Phone 3 Review: A Book Judged Too Quickly

Ali Fakhruddin · 2025-08-05T06:46:42+00:00

*By someone who never expected to get a Gift from Nothing.* This is going to be a long one, so sit tight and buckle up. ### First Impressions I still remember seeing the leaked photos of the Phone 3. My first reaction? “What an awkward design.” It didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. But then it hit me, that’s *Nothing*. That’s the whole point. The brand thrives on bold, unconventional choices. And for that alone, I admire the sheer guts the team has. Salute to them, no matter what the rest of the world says. Right before my vacation, I received a surprising message from Natalie about a review unit. I’m not a tech influencer. I’m not a reviewer. I’m just someone who’s curious and I was planning to test it at Sharaf DG or a nearby mall anyway. So I said, “Sure, why not. Let’s do it when I’m back.” Fast-forward to my return: I messaged Natalie, and within three days, the device was in my hand. [upl-image-preview uuid=41870caf-140c-466b-a4b2-bc19180c0b94 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754375062-981261-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102255-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=254b90dc-ea7d-45fe-b2b1-fcb05a2413b2 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754375071-70597-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102257-am-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] ### A Gift I Secretly Wished For Now, I knew it was a review unit. I expected to return it. But the moment I unboxed it… I *wanted* it to be mine. Even my friends were like, “You have to keep it!” Out of curiosity, I asked Natalie if I had to send it back. Her reply? **“It’s yours forever. You deserve it.”** I felt like a kid getting their dream gift on Christmas morning. I ran around my office bragging about the camera and showing off the phone like it was a trophy. So thank you, Natalie and the Nothing team. You made my week. Maybe even my year. ### Unboxing & Hardware The unboxing experience? Pure joy. The box art is unique, and I was thrilled to receive the black variant even better, the **16GB + 512GB** model. The phone itself feels premium in hand, heavier and slightly thicker than the Phone 2, but in a reassuring way. The glass back, as usual, is slippery, but the included case saved the day. I’m not a fan of the asymmetric camera setup (still not), but here’s the thing, **everyone** who saw it found it cool and kept asking what phone it was. So… **Ali – 0, Nothing Engineers – 1.** [upl-image-preview uuid=e402c14b-d04d-4599-ad9a-98a613b6cf73 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754375095-294428-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102257-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] ### Camera: A Cinematic Upgrade [upl-image-preview uuid=d54d262a-cf97-4589-910b-603fd241d518 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376104-594535-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102256-am-3.jpg alt={TEXT?}] As a photography enthusiast, I dove straight into testing the cameras - portraits, macros, landscapes. The results? **Insanely crisp. Cinematic.** Nothing has made serious strides since Phone 2. The details in every shot, the color science, and the *LUT filters* - such an innovative touch. They’ve made editing a breeze, especially for someone like me who uses photos professionally. However, it's not perfect. Edge detection in portrait mode needs refining, and sometimes after AI processing, an image randomly turns completely black. That’s a bug. Hopefully, a patch can fix it. But when it works (which is most of the time), it really *works*. Some samples: [upl-image-preview uuid=e966ed0a-09a4-4ba2-9a53-09d38e3214d2 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754375985-760648-whatsapp-image-2025-08-04-at-14303-pm-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=ba9fac64-a360-4b79-b4c1-2d26d1a53870 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754375986-249488-whatsapp-image-2025-08-04-at-95233-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=cb048c8f-3073-4b09-b111-c3a8918e647e url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376011-901526-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102555-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=07a0fada-7761-4ee0-aca0-e8ab4b8a807f url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376012-384896-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102556-am-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=bc38f72e-43c9-435c-9cb4-2bc9e5ebcff1 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376012-894296-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102556-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=2353618d-6f09-40c6-bc0c-53a125c193d7 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376013-328328-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102557-am-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=6e8c88ae-5ddf-4da1-be0d-968d4f2b5fdc url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376013-812734-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102557-am-3.jpg alt={TEXT?