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With the Telephone 3a and CMF Telephone 2 Professional, Nothing proved that it is aware of learn how to make terrific price range telephones. The model’s distinctive design philosophy mixed with its give attention to delivering an amazing worth allowed it to carve out a distinct segment in markets like India, and that is no small feat.
Nothing is now aiming to emulate the identical with the Telephone 3, a flagship that is designed to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Vivo X200, OnePlus 13, Xiaomi 15, and the Pixel 9. On the outset, there’s lots to love with the telephone; it retains Nothing’s design ethos, and also you get a brand new Glyph Matrix sample on the again with higher usability.
The software program is among the many better of any telephone you will discover in 2025, with Nothing delivering a clear interface that is vibrant and playful — similar to the {hardware} design — together with helpful additions like Important House.
However the largest draw back has to do with the {hardware}; the Telephone 3 misses out on Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and is as an alternative powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a mid-range platform seen on units just like the POCO F7 and iQOO Neo 10. It is not simply the chipset both; you aren’t getting lots of the options out there on Chinese language rivals, like IP69 water resistance.
Mix all of that with the $799 asking value, and the Telephone 3 is not wherever nearly as good a price as its budget-focused siblings. Do not get me unsuitable, it’s nonetheless an amazing total telephone, nevertheless it simply is not definitely worth the value — not when there are higher options out there.
Nothing Telephone 3: Specs, pricing, and availability
Nothing unveiled the Telephone 3 at a launch occasion in London on July 1, and the telephone is now up for pre-order, with availability beginning July 15. In contrast to Nothing’s different telephones, the Telephone 3 is bought within the U.S., a welcome transfer. It prices $799 for the 12GB/256GB model, and $899 for the 16GB/512GB mannequin.
Over in India, the Telephone 3 begins at ₹79,999 ($933) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and ₹89,999 ($1,050) for the 16GB/512GB version. Within the U.Okay., the Telephone 3 is bought at £799 ($1,088) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and £899 ($1,224) for the 16GB/512GB variant. In different components of Europe, you will must shell out €799 ($937) to get the 12GB/256GB mannequin, and €899 ($1,055) for the 16GB/512GB configuration.
|
Class |
Nothing Telephone 3 |
|---|---|
|
Show |
6.67-inch 120Hz OLED, Gorilla Glass 7i, 1,600 nits max |
|
OS |
Nothing OS 3.5 primarily based on Android 15 |
|
Chipset |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, Adreno 825, 4nm node |
|
RAM |
12GB/16GB |
|
Storage |
256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
|
Rear digicam 1 |
50MP f/1.7 OmniVision OV50H, OIS |
|
Rear digicam 2 |
50MP f/2.7 ISOCELL JN5, 3x optical zoom, OIS |
|
Rear digicam 3 |
50MP f/2.2 ISOCELL JN1 wide-angle |
|
Entrance digicam |
50MP ISOCELL JN1, 4K60 video |
|
Ingress safety |
IP68 mud and water resistance |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, Twin-band GPS, AptX HD |
|
Safety |
Optical fingerprint sensor |
|
Audio |
USB-C, stereo sound |
|
Battery |
5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery (5,500mAh in India), 65W USB PD charging, 15W wi-fi charging |
|
Dimensions |
160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm, 218g |
|
Colours |
White, Black |
Nothing Telephone 3: Design
- The Telephone 3 will get a brand new design, nevertheless it nonetheless maintains the Nothing ethos.
- The spotlight is a brand new LED dot matrix grid on the again that is extremely customizable.
- The telephone is heavier than its rivals, however nonetheless has a great in-hand really feel.
The Telephone 3 showcases the evolution of Nothing’s design language; whereas it is not as flamboyant as its predecessors, it nonetheless retains the identical ethos — and it is simply as distinctive. There isn’t any mistaking it for another telephone, and that in itself is noteworthy in a sea of similar-looking units.
