This review will be a bit different — I won’t be focusing on the camera. There are already plenty of reviews covering that. Instead, I’ll talk about the other aspects of the Nothing Phone (3) and share my experience after using it for a week.
I got the device during the Big Billion Days Sale at a sub-₹50k price point.
- Design
Personally, I really like the design and that asymmetric look. The glass-sandwich construction with a metal frame feels solid and premium.
However, the back panel feels too flat. The rounded back of the Phone (2) offered a better in-hand feel, while the flat design of the Phone (3) lacks that ergonomic comfort. It feels more angular and less “hand-friendly.”
- Display
The display is good, but not great.
Nothing should’ve gone with an LTPO panel — even a 1.5K or 2K LTPO display would’ve made a huge difference. Since it’s not LTPO, the refresh rate can only switch between 120/90/60/30 Hz instead of dynamically scaling 1–120 Hz.
Because of that, the UI sometimes feels slightly jittery, which wasn’t the case with the Phone (2).
Despite the claimed 1000Hz touch sampling, I feel the touch responsiveness isn’t as good as the Phone (2). The older device feels more precise and responsive in daily use.
- Software
Nothing OS remains one of the cleanest Android experiences out there. But the Phone (3) still needs software refinement.
When navigating quickly through the UI or using back gestures, I notice that around 10–20% of back gestures don’t register. Also, toggling multiple quick settings rapidly introduces a visible delay — something the Phone (2) handled better, even on the Nothing OS 4 Beta.
Another area of improvement is haptic feedback — it needs to be integrated more deeply across the UI (e.g., volume sliders, app switcher, recents tab). Small things like that add a lot to the overall user experience.
- Battery
No complaints here. It charges fast and comfortably lasts through a day with medium to heavy use.
- Speakers
Definitely an improvement over the Phone (2). Louder, clearer, and better balanced.
- Essential Space
After a few days of use, I started to understand the purpose of Essential Space, and I’ve grown to like it.
Features like mark screenshot and essential recording are genuinely useful.
- Glyph Matrix
In one word — Glyph Lights were better.
After a week of use, I still don’t see a compelling reason for Nothing to ditch the old Glyph Light design.
For example, when I plug in the charger, the Matrix shows the battery percentage — but if I want to check the charge later, I have to press the Glyph button, and if it’s showing something else, I need to cycle back to the battery view. It’s just unnecessarily complicated.
In comparison, the Phone (2)’s simple “shake to check battery” feature was way more convenient.
That said, there are some pros: the Essential Notification rules and emoji mapping are fun and customizable.
Still, this could’ve been achieved with the old Glyph layout too. The new Glyph Button makes the Matrix feel like a separate, disconnected module rather than an integrated part of the OS.
As someone who has used the Phone (2) for two years, I found the Glyph Lights genuinely useful. With the Glyph Matrix, I have very mixed feelings.
- Camera
Above average. The primary sensor performs decently, but the ultrawide camera is underwhelming. Nothing special here.
- Signal Reception & Call Quality
No complaints — both are solid.
Conclusion
Overall, the Nothing Phone (3) feels like a Gen 1 product again — experimental and unfinished in some areas.
As a Phone (2) user, I honestly feel that the Phone (2) offers a more refined and cohesive Nothing experience than the Phone (3).
