Nothing Phone (3): Cool, capable, but with several flaws, not quite a flagship

Mint

2 days ago

Sahil Bhalla It is the brand's most ambitious smartphone yet, with a unique design, clean software, and strong battery life, but can it hold its own in a tough category? The Glyph Matrix (top right hand corner) is a dot matrix display for basic animations
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Nothing has built its identity around being unconventional—transparent designs, quirky glyph lights, and now, a dot matrix display. With the new Phone 3, priced at ₹ 79,999, the company is attempting a leap into flagship territory. But while it's the best phone Nothing has made so far, it still falls short of being a true flagship.
Nothing has built its identity around being unconventional—transparent designs, quirky glyph lights, and now, a dot matrix display. With the new Phone 3, priced at ₹ 79,999, the company is attempting a leap into flagship territory. But while it's the best phone Nothing has made so far, it still falls short of being a true flagship.
Let's be clear: the Phone 3 doesn't come with the most powerful Snapdragon chipset, nor does it pack top-tier camera hardware. It lacks an IP69 rating, Qi2 wireless charging, and several other premium features. In fact, the glyph lights from earlier generations have been replaced by a minimalist dot matrix display. This phone might offer solid upgrades over the Phone (3a) Pro, but it doesn't quite justify its premium price in the Indian market.
Realistically, the Phone 3 is trying to compete with base models of flagship series like the iPhone 16, Galaxy S25, Pixel 9, Vivo X200, and Oppo Find X8—a tough crowd to stand out in. Also Read | Can you live with an EV as your main vehicle? Unusual design choices
The new Glyph Matrix features 489 individually firing LEDs that form a dot matrix display for basic animations and 'Glyph Toys" like a clock, stopwatch, volume/battery indicators, spin the bottle, and more. A button on the back lets you cycle through these. It's more fun than functional, but does add personality—something Nothing excels at.
The rest of the back design is divisive. The asymmetrical camera layout, with individually ringed lenses, has triggered mixed reactions. That said, the design eliminates table wobble, and it has grown on me over time. At 218g, the Phone 3 is on the heavier side. Flat sides and an aluminium frame give it a solid in-hand feel, and the Gorilla Glass Victus back adds durability. Up front, there's a 6.7-inch OLED display with slim bezels, 1.5K resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate. It hits 1,600 nits brightness in auto mode. However, the front uses Gorilla Glass 7i—a downgrade from Victus—and there's no LTPO panel, just a standard LTPS one. Still, the display is crisp, colourful, and vibrant. Under the hood
Nothing's Carl Pei recently dismissed the industry's obsession with chipsets, and perhaps that's why the Phone 3 uses Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, instead of the higher-end 8 Gen 3 Elite. For everyday users, the difference is negligible—everything feels snappy and responsive. But push it with gaming or benchmarks, and it runs noticeably hot.
Where it really impresses is battery life. The 5,500mAh battery easily lasts over a day, even with heavy use. I watched videos, took hundreds of photos, made calls, and still ended each day with charge left. There's no charger in the box, but it supports 65W fast charging via USB PD 3.0, delivering 50% in 22 minutes and a full charge in about an hour. Android skin
Running on Android 15, Nothing OS 3.5 continues to be one of the best Android skins out there. It's clean, fluid, customisable, and free of bloatware—head and shoulders above the likes of FunTouch OS and HyperOS. New this time is Essential Space, an AI-powered universal search tool that debuted with the Phone (3a) series. It can search through your entire device and, if needed, perform web searches. It's genuinely useful, but privacy-conscious users may hesitate since it requires deep permissions. Overall, the UI experience is one of the Phone 3's biggest strengths.
The Phone 3 features four 50MP sensors: a primary, ultra-wide (114°), periscope telephoto (3x zoom), and a selfie camera. The camera UI is minimalist—no clutter or unnecessary filters, just simple shooting modes and toggles.
Photo quality has improved significantly. In good lighting, images are detailed, colour-accurate, and natural—without the oversharpening common in mid-range phones. Low-light shots were surprisingly good too, with minimal noise and strong contrast.
That said, it's still not up to the level of the top camera phones of 2025. And oddly, the Phone (3a) Pro has a better telephoto lens, even though the Phone 3 has better image processing overall. The verdict
So, should you buy it? Well, the truth is, despite its strengths, the Phone 3 doesn't offer great value at ₹ 79,999. It's trying to do a bit of everything but doesn't truly excel in any one area. The optical fingerprint scanner is less secure and awkwardly placed. The Gorilla Glass 7i and LTPS display are mid-range components. USB 2.0 port feels outdated. No IP69 rating or Qi2 wireless charging. All these choices raise eyebrows for a phone priced this high.
There's no denying that it is a bold and polished product—the best Nothing has produced. It's got an innovative design, fantastic Android experience, good cameras, usable AI tools, and excellent battery life. But at this price, there are just too many better options—OnePlus 13 being one of them, offering stronger specs at a lower price. Topics You May Be Interested In