Dominating the again is the brand new Glyph Matrix sample that is made up on 489 individually-addressable LEDs — Nothing says it delivers a “extra intentional type of interplay.” There is a button on the again that allows you to work together with the Glyph Matrix, primarily permitting you to cycle between the choices out there. It’s well-thought-out, and positively provides to the quirkiness of the machine with out being gimmicky. You’ll be able to even use the grid as a fill mild.
It’s a particular step up over the LED lighting that was seen on the Telephone 1 and Telephone 2, and also you get varied Glyph Toys, resembling a digital clock, stopwatch, a spin the bottle sport, quantity indicator, battery indicator, and so forth. Nothing says extra Toys will likely be out there over the approaching months.
Picture 1 of 4
The digicam modules are ensconced in particular person rings, and so they do not protrude an excessive amount of from the physique — there is no wobble when utilizing the Telephone 3 on a desk. At 218g, it’s heavier than different units on this class, nevertheless it is not unwieldy to make use of regardless that it has flat sides. Nothing did all the precise issues with materials decisions; the Telephone 3 has an aluminum mid-frame and a glass again that is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus.
One other new addition is the Important Key that sits beneath the ability button; you employ it to launch Important House, a “second reminiscence” that allows you to retailer nearly all the pieces with simply the press of a button. I just like the function fairly a bit, and the one disadvantage is that the Important Key would not fairly have the identical tactility as the ability button.
The one different downside with the design is that the optical fingerprint sensor sits somewhat too low on the panel, making it awkward to entry. The sensor itself is quick to authenticate, and I did not see any points within the week I used the Telephone 3, however the positioning is not supreme.
Rounding out the design, the Telephone 3 will get IP68 mud and water resistance. It would not have IP69, however that is not an enormous omission as these items go. The general aesthetic with the Telephone 3 is cleaner, and also you get the sense that Nothing went for a mature design whereas sustaining its ethos.
Nothing Telephone 3: Show
- There is a 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED, however you aren’t getting LTPO tech.
- The telephone has good brightness ranges and first rate onboard sound.
- It makes use of Gorilla Glass 7a as an alternative of Victus 2.
The Telephone 3 will get a 6.67-inch OLED panel with 120Hz refresh. It makes use of a 1.5K decision (2800 x 1260) and goes as much as 1,600 nits in auto mode, hitting 4,500 nits in HDR content material. Annoyingly, it misses out on LTPO tech, which was normal on the Telephone 2. Meaning the telephone would not go any decrease than 30Hz when viewing static content material; most different units on this class go to 1Hz.
The panel itself is vibrant, and it has nice coloration accuracy. You aren’t getting a lot in the way in which of customizability — there are simply two coloration modes out there — however you possibly can manually alter the heat of the panel. It has HDR10+ by default, and makes use of Android’s built-in Extremely HDR normal when viewing images and movies. It will get brilliant sufficient in common use that I did not see any points even whereas utilizing the telephone beneath harsh daylight.
There’s 2,160Hz PWM dimming, however in contrast to Vivo and iQOO telephones, that is not throughout the complete brightness scale — you will must crank up the brightness to note a distinction. You get an honest stereo sound, and I did not have any issues with the onboard audio.
The Telephone 3 makes use of Gorilla Glass 7i as an alternative of Victus. Whereas Gorilla Glass 7i is first rate sufficient, it simply would not maintain as much as on a regular basis use, and I already broke a telephone this 12 months that featured this protecting coating. So I did not take any possibilities and left the pre-installed display screen protector as is.
Nothing Telephone 3: Efficiency
- The Telephone 3 misses out on Snapdragon 8 Elite, and as an alternative runs Snapdragon 8s Gen 4.
- It would not measure up as a gaming telephone, and overheats.
Controversially, the Telephone 3 makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 as an alternative of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The 4nm node has lots to supply, nevertheless it misses out on the most recent cores, would not have the identical effectivity, and simply is not as quick.
