighting element, now referred to as the Glyph Matrix, limited only to the upper right corner of the back.

The phone retains the combination of glass and metal, which feels premium, but the arrangement of the cameras gives the impression of an unfinished concept, at least from my perspective. The main sensor and the ultra-wide lens are placed in the upper left part, while the periscope telephoto lens is located even closer to the edge. The entire setup looks as if the designers didn’t know where to place the lenses until the last minute. It is certainly an attempt at a new direction, I’m just not sure how the public will receive it.

In a small rectangular section in the upper right corner is a reduced variant of the previously full-surface lighting system. Although the new Glyph Matrix offers 33 individually addressable zones, it has lost its main visual impact that made previous Nothing models instantly recognizable devices.

System and Processor	Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5, Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4 nm), 1× 3,21 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3× 3,0 GHz Cortex-A720 + 2× 2,8 GHz Cortex-A720 + 2× 2,0 GHz Cortex-A720, GPU: Adreno 825
Memory	8/12 GB RAM, 128/256/512 GB storage, no memory card slot
Materials	aluminum frame, glass back
Durability	IP64 (dust resistant, splash resistant)
Display	6,7″ LTPO OLED, 1080 × 2412 px (394 ppi), 120 Hz, 1920 Hz PWM, HDR10+, 1 billion colors
Main Camera	50 Mpx, f/1.9, 24 mm, 1/1,56″, 1,0 µm, PDAF, OIS
Telephoto Lens	50 Mpx, f/1.9, 50 mm (2× optical zoom), 1/2,88″, PDAF, OIS
Ultra-wide Lens	50 Mpx, f/2.2, 114°, 1/2,76″, 0,64 µm, AF
Selfie Camera	50 Mpx, f/2.5, HDR, 4K@30fps
Video	4K@30/60 fps, 1080p@30/60 fps, gyro-EIS, HDR, OIS
Battery	5150 mAh, 100W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging
Connectivity	5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, NFC
Audio	Stereo speakers, no 3.5mm jack, Snapdragon Sound
Biometrics	Optical in-display fingerprint reader
Special Features	Glyph Matrix with 33 zones, Circle to Search, Essential Key button, blinking red light during video recording
Updates	Five years of OS updates, seven years of security updates
Colors	Gray, White
Price	from 799 EUR (21 500 Kč)

Performance: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 for flagship money

The biggest disappointment, however, is the hardware. The Nothing Phone (3) is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 – which is a powerful chip, but it is a lighter variant of the flagship processor. While Carl Pei rattled off numbers in the presentation about a 36% increase in CPU performance, an 88% boost in GPU, and a 60% improvement in NPU compared to the Phone (2), he failed to mention a more significant comparison: how does it stack up against the current competition?

And here lies the problem. For very similar money, you can buy a Xiaomi 15 or Galaxy S25 today with the full-fat Snapdragon 8 Elite, which offers significantly higher performance. For context – the same processor as in the new Nothing can be found, for example, in the recently launched POCO F7, which sells on our market for less than 11 thousand Czech crowns. Yes, the overall user experience is not just about the processor, but if you want to position yourself as a „truly flagship phone,“ as Nothing constantly repeats, you must also offer adequate hardware specifications. However, all things considered, many people also forgive Google for its Tensor chips, which, purely in terms of raw performance, should long fall into the mid-range category.

The octa-core chipset includes one high-performance Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.21 GHz, three Cortex-A720 cores at 3.0 GHz, and four other Cortex-A720 cores with different clock speeds. In benchmarks, it will lag behind top-tier processors by 15-20%, which you probably won’t notice in everyday use, but the difference will show in more demanding tasks and games.

The processor performance is complemented by up to 12 GB of RAM and storage capacity of up to 512 GB. Three memory configurations will be available: 8/128 GB, 12/256 GB, and 12/512 GB.

Display: Solid, but nothing exceptional

The phone’s display is a 6.7″ LTPO OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 × 2412 pixels. While the competition is moving to higher resolutions (at least 1.5K), Nothing stays with the basic Full HD+. The advantage of LTPO technology is the ability to dynamically change the refresh rate from 1 Hz up to 120 Hz, which helps save battery. The panel offers HDR10+ support and PWM dimming with a frequency of 1920 Hz, which is especially pleasant for users sensitive to screen flickering.

