The Cellphone 3 is Nothing’s most formidable gadget but, and it continues the model’s heritage of differentiated design together with thrilling software program options. There’s clearly so much to love concerning the cellphone, and I am excited to get my palms on it. However one factor stood out on the launch occasion: the pricing.
The Cellphone 3 begins at $799 within the U.S., going as much as $899 for the 16GB/512GB version. That is going to be a tough promote contemplating Nothing does not have any service partnerships within the U.S. The model has a more durable battle in its largest market, India. The 12GB/256GB mannequin of the Cellphone 3 prices ₹79,999 ($933) within the nation, with the 16GB/512GB version retailing at ₹89,999 ($1,050).
That is absurd pricing in a market that is significantly price-sensitive, and I do not actually know what motivated Nothing to set the value so excessive. The model sells an amazing majority of its merchandise — whether or not it is finances telephones, earbuds, or CMF-branded gadgets — in India, so it has a great understanding of the pricing dynamics. But, the Cellphone 3 prices extra in India than the U.S., and that is baffling.
What makes the pricing onerous to rationalize is the truth that the Cellphone 3 is made domestically in India. Nothing proudly says that the Cellphone 3 is “Designed in London. Made in India,” however the pricing does not mirror that. The whole concept round assembling a tool within the nation is to decrease the fee, and Chinese language manufacturers use this technique to nice impact, promoting their flagships for significantly lower than different markets.
Take the Xiaomi 15 Extremely, for example. The cellphone prices ₹109,999 ($1,284) in India for the 16GB/512GB version, and whereas that is loads of money, the identical cellphone retails for £1,199 ($1,642) within the U.Okay. It is the identical story with the OnePlus 13; the cellphone begins at ₹69,999 ($816) in India, and it prices $899 within the U.S.
Each different model understands that they should be aggressive in India to have any probability at making inroads, and that is why the Cellphone 3 pricing in India does not make a lot sense. I do not even need to level to different manufacturers; Nothing’s Headphone 1 — which launched alongside the Cellphone 3 — is ready to retail for ₹21,999 ($256) within the nation, and that is meaningfully decrease than the $299 U.S. pricing.
That is true of all different merchandise Nothing launched within the final three years; the Cellphone 2a, Cellphone 3a Professional, CMF Cellphone 2 Professional, CMF Buds 2 and Buds 2 Plus, and all the model’s different earbuds are priced decrease in India than simply about every other nation, however with the Cellphone 3, the other is true.
Then there’s the query of the {hardware}; the Cellphone 3 misses out on Qualcomm’s finest silicon, as a substitute that includes the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. It’s a first rate sufficient chipset, however it’s seen on gadgets that price lower than half as a lot because the Cellphone 3, just like the iQOO Neo 10 and the POCO F7.
Nothing maintains that it’s not concerning the {hardware} that is used, however the way it’s optimized; the model has proven previously that it does a great job on this regard, nevertheless it simply does not treatment the truth that you are paying extra to get a cellphone that is not as highly effective because the OnePlus 13 and Vivo X200.
As somebody who’s used each single Nothing cellphone and accent, I am letdown by the Cellphone 3’s pricing in India. The cellphone clearly has the potential to face out, and it simply wanted Nothing to be aggressive with the pricing to permit the upstart producer to realize a foothold within the premium phase. Nonetheless, that is not the case, and Nothing’s short-sighted transfer is making the Cellphone 3 a tougher promote than it must be.
