Forget Apple Intelligence — Nothing Phone's killer AI feature just got better
Aside from the divisively eye-catching design (I like it, but others may disagree) the standout feature of Nothing's handset is the "Essential Space". You can tell the company thinks the feature is important, because it gets its own hardware button.
In theory, Essential Space is a centralised repository of information that can then be indexed and analysed by AI.
What's the Essential Space? Well, it's yet another implementation of AI. Before you groan and stop reading; hear me out. In theory, Essential Space is a centralised repository of information that can then be indexed and analysed by AI. At the moment, it's bare-bones — screenshots and recordings — but there's a lot of potential there to make it a killer feature. As long as Nothing doesn't start charging for it.
For instance, with the Nothing Phone 3, Nothing added a new Flip to Record feature which lets you start a voice note from anywhere (using that hardware button called the "Essential Key") and store it in the Essential Space, where it's transcribed and summarized.
Now, Nothing has just announced a major upgrade that includes three new functionalities: Google Calendar integration, Editable Memory, and Essential Recorder.
Essential Space is growing up! 3 Updates 🚀1/ 📆Google Calendar <> Essential SpaceCapture once, automagically sync to your Calendar. Couldn't be more convenient. pic.twitter.com/pT3O8ibE1KJuly 17, 2025
Let's pick through them one at a time.
Google Calendar integration is pretty self-explanatory; any task or event created in the Essential space can be automatically synced over to your Google Calendar without you needing to manually do anything. If the AI gets it wrong (if it mis-hears for example) you can still go in and edit the event yourself.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
That's the "Editable Memory" part — and while I've not seen these features in action myself, I'd hope the AI learns from your edits to make less mistakes in future.
Finally, the "Essential Recorder" option takes that Flip to Record feature and takes it to the next level. The AI will turn any recording into an image, PDF or Markdown, that can then be shared anywhere, like a group message or email chain.
If you're one of the people that uses a Nothing phone — like my colleague Anthony Spadafora — and you've got auto-update enabled, you won't need to do anything. The Essential Space will update automatically via the Google Play Store.
According to Nothing, these updates are live now on Nothing Phone (3), and will come to Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro "soon".
AI on phones is something of a tricky sell right now. How much value consumers are actually getting for it isn't fully realised yet.
But for my money, Nothing is taking a different approach than just shoe-horning in a bunch of AI overviews around the OS. It's giving users a centralised point of focus for their AI experience with hardware to back it up. It's far from fully realised yet and might not be enough of a reason to tempt people away from a Pixel 9 or Galaxy S25, but I still value the concept.
Speaking of the S25, Samsung recently confirmed it would be making its "default" Galaxy AI features free to all users indefinitely while Google's Gemini just got a feature even ChatGPT can't match.
The AI arms race on phone features is certainly getting interesting right now.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Sonim Technologies to be Acquired by Social Mobile
San Diego-based Sonim Technologies Inc. agreed to be acquired by Social Mobile in a transaction valued at $20 million, including a $5 million potential earn-out in an all-cash transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. This acquisition expands Social Mobile's footprint in the purpose-built enterprise mobility market. Sonim's expertise in mission-critical mobile solutions complements Social Mobile's custom enterprise mobility offerings, creating a powerful synergy to deliver innovative, secure and scalable solutions for customers worldwide. 'By combining Social Mobile's resources and expertise with Sonim's strong foundation, we are well-positioned to grow the brand and deliver even greater value to Sonim's customers. Together, we will expand product portfolios, enhance service capabilities and drive innovation to meet the evolving needs of our customers and stakeholders,' said Robert Morcos, chief executive of Social Mobile, in a statement. Roth Capital is serving as financial adviser, and Venable LLC is serving as legal counsel to Sonim Technologies Inc. Blank Rome LLP is serving as legal counsel to Social Mobile. Information for this article was sourced from Social Mobile.
Android Authority
an hour ago
- Android Authority
Nothing's latest Essential Space update is focused on sharing
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Nothing is making it easier to share files in Essential Space. Users can now share 'Flip-to-Record' audio clips. 'Memories' can be exported as PDFs, images, or Markdown files. One of the key features on Nothing's latest phones is Essential Space, an app that records video, takes screenshots, generates reminders, and more through the power of AI. Since its rollout, the London-based phone maker has continued to improve the app with new features. The latest tweaks will make it easier to share your Essential Space files. Today, Nothing announced it is rolling out two new updates for Essential Space. The first of these changes makes 'Flip-to-Record' audio clips shareable. Flip-to-Record is a feature that allows users to record audio by flipping their phone upside down and holding the Essential Key button. You'll find the option to share by tapping on the horizontal three dots. That recording, or the transcript, can then be shared as an image, PDF, or Markdown file. The other update that Nothing is rolling out is the ability to export 'Memories.' These are the images or screenshots you saved to Essential Space. Similar to Flip-to-Record, you can share these as images, PDFs, or Markdown files following the same process. These changes are landing on the Nothing Phone 3, Phone 3a, and Phone 3a Pro. The company states that the updates should download automatically via Google Play. However, you can update the app manually by going to the Google Play Store listing. Follow
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Roku unveils $2.99 ad-free subscription streaming service
Roku on Tuesday announced a new ad-free streaming service for $2.99 a month, the cheapest price point in the U.S. by a major company. The new streaming service, called Howdy, has a library of thousands of titles and nearly 10,000 hours of entertainment from companies such as Lionsgate and Warner Bros. Discovery. Titles include action movie 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' sports drama film 'The Blind Side' and drama series 'Weeds.' 'Priced at less than a cup of coffee, Howdy is ad-free and designed to complement, not compete with, premium services,' said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood in a statement. The push comes at a time when many streaming services are raising their prices as they face investor pressure to become more profitable and the cost of production has increased. But San Jose-based Roku — known for its software and connected TV devices that serve as a hub for consumers to select from various streaming options on their TV sets — sees an opportunity to capitalize on the growing demand for low-cost streaming options and generate more revenue on its platform. Roku has had success with its own free ad-supported streaming service, the Roku Channel and has a more diversified business model than other streaming platforms. The company makes money by selling devices and advertising and gets a cut of subscriptions or programs sold through its service. The business also makes branded TVs and smart home products. The company has also sought to expand its content library, acquiring Denver-based subscription streaming service Frndly TV for $185 million earlier this year. 'Howdy is by far the lowest priced ad-free service offered by a major company in the U.S.,' said Brahm Eiley, president at Victoria, B.C.-based the Convergence Research Group in an email. 'In the U.S., Roku has been very successful in attracting viewers for free content with advertising so it's not surprising that Roku is trying some different approaches to the market.' 'With engagement of over 125 million people a day, Roku is the perfect partner to launch a more accessible complement to the higher-priced SVODs,' said Jim Packer, Lionsgate's president of worldwide television distribution in a statement. 'This service has the ability to scale quickly while providing us with a new way to monetize our content, and we're proud to be part of this new streaming experience.' Roku stock declined about 2% on Tuesday morning to $84.24 a share. Like other media companies, Roku has downsized in recent years. In September 2023, the company laid off 10% of its staff, its third round of staff reductions within a year, citing a weak ad market. While Roku's platform business has been robust, its device sales have declined. Roku posted a net loss of $33.95 million in the second quarter on revenue of $1.1 billion, which was up 15% over the same period a year ago.
