Nothing Phone 3 Review: Vibes of a flagship

The Hindu

24-07-2025

Nothing has been trying to make a space for itself in the already overcrowded smartphone market in India over the past few years. Apart from efficient function in the budget segment, Nothing phones have tried to break away from the monotony of smartphone designs with its quirkier designs. In an effort to carve a niche for itself and stand out from the competition, the company has now launched its first flagship phone Nothing Phone 3 at the price of ₹79,999. While the phone does stand out for its funky design and Glyph Matrix, the processor brings it down to the level of 30K segment phones like iQOO Neo 10 and Poco F7. It will be interesting to see if the phone ticks all the boxes to be a flagship phone that competes with the likes of Pixel 9, Samsung S25 and iPhone 16.
Design
Nothing has dialled down the flamboyance this year, but not by much. The Nothing Phone 3 takes a more refined stab at its transparent design philosophy. Gone are the Glyph lines that wrapped around the back; in comes the Glyph Matrix, a circular LED disc made of 489 individually addressable micro-LEDs. Is it useful? Not really. Is it fun? Absolutely.
But here's the catch: the back panel feels visually scattered. The Glyph Matrix sits alone in one corner while the three rear cameras huddle on the other side. It's whimsical, yes, but not the most elegant layout you'll see this year- it's catchy though.
That said, the in-hand feel of the Nothing Phone 3 is great. It's built with a mix of Gorilla Glass Victus at the back and Gorilla Glass 7i on the front, making it feel durable and premium. The frame is aluminium, and the edges curve just enough to avoid any sharp digs into your palm. IP68 rating is finally here, something that was sorely missed before, putting it in the same league as the big players on durability.
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Up front, the phone boasts impressively slim bezels, just 1.87mm all around. The buttons are tactile, ports well-placed, and the in-display fingerprint scanner is responsive. Nothing's visual identity may be polarising, but it sure is distinctive.
Display
A 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED screen on Nothing Phone 3 is a showstopper. With a crisp 1260x2800 resolution and a pixel density of 460 ppi, visuals are razor sharp. The 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate delivers smooth scrolling, while the 1,000 Hz touch sampling rate ensures ultra-fast response times, especially during gaming.
What truly dazzles is the brightness. The panel hits 4,500 nits at peak HDR, 1,600 nits in outdoor full-screen brightness, and 800 nits typically. Watching HDR10+ content is immersive, with deep blacks and vibrant colours. The display also supports 2160 Hz PWM dimming for low flicker and reduced eye strain. It's comfortable to look at, even during long sessions, which can't always be said about the iPhone 16's brightness-intensive panel.
OS and AI
The Phone 3 runs Nothing OS 3.5, layered on top of Android 15. While the software is clean, fluid, and delightfully different in style, thanks to its dot-matrix design language. Also, I feel that the company could have opted for Android 16 to be more on the updated side. Nothing promises five years of major Android updates and seven years of security patches.
However, Nothing makes up ground with meaningful features powered by AI. Essential Space, accessed through the physical Essential Key on the right edge, is a productivity-driven layer where notes, screenshots, voice recordings, and ideas can be catalogued and organised. The key even supports gestures—long-press to record a voice memo, double-tap to jump into Essential Space and AI transcribes and categorises everything on-device. It's like Google Keep meets Samsung Notes but stripped down for speed and simplicity.
And then there's Essential Search, a universal smart search bar that replaces clunky navigation. Swipe up, and you can search for anything, contacts, files, web results, or even calendar events. It's fast, reliable, and surprisingly useful. Among Android skins, this is one of the few that feels built for human needs, not feature creep.
Performance
Here's where things get complicated. Nothing has equipped the Phone 3 with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, a capable processor, yes, but more common in phones priced around ₹30–40K like the iQOO Neo 10 or Poco F7. When paying ₹80K, expectations are understandably higher.
On paper, the phone does okay: Geekbench scores are 2106 (single-core) and 6596 (multi-core), with a GPU score of 13,596. Antutu throws up 1937966. But compared to other flagship models that are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the raw muscle of Apple's A18 Bionic in the iPhone 16, these numbers don't scream flagship.
That said, the phone isn't slow. In fact, everyday performance is smooth, animations flow beautifully, and the OS feels optimised. With 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage, multitasking and app loading are seamless.
Gaming also holds up well. We played Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, and Asphalt at high settings without major frame drops. The Adreno 825 GPU handles most titles comfortably, though extended gaming does warm the phone up a bit more than ideal.
In short: it's fast enough for most people, but the use of the 8s Gen 4 processor might not work in the favour of the phone that sells for a premium.
Camera
Here's where the Nothing Phone 3 surprises and excels. The all 50 MP quad system: main, periscope, ultrawide, and selfie, gives the phone real versatility. The images look clean, vibrant, and balanced across lighting conditions.
Daylight shots exhibit punchy colours, excellent contrast, and low noise. Night mode uses the large 1/1.3' sensor on the main camera effectively to pull in light and preserve shadow detail. The TrueLens Engine 4, backed by AI, also helps scenes look more natural and cinematic than overly processed.
The periscope camera is a joy to use. You get 6x lossless zoom and up to 60x AI zoom for distant shots. Portraits are especially impressive, with great edge detection and natural-looking blur. The macro photography mode, enabled through the periscope lens, is another win. It captures textures and close-ups with striking clarity.
The 50 MP ultra-wide camera has a 114° field of view, which works well for landscapes and dynamic group shots. Video? Ultra XDR 4K at 60fps from every lens, including the 50MP front camera. Stabilisation is strong, making this one of the best creator centric phones in the segment.
Selfies are crisp, even in low light, and skin tones remain natural. While the iPhone 16 still wins on cinematic video quality and the Pixel 9 may offer smarter computational photography, the Nothing Phone 3 is arguably the most fun and creative camera package of the three.
Battery
The 5,500 mAh battery is a workhorse. Thanks to efficient power draw and silicon-carbon chemistry, it comfortably delivers up to two days of moderate use. You can stream, game, click photos, and still not worry about hitting 0% before bedtime.
Charging is where it gets better. 65 W wired charging fills the tank from 1% to 100% in around 54 to 60 minutes. Ten minutes of charging gives you nearly 30%. There's also 15 W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging for earbuds or other phones. Remember, the phone doesn't ship with a charger.
Thermal performance during charging is solid too. The Glyph matrix shows charging progress in a visually satisfying way, another Nothing quirk that feels surprisingly useful.
Verdict
Starting at ₹79,999, the Nothing Phone 3 has all the vibes of a flagship, from bold design and playful features to reliable cameras and impressive software creativity. The Glyph Matrix, Essential Key and Essential Search make the phone feel alive in a way most rivals don't.
But for a flagship in 2025, launching with Android 15 and a mid-premium chip feels out of step. Competitors like OnePlus 13, Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25 offer better performance and more polish at similar prices. And for those entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 16 still delivers the best-in-class experience.
So, does the Nothing Phone 3 tick all the flagship boxes? Not quite. But it checks a few that others don't even attempt. If you're looking for expression, innovation, and a phone that doesn't feel like everyone else's, this one's for you. Just know you're paying flagship money for what's still, in some ways, a smart beginner at premium level in disguise.