Nothing Phone 3 review: A bold bet on price, but is it a genuine flagship?

Hindustan Times

14-07-2025

Nothing Phone 3 review: The UK-based smartphone brand, Nothing, has gained much popularity in the mid-range market with smartphones like Nothing Phone 2, Nothing Phone 3a models, and others. However, after two years, the brand has finally launched a flagship league phone, the Nothing Phone 3, powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip in the Indian market. While the smartphone itself comes with some promising features, its bold pricing of Rs. 79,999 and an unusual asymmetrical design put it in a confusing situation for the buyers. Is Nothing Phone 3 with Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 a great buy at Rs. 79999? Check the review to know.(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
With the launch, Nothing Phone 3 has entered a league where it competes with powerful smartphones like the iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S25, OnePlus 13, and others at a similar price range. However, one difference you may notice is a 'non-flagship' chipset that powers the Phone 3. Well, as per Nothing CEO Carl Pei, the Indian market is obsessed with flagship chipsets like Snapdragon 8 Elite, and that the company emphasises more on factors like camera, Nothing OS, battery, and other crucial factors along with promising performance.
Well, we can say that Nothing Phone 3, with a huge price tag, is a risky bet in the Indian market. But I have been using the device for the past 2 weeks, and I have some great deals to talk about. The Nothing Phone 3 comes with a clean and clutter-free user experience with NothingOS 3.5, a promising camera performance, never-ending battery life, and, of course, the new Glyph Matrix, which everyone has been talking about. Therefore, without further ado, let's get into the detailed review and see if Nothing's first 'true flagship' is worth the hype or not.
Nothing Phone 3 design: An asymmetrical design that grows
Nothing Phone 3 features a transparent back with the new Glyph Matrix(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
The Nothing Phone 3 design has created much discussion in the tech industry. While people on social media have shown disagreement with the asymmetrical camera placement, I actually seem to like the design. With Phone 3, Nothing has made some intentional moves with the design, especially with the oddly placed periscope lens, but in real life, it does not look back. In my opinion, Nothing wants people to talk about its device, and this one single move is surely doing that.
The Nothing Phone 3 design maintains the brand identity with a transparent glass design, and the insides are divided into three portions, which are smartly designed. Apart from the triple camera setup, we can see the new Glyph Matrix that replaces the iconic Glyph Interface for the Nothing Phone. As of now, I have mixed feelings about the new addition, but we will get back to it later in the review. Other new things you'll notice are the presence of the Essential key, similar to the Nothing Phone 3a Pro model, and the new square-shaped red recording light, which gives an indication of activated video recording. Well, it's quite a cool touch.
The smartphone retains a boxy build with an aluminium frame, flat display, and curved edges. It measures 9 mm in thickness and weighs 218 grams, which is heavier and unusually thick, but it does not feel comfortable. The smartphone looks and feels quite premium and sturdy, which you should also expect from a smartphone priced Rs.80000. The Nothing Phone 3 offers an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, but I'm not so sure about the Gorilla Glass 7i protection in the display.
Overall, the Nothing Phone 3 has a captivating and debatable design, but it surely looks attractive in person. Just as I said for Nothing Headphone 1, I would say for Phone 3 as well, that getting a real-life design experience from a retail store before giving a judgment, because it will surely change your mind.
Nothing Phone 3: Glyph Matrix
Nothing Phone 3 Glyph Interface.(Aishwarya Panda.)
This Nothing killed its iconic Glyphic Interface, which included strips like LED listing, and was customisable for notification, live activities like cab status, delivery, and others. Now, the Nothing Phone 3 features a Glyph Matrix, which is a disc made up of 489 individually firing LEDs. It has a monochromatic display which provides essential information at a glance. This new addition aims to reduce interaction with the main screen by providing information like Caller ID and contact-based notifications, and different patterns for app notifications. Users can also assign custom icons in a dot-based system to specific contacts or apps. In my opinion, this is quite a fun addition, but again, I did not seem to interact with Glyph Matrix much unless the device was kept near me, with the rear panel facing me.
To make the Glyph Matrix fun and intuitive, Nothing has also included Glyph toys like Spin the Bottle, Magic 8 Ball, and the rock, paper, and scissors game. Additionally, the Matrix also became a Digital Clock, Battery Indicator, Stopwatch, and the hyped Glyph Mirror. Users can easily switch between games and modes with the new Glyph Button, which also has haptic feedback. But, it required a very hard press to activate the button, making it harder to access the Glyph features. Additionally, these toys and features seem intuitive at first, but I do not see myself relying on them often or even playing with the Glyph toys. For me, it was more of a gimmick than a value addition, but Nothing also seems to have great plans for Glyph Matrix, which I'm quite curious about.
Nothing Phone 3 display: A multimedia companion
Nothing Phone 3 features a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED display(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
The Nothing Phone 3 features a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED display that offers 1260 x 2800 pixels of resolution, 460 ppi pixel density, and support for HDR10+. Talking about the viewing experience, the Phone 3 surely is a multimedia companion as it provides crisp and dynamic visuals. It is a treat for OTT viewers due to Widevine L1 support, so you can stream content in HD. Additionally, gaming visuals are also promising and vibrant, making your overall viewing experience enjoyable. But it does fall short of competitors like Samsung and Apple, as they provide a slightly better display experience.
