I’ve spent a short time playing with the Nothing Phone 3 and wholeheartedly agree with Nothing’s decision to call it the brand’s first true flagship. However, it’s not a “flagship” in the way most other manufacturers interpret the word. It’s a Nothing flagship because it’s the ultimate expression of “Nothingness,” which I mean in a very good way, and you’re going to need to think a little differently to “get” it. Here’s why I think it’s worth the effort.
Made for enjoyment
It’s not about big numbers, but big fun
The wonderful thing about the Nothing Phone 3 is there are a lot of cute, fun, and engaging things to discover the more you use it, and it feels fresh due to them. Whether those things will be used more than once doesn’t matter, because they’re all so lovingly designed they don’t feel like gimmicks, or features just for journalists to try out at the launch.
Take the square red marker on the back of the phone, a design element seen on previous Nothing phones, as an example. It was always just for show, but it’s now a video light that blinks red when you’re recording. Useful? A bit. Fun? Absolutely. But the star of the show is the new Glyph Matrix, which replaces the old Glyph Interface on phones like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, and while I was initially worried about it being a disappointment, it’s actually shaping up to be really exciting.
The multi-function window still shows all the usual Glyph Interface tools, such as alerting you about notifications, timers, and battery, but through the new Glyph Toys feature, it has become a lot more fun. These mini-tools include a visualization of the weather, a stopwatch, a game of Magic 8-Ball, and even spin-the-bottle. You operate the Glyph Matrix with a button on the back of the phone, which is accompanied by some neat haptic feedback. It’s so well implemented and so tactile, it makes you smile while using it. Not many other “flagships” can claim to do that these days.
Cracking hardware
Up to Nothing’s already high standards
Nothing has opened up the API for its Glyph Matrix, allowing developers to come up with their own Glyph Games, and given how engaged Nothing’s community is, we anticipate plenty coming in the future. Not all Glyph Toys are a success so far though, and while the Matrix can be used as a selfie mirror, the nature of the monochrome, pixelated display makes it rather pointless. It’s also a shame the caller ID feature is coming soon and not available at launch.
The Glyph Matrix and its special button make you want to touch and interact with the Nothing Phone 3, and it’s a joy when you do. It’s 218 grams and nearly 9mm thick, so it’s a chunky thing, but the balance feels spot-on. It comes in a choice of white or black colors and with either 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. The triple-lane design motif visible through the transparent back of the phone looks futuristic without relying on messy components or cabling, keeping it clean and neat. The camera array isn’t as jarring as the Nothing Phone 3a Pro’s, and I love the way the Glyph Matrix and each lens draws your eye across the back of the phone, leading to a little path down the rear panel. It’s visually cohesive, and genuinely attractive.
Nothing’s Essential Space key is on the side of the phone, which opens the company’s AI feature of the same name, where you store screenshots and voice notes, ready for the phone to organize them, and for you to recall when needed. Nothing has further integrated its AI into the phone’s global search, and typing a question you’d usually use a browser search for brings up results right there in the app search bar, no other app needed. It was fast and informative when I tried it.
Not all about the specs
The Phone 3 is more than the sum of its parts
The Essential Space and the way AI has been integrated into the global search feature are further great examples of what makes the Phone 3 so full of Nothingness. These are “flagship” features, but added in a way which doesn’t require explaining or thinking about to use. I’m not questioning when I’ll travel next and if I’ll have the opportunity to try my phone’s translation features, as the AI is more tailored to things I do with my phone every day, and are usable without any hassle or much forethought on my part.
A further very welcome flagship feature is the silicone carbon battery, making it possible to squeeze a 5,150mAh cell into the phone, complete with charging, which takes less than an hour to reach 100%. The processor is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 with 12GB or 16GB of RAM. This may disappoint some as it’s not the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but choosing this chip has still allowed Nothing to meet its performance and efficiency targets, with an eye on the final price too.
Elsewhere, the 6.67-inch AMOLED looked really bright in the test space where I spent time with the phone, it has a 120Hz refresh rate, and is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. The back of the phone is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus, the chassis is aluminum, and the phone is protected by an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. On the back are three cameras – a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50MP periscope telephoto for a 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP wide-angle. On the front is another 50MP camera with 4K video recording.
All in the name of fun
There’s a joy to the Nothing Phone 3 missing from some other phones
The Phone 3’s striking hardware feels solid and high quality, while the NothingOS software is quick to respond, logical to use, and highly customizable. Nothing will support it for five years, and promised an upgrade to Android 16 in the near future. I enjoyed every moment playing around with the Nothing Phone 3, appreciate the thought that has gone into the extra features, and love the fact it looks like no other phone you can buy.
The Nothing Phone 3 is a fresh take on the flagship phone, where vision and identity are just as important as specification, carefully considered AI features take precedence over rarely used ones, and flashing lights and rear displays go beyond gimmicks to become useful and entertaining. It’s the most “Nothing” phone yet, and we as phone fans and buyers should welcome it with open arms. The Nothing Phone 3 will be available for pre-order from July 4 and released on July 15. The 12GB/256GB version costs $799 and the 16GB/512GB version is $899.
