Wassup Community,
This is Nothing’s first true flagship, as they call it. I know the title alone might make some people roll their eyes or even disagree right away, but hear me out. Give this a read until the end and you will see where I am coming from. I have been using the Phone (3) for a while now in different situations, from daily use to pushing it a little harder, and I have a pretty good idea of what it gets right and where it still has room to grow. So here is my take on it!
Design
This is where a lot of the initial hate started, but for me, this is the most mature design Nothing has ever done. It feels like a true evolution from their previous phones. You get glass on both the front and back, with metal along the sides, so no matter where you touch, it is either metal or glass. That instantly gives it a premium feel and man it looks cool.
It is a bit thicker than the earlier models, but it feels solid and has a really good in-hand presence. Sure, throwing a case on it makes it bulkier, but that is the trade-off for protection.
Now, I know many of you hate how the periscope lens sits so close to the edge, it has triggered quite a few people. But there is a reason for it. Space constraints meant that if they had aligned it perfectly, they would have had to make sacrifices on the front camera, flicker sensor, and other internal components. Personally, I like it being slightly imperfect. It gives the phone some character and personality instead of feeling sterile.
Cameras
On paper, Nothing has gone all in, 50 megapixels on all four cameras. And in real use, they do live up to that flagship level promise. I genuinely love using them. The primary sensor produces great colours, and the macro shots are insane in how much detail they capture.
Here are some samples:
These are day-to-day shots because that is what I think a review should show. Anyone can take great photos with perfect lighting, but in reality, you are not using the camera professionally every day. The front camera is also excellent, delivering sharp and well detailed selfies. That said, the ultrawide camera left me a bit underwhelmed. It is not bad, but I feel with some software tuning it could really shine. Still, the overall camera experience is impressive, and the way these cameras work alongside the Nothing Gallery makes the whole experience feel elite.
Display, Performance and Software
Phone 3 comes with a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED display, now with slimmer and more even bezels than ever before. It is not LTPO, but LTPS instead, and Nothing says they chose LTPS for better resolution and other optimisations that make this panel shine. The colours look fantastic, and overall it is a pleasure to look at whether you are indoors or outside.
Performance on this thing is wild. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which handles daily use, gaming, and heavy multitasking with ease. I know some people are disappointed it is not the 8 Elite, but considering Nothing is still a young brand and manufacturers charge higher, this decision makes sense. Plus, ask yourself - do you really push your phone to its absolute limits every single day? For most people, this is more than fast enough for every scenario. I personally agree with the choice.
Moving on to the software, Nothing OS remains clean, minimal, and visually consistent. It nails the aesthetics, although I do wish it had a few more features. There are not many changes compared to the last update, but with Nothing OS 4.0 on the way, I am expecting some major upgrades soon.
Glyph Matrix
This is hands down my favourite feature so far. I’ve always wanted the Glyph lights to evolve, and honestly, they were starting to feel like a bit of a gimmick. But this is how it should evolve. It’s smarter, more efficient, and genuinely useful in day-to-day life. I can now tell which app a message is from just by the pattern, set up custom rules, and even caller ID is available.
This feels like light turned into a language, and that’s exactly what I wanted. I love that it is still LED-based, only in white, and not just another mini display and that’s the fine line between a feature being cool and being overdone. Glyph Matrix nails it, and for me, this is by far the best feature of the Phone (3).
Oh, and the community is going all in on the Glyph Matrix toys! I got a very small part in the design, although @abhishek_lakhani did pretty much everything, it’s amazing to see it come to life, so definitely check it out!
Essential Space
Let’s talk about two features that go beyond flashy AI, they’re actually useful. First up, Essential Search. It’s not just a search bar, it’s a universal tool that lets you find everything from app settings to contacts to answers for quick questions, all with natural language. Swipe up on your home screen, type anything, from “moon photo” to “weather today” and there’s your result, fast and contextual . Honestly, this feels like what real AI should be doing, actually helping, not just showing off.
And then there’s Essential Space, your phone’s second memory. It organizes screenshots, voice notes, meeting flips, you name it with AI-powered summaries and to-do’s. The latest update even lets you share recordings and “memories” as images, PDFs, or markdown file, super useful for sharing meeting notes or inspirations. All of this ties back to Nothing’s broader vision; being about meaningful tech that actually helps you stay present and focused.
Battery
The Nothing Phone 3 comes with a generous 5,500mAh battery in India, which is a nice boost compared to previous models. In daily use, it easily gets you through a full day, even with heavy activities like gaming, streaming, and multitasking. Screen-on time is solid, and this phone will still have some juice left next day.
That said, there is room for improvement on the software side, which shows that optimization could be better. With a few software tweaks, the experience could be more consistent across all usage scenarios. Overall, the hardware is strong, and paired with smarter software management, this battery can easily become one of the Phone 3’s standout features.
Flagship Done Right
This isn’t a spec monster, and honestly, I don’t want to turn my review into a list of specs. We all know what smartphones can do, and I’ve focused on what sets the Nothing Phone (3) apart. That’s how I think a review should be.
This is a flagship in every sense, from the build quality and features to the premium feel, the cool factor, and solid performance. You don’t use the chipset to its limits to enjoy it; just do whatever you want and it works great. That’s what most people want in a phone. Of course, if you care only about raw specs, this might not be for you.
The pricing is fair, especially considering that Nothing is still growing and competing with the big players. Personally, I wish I could keep this phone, but sadly I’m returning it. Special thanks to the Nothing India Community Team for letting me be part of this review, to @Akis , and especially @Deepanshu_Saini_ - having such a helpful and cool program manager made this experience even better.
This phone isn’t for everyone, but it’s perfect for someone. It’s like a lobster in a world of crabs - and I love lobsters.
Until Next Time
Peace ✌🏾