Around the display are symmetrical bezels, the selfie camera is located in a punch-hole in the center of the upper part of the display.

Battery and Charging

One area where Nothing truly keeps pace with the competition is charging. The 5150 mAh battery is not record-breaking, but it represents a solid capacity that should last a full day of heavy use. Nothing also brings 100W wired charging, which can replenish the phone’s energy in about 45 minutes. There is also 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging.

Cameras: Finally a periscope, but is it enough?

The Nothing Phone (3) comes with a triple camera setup, all with 50 MP resolution. The main sensor has a size of 1/1.56″, an aperture of f/1.9, and optical image stabilization. On paper, it’s a solid sensor that should deliver good results even in poor lighting conditions.

Phone (3) with 50 MP periscope lens.

Built for creators. pic.twitter.com/USmnNb7yQY

— Nothing (@nothing) June 26, 2025

The ultra-wide lens with a 114° field of view and an aperture of f/2.2 seems to be the weakest link in the camera system. The absence of optical stabilization and the smaller sensor size (1/2.76″) suggest that image quality will rapidly decrease in poor lighting conditions.

The most interesting is the 50MP periscope telephoto lens with a focal length equivalent to 50 mm and 2× optical zoom. The periscope with optical stabilization is a welcome addition, although the competition often offers higher zoom (3× or 5×). Given the high resolution of the sensor, Nothing promises up to 10× quality hybrid zoom, which will need to be verified in practice.

On the front, we find a 50MP selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.5. All cameras can record video in 4K resolution.

Software: Five years of updates on a lighter processor

Nothing OS 3.5 built on Android 15 retains the minimalist design and speed, which is one of the main advantages of the entire brand. The company promises five years of major Android system updates and seven years of security updates.

Nothing Headphone 1: First over-ear headphones with a retro touch

Alongside the new phone, Nothing also introduced its first over-ear headphones, the Nothing Headphone 1. The design of the headphones combines the brand’s typical transparent elements with a retro touch inspired by cassette players. The headphones offer Clear Voice technology for ambient noise cancellation during calls, On Head Detection for automatic playback pausing, and support for quick pairing with various devices.

Nothing emphasizes collaboration with the renowned audio company KEF, suggesting ambitions in the area of sound quality. At a price of 299 EUR (approximately 7,699 CZK), the Headphone 1 falls into the mid-range category, where they will face tough competition from established brands like Sony, Bose, or Sennheiser. Whether they can hold their own will only be revealed by more detailed testing.

Price and Availability: Flagship price tag for non-flagship hardware

The Nothing Phone (3) will be available in two colors – gray and white. It comes to the market in three memory variants:

• 8/128 GB for 799 EUR (approximately 20,000 CZK)
• 12/256 GB for 849 EUR (approximately 21,500 CZK)
• 12/512 GB for 949 EUR (approximately 24,000 CZK)

And here we encounter the biggest problem of the entire device – its price. For 21,500 CZK (and cheaper!), you can currently buy a Xiaomi 15 or Galaxy S25, all of which offer more powerful processors, arguably better cameras, and generally more balanced specifications. The only advantage of Nothing is its unique design and cleaner software, which may be a sufficient reason for some users to buy it.

Pre-orders start today, and official sales will begin on July 15, 2025. The Nothing Headphone 1 will cost 299 EUR (7,699 CZK in the Czech Republic) and should go on sale during the next month.

Conclusion: Marketing vs. Reality

The Nothing Phone (3) presents an interesting paradox – the brand is trying to break into the flagship segment but is unwilling (or unable) to invest in truly top-tier hardware. The entire product thus feels like a marketing experiment, betting on unconventional design, clean software, and Carl Pei’s strong personality to justify the premium price tag.

Although many aspects of the phone, such as 100W charging, the triple 50MP camera setup, or five years of software support, sound great, in the context of the price and competition, the Phone (3) feels like a challenging sales pitch. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is a quality processor that can handle all common tasks and more demanding games without problems, but the fact that the same chip can be found in phones for almost half the price is hard to overlook.

Once we have the phone available for detailed testing, we will bring you a complete review that will reveal whether the controversial design and clean software can outweigh the compromises in hardware equipment. Until then, the Nothing Phone (3) remains an interesting but debatable addition to the brand’s portfolio, which is still searching for its identity in a highly competitive market.

What do you think of the new Nothing Phone 3?

Source: internal, press release