I used the 8s Gen 4-powered iQOO Neo 10 and POCO F7, and the Nothing Telephone 3 is way the identical; it’s fluid in every day use and I did not see any slowdowns, and it holds up nicely sufficient in visually-intensive video games. That mentioned, this is not positioned as a gaming telephone, and it simply would not ship the identical rock-solid framerates that you just get with true flagships.
|
Class |
POCO F7 |
Nothing Telephone 3 |
OnePlus 13s |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (single-core) |
2049 |
2077 |
2870 |
|
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) |
6275 |
6611 |
8453 |
|
Geekbench AI (Quantized Rating) |
3590 |
3188 |
3641 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) |
4246 |
3918 |
6062 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) |
25.4 |
23.4 |
36.3 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (rating) |
7558 |
7483 |
11061 |
|
3DMark Photo voltaic Bay (FPS) |
28.74 |
28.45 |
42.06 |
Thermal administration is not as efficient as its Chinese language rivals; the Telephone 3 overheated whereas operating 3DMark’s Metal Nomad Gentle endurance check, and that wasn’t the case on another 2025 telephone I examined. I bought a studying of 56 levels Celsius on the again of the machine, and that is no less than six levels hotter than any Snapdragon 8 Elite machine I used. Actually, solely the Nubia Z70 Extremely bought hotter in my testing, and that machine would not have any thermal limitations.
There are different shortcomings; the USB-C port relies on the older USB 2.0 normal, and also you’re restricted to slower transfers when connecting an exterior SSD. Fortunately, there’s Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 alongside the same old AptX codec suite, and I did not see any points making calls or connecting to my dwelling community. The vibration motor has good suggestions, however you aren’t getting the flexibility to customise the depth of the engine.
Nothing Telephone 3: Battery life
I am utilizing the 16GB/512GB version of the Telephone 3 in India, which has a 5,500mAh battery — different areas get a 5,150mAh battery. Like most flagships, the machine makes use of a ten% silicon-carbon tech within the anode, delivering higher power density and longevity. The telephone lasts all day on a full cost, and even with heavy use, I did not must plug within the machine earlier than the top of the day. It has 65W charging and takes just below an hour to cost the battery, nevertheless it goes to 50% in simply over 22 minutes.
There isn’t any charger included within the package deal, however because the machine makes use of the usual USB PD 3.0 energy profiles, you need to use any PD GaN charger — I used the Nexode 500W charging station.
Nothing Telephone 3: Cameras
- The telephone has a trio of 50MP cameras on the again and a 50MP lens on the entrance.
- It has the very best cameras of any Nothing telephone, and takes good images/movies.
- Nonetheless, it would not maintain its personal in opposition to Chinese language rivals.
Nothing has a quartet of 50MP cameras on the again of the Telephone 3. The machine will get a 50MP f/1.7 OmniVision OV50H module with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and OIS, and it is joined by a 50MP f/2.7 Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor with 3x optical zoom and OIS. There’s additionally a 50MP f/2.2 Samsung ISOCELL JN1 wide-angle lens, and Nothing outfitted the identical 50MP JN1 module because the selfie lens.
The digicam interface is minimal, you get the usual capturing modes in a grid on the backside, and toggles to modify between the lenses. You aren’t getting a lot in the way in which of filters or extra capturing modes, however the fundamentals are lined. The telephone will get 4K60 HDR video with all 4 sensors, and that is good to see.
Picture 1 of 17
Predictably, the Telephone 3 takes nice images in daylight conditions. Resultant pictures have good coloration steadiness and element, and so they’re not overly saturated. Foliage is rendered nicely, and there’s no aggressive smoothing. The telephone does very well in low-light eventualities as nicely, producing vivid photographs with little to no seen noise.
The tele lens is nice in its personal proper, delivering usable pictures at as much as 6x. It would not fairly have the identical tonal steadiness as the principle digicam, however it’s a first rate displaying however. The primary digicam does nicely with portrait pictures as nicely, however you aren’t getting the identical stage of bokeh as different telephones.