}] [upl-image-preview uuid=4f3ad6cb-d4fd-4d78-92ef-8ad74e197f33 url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376014-327828-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102557-am.jpg alt={TEXT?}] ### Dot Matrix Display: Unexpected Joy Let’s talk about the **Dot Matrix Glyph Toys**, absolute fun. What started as a gimmick quickly became our Friday tradition at the office. **“Spin the Bottle”** now decides who’s ordering chai and samosas. And when there’s a deadlock in a decision? **8 Ball** saves the day. Kudos to whoever on the Nothing team thought of these little games. They’re lighthearted, clever, and bring surprising joy to everyday moments. This is the kind of delightful detail you don’t expect, but you end up loving. **Make tech fun again at its best!** [upl-image-preview uuid=1a34642e-e337-42e0-9950-cec7ac92485c url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-08-05/1754376058-457160-whatsapp-image-2025-08-05-at-102256-am-2.jpg alt={TEXT?}] ### Performance: Daily Beast Nothing OS is still “**smooth like butter**.” I initially had a few jitters after updating to the latest version, but a quick restart fixed everything. The new **Snapdragon 8s Gen 4** chip is no joke. I threw everything at it. **Call of Duty Mobile, Thronefall, PPSSPP emulation** — and it didn’t flinch. Phone 2 was already my go-to gaming device; Phone 3 is a solid step up. ### Battery Life: Room for Improvement Battery life is... okay. After medium daily use, I’m often left with **20–30%** at night. Honestly, I expected better, especially since Phone 2 felt more optimized. That said, **idle drain is fantastic**, just 2–3% overnight (11 PM to 7 AM). Still, I wish they had gone beyond the **5500 mAh** mark. ### Display: Bright, Smooth, Snappy One word: **Stunning.** The display is brighter than Phone 2, easily viewable under direct sunlight. Its refresh rate, animations, and dynamic responsiveness make Nothing OS feel ultra-smooth. I’m not one to test durability (I don’t toss my phones around), but the **Always-On Display** deserves a shoutout, clean, useful, and customizable. ### Audio: Not the Loudest, But Clear Speakers? Good. Not earth-shattering, but clear, crisp, and pleasant, whether you’re listening to music or taking calls. They won’t win any volume wars, but they absolutely get the job done. ### The Big Question: Should You Buy It? Here’s the catch: In the **UAE**, the Phone 3 is priced at **AED 3000**, while the **Samsung S25 Ultra** is only **AED 3150** on Noon.com. At that point, **it’s a no-brainer for Samsung.** No hate to Nothing, but that’s just how it stacks up in value. Would I have bought the Phone 3? **Honestly, no.** * I already own the Phone 2, which still runs flawlessly. * Spending AED 3000 for such a jump didn’t feel justified. Only if it were AED 2200 or somthing. But that’s just *me*. If you’re in **India**, ignore the hate, noise and hype. **Go see it for yourself.** Experience the phone in-store, hold it, use it, then decide. ### Final Thoughts The Phone 3 is a sign that **Nothing is growing up.** The product feels global, not India-specific. The price, the hardware, the ambition, all reflect a brand stepping into bigger shoes. For me? It’s now my **primary phone**, and I’m loving every minute. I’m testing all my go-to apps (like **N Dial**, **Noting**, and others), and I’m excited to see how **Nothing OS 4** evolves. Once again, thank you to Natalie and the team for this early Christmas gift. This device might just be the *book people judged too quickly*.

Dan_ie

CliveWong Nope, no search issues in the app drawer, and my batter lasts me 2 full days comfortably.

Ali Fakhruddin

Dan_ie Any optimization tips?

Dan_ie

Ali Fakhruddin Not really…. I’m not a heavy user though, I average between 2 and 3 hours of screen time per day.

Ryan-NerdzLab

Great review! Can’t wait to get the Phone (3) in my hands.

Also, those photos might be some of the best representations of how good the Phone (3) camera can really be.

Dan_ie

Ryan-NerdzLab the camera is pretty good actually. Well at least for me coming from a Pixel 5.

Ali Fakhruddin

Ryan-NerdzLab Thanks a lot. They actually nailed the cameras this time. The overall experience is nothing less than any flagship imo.

JP

Ali Fakhruddin it hurts watching mobile on table rubbing 😣 without cover

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