The Phone 3 offers up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, providing smooth scrolling and navigation. It is quite responsive, and animations are also promising while playing games. Additionally, the smartphone claims to offer 4500nits peak brightness, offering adequate visibility outdoors or in direct sunlight conditions. During my time of usage, I mostly kept the brightness at 60% during the day, which is enough to get you going. However, the higher brightness does strain the eyes, especially when you're indoors.
Nothing Phone 3 camera: Worth a click
Nothing Phone 3 features a 50MP triple camera setup.(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
The Nothing Phone 3 comes with a triple camera setup that includes a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 50MP periscope lens with 3x optical zoom. For a Rs. 80000 smartphone, the offerings look quite promising on paper, but the performance plays a key role. Images captured on the Phone 3 reveal crisp and incredible details in daylight. It beautifully captures accurate colours, where skin tones appear natural, the reds are accurate, and there is no major oversaturation.
Coming to the low-light performance, I found the camera average, if not the best, in the segment. The night mode brings out a grainy effect, especially when a person is standing in front of the camera, but it can be fixed with upcoming updates. During low light conditions, the colours appear washed out and inaccurate. However, in well-lit conditions, the Nothing Phone 3 manages to capture crisp images.
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Nothing Phone 3 camera sample
Another thing which bothered me about the smartphone was its portrait mode. The camera takes a few seconds to detect and lock focus on the subject. It gives an artificial background blur effect after processing, and the edge detection is not very accurate. The Nothong Phone 3 also features a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and well, I would just say that it was not very pleasing.
Now, if we have a look at the new 50MP periscope lens, the Nothing Phone 3 is surely a beast. It captures distant objects within the 3x zoom beautifully, without blurring the scene. However, anything beyond 3x becomes a pixelated mess. Overall, the colours are bright, the details are crisp, and it meets expectations. But is it the best on the market? Well, I have seen better.
Nothing Phone 3 performance and software: Everyday beast
Nothing Phone 3 is powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC.(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
One of the most debatable concerns about the Nothing Phone 3 was its processor. Well, the smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which is not a flagship processor, but it surely is a reliable one. During my time of usage, Nothing Phone 3 provided smooth multitasking, extended gaming, and day-to-day performance. Since I am a heavy smartphone user, I juggle a lot between social media apps, browsers, and video editing tools, all while running OTT in a floating view, and I did not experience any stutter or lag. The smartphone is quick with actions and runs smoothly even with extended hours of usage.
I also ran a few graphic-intensive games like BGMI and Genshin Impact on the device, and provided a stable performance. Even during extended hours with higher graphics settings, I did not experience any stutter or frame drops. However, after a continuous 45-minute gaming session, you will notice the device heating up, but it does not overheat, thanks to the VC cooling system.
While the performance was smooth on Phone 3, it should be noted that several other brands are offering the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4-powered smartphone at under Rs. 50000, and in my opinion, the Rs. 79999 price tag is not justifiable, since it is not a flagship chipset.
Coming to the software front, the Nothing Phone 3 runs on Nothing OS 3.5 based on Android 15, which is one of the best I have experienced so far. Since it was my first time using a Nothing-branded smartphone, I quite liked the clean and clutter-free user experience. The Dot Engine design, first-party app interface, and app icon are too intuitive and easy to navigate. One of the major inclusions of the Phone 3 was the Essential Space and the Essential Key, which provide a quick shortcut for users to capture and store screenshots, voice recordings, and photos. While I did not see myself using the feature often, but it still adds a great and unique touch to the device.
Overall, Nothing Phone 3 is a reliable device in terms of powerful performance and a clutter-free software experience. While the smartphone is not big on AI-powered features in comparison to competitors, it offers other seamless features like Essential Search, Gemini AI support, and more to get you going.
Nothing Phone 3 battery: A major upgrade
Nothing Phone 3 is backed by a 5500mAh battery(Aishwarya Panda-HT)
The Nothing Phone 3 is backed by a 5500mAh battery in India, which is a massive upgrade from its predecessor. The smartphone offers more than 24 hours of battery life, despite heavy usage. My day-to-day usage with gaming, OTT, social, and browsing complies a screen time of about 8 hours, and I was still left with about 30 to 25 percent at the end of the day, which is quite impressive. The smartphone supports 65W fast charging, and with my 80W charging adapter, the device took about an hour to go from 1 to 100%, which is quick in my opinion. This is a noticeable upgrade, which will be welcomed by the customers.
Nothing Phone 3 review: Verdict
Now, is the Nothing Phone 3 worth paying Rs. 79999 in India? Well, the smartphone offers a great battery life, a clean user experience, promising camera performance, and a powerful performance despite missing out on the flagship chipset. The smartphone handles multitasking, gaming, and heavy-duty tasks seamlessly, and users will surely not miss having a processor like the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Nothing Phone 3's design also stands out from the crowd and gives a premium look and feel, but the Glyph Matrix is a pass for me.
However, with a price tag as high as Rs. 80000, this puts the smartphone in a tough spot, and I will hesitate to suggest the device to buyers. There are plenty of better options available in the market at the given price or even less, which will offer similar or better performance to the Nothing Phone 3. Apart from the high pricing, the Nothing Phone 3 is a reliable device in all aspects.