Whereas the Telephone 3 has the very best digicam package deal of any Nothing telephone, it would not measure as much as its Chinese language rivals. The Vivo X200, X200 Professional, Xiaomi 15, Discover X8, Discover X8 Professional, and OnePlus 13 all outmatch the Telephone 3 with regards to taking images and movies, and Nothing nonetheless has some methods to go earlier than it might maintain its personal on this space.
Nothing Telephone 3: Software program
- Nothing OS 3.5 has a clear interface with daring colours and distinctive widgets.
- The software program is enjoyable to make use of, and it’s considered one of my favourite skins.
- The telephone is not launching with Android 16.
Nothing has the most effective software program interfaces of any Android telephone presently out there. The Telephone 3 runs Nothing OS 3.5 primarily based on Android 15, and the interface has good fluidity, clear styling with distinctive extras, and an honest quantity of customizability. I like what Nothing does with its customized widgets, and so they add a splash of vibrancy to the UI.
Important House is a notable addition that allows you to retailer screenshots in a devoted part, and it leverages AI to extract key data — consider it as a scratch pad to retailer helpful particulars. It’s now out of beta, and comes with a built-in recorder that is pleasant to make use of — it evokes reminiscences of the Teenage Engineering TP-7.
Picture 1 of 4
Whereas you aren’t getting fairly as many options as different Android skins, there’s no bloatware both, and Nothing provides the precise steadiness on this space. That mentioned, I bumped into a number of quibbles; the 5 x 5 grid is positioned barely decrease than on different units, so I used to be always triggering the unsuitable app.
Additionally, the Telephone 3 is launching with Android 15; the Android 16 steady construct has been out there for a month now, so I do not actually see why Nothing could not have debuted the Telephone 3 with it as an alternative. The machine will get 5 Android OS updates together with seven years of safety patches, and whereas that is nice, Nothing is not the quickest at rolling out updates.
Nothing Telephone 3: The competitors
The OnePlus 13 is the apparent different to the Telephone 3. It prices much less, has higher inside {hardware}, and you do not miss out on any of the extras. The software program is not wherever nearly as good — I a lot favor Nothing OS 3.5 to OxygenOS 15 — nevertheless it has good fluidity. You additionally get an even bigger battery, higher cameras on the again, and a brighter AMOLED panel.
If you happen to’re in a rustic the place the iQOO 13 is on the market, that machine is my go-to suggestion. It excels on the fundamentals, and whereas the design would not stand out, you get unimaginable {hardware} and battery life, and the software program is fairly good — if not on the identical stage because the Telephone 3. The place the iQOO 13 shines is the worth — there simply is not one other telephone that offers you as a lot on your cash.
Nothing Telephone 3: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You need a telephone with a particular design
- You prioritize software program over {hardware}
- You need a telephone with good battery life
You should not purchase this if:
- You need the quickest internals
- You want the very best cameras
- You need a true flagship
The truth that Nothing managed to launch a telephone with this stage of sophistication is an achievement in and of itself. The Telephone 3 has a singular design, nice software program with enjoyable widgets and AI utilities that you’re going to really use, and cameras which are significantly better than another Nothing telephone till now.
Nonetheless, it simply is not definitely worth the asking value — not when there are extra succesful options out there. On the finish of the day, that is the largest limiting issue with the Telephone 3; it is not a foul telephone by any measure, nevertheless it would not stand out meaningfully in opposition to different flagships.
I get that Nothing is not chasing specs and as an alternative making an attempt to distinguish the Telephone 3 with a daring design and clear software program, and that’s evident when utilizing the machine. Though it would not have the very best {hardware}, the Telephone 3 is fluid in every day use, it delivers good images and movies, and lasts all day. However the OnePlus 13 and iQOO 13 do the identical, and in the end, they’re a greater worth.
If you happen to like what Nothing is making an attempt to attain with the Telephone 3 and do not thoughts a few of the omissions, then you must get the machine — it’s a refreshing change of tempo from different telephones I examined in 2025. However in order for you a real flagship, you will must look elsewhere.
The Telephone 3 is not wherever nearly as good a price as earlier Nothing telephones, but when that is not a difficulty, you are getting an amazing package deal.
