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Android Authority
03-07-2025
- Android Authority
Fight me! $799 is a great price for the Nothing Phone 3
I don't like spending money any more than anyone else, and I wish top-tier smartphones didn't cost a small fortune. That's why the Nothing Phone 3 caught my attention — it breaks from the brand's budget past with a price that puts it right alongside flagship heavyweights. However, flagship competition means compelling alternatives to consider and plenty of arguments to be made about whether the Phone 3 truly delivers the value that Nothing is known for. At $799, it's far from cheap, putting it right up against heavyweights like the Pixel 9, iPhone 16, and Galaxy S25. Still, I'd argue Nothing has actually priced the phone exactly right. Is the Nothing Phone 3 worth $799? 1168 votes Yes: It's innovative and delivers good value 16 % No: That price doesn't match the compromises 53 % Let's see the reviews first 32 % Nothing out-values the big three C. Scott Brown / Android Authority If you followed the phone's launch, you'll know the Nothing Phone 3's choice of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 processor over the more expensive 8 Elite model seen in other flagships has been a bit of a sticking point. We benchmarked the 8S in a rival phone and found it's just a smidgen behind last year's top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3; it's not cutting-edge but is plenty powerful for daily needs, moderate gaming, and whatever else. At $799, last-gen performance (or close to it) is more than serviceable — in fact, it's increasingly the norm. Google's Pixel line has never topped the charts, yet the Pixel 9 (and the far more expensive Pro XL) still hold their own. Likewise, the $649 Galaxy S25 FE uses a tweaked version of 2024's Exynos 2400. Even the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus ship with slower versions of Apple's flagship silicon. The reason is simple enough: older chips still perform brilliantly. I'll happily slightly trade down a chip for long battery life, extra storage, and flexible cameras. Sure, you can buy a phone with the 8 Elite for $799 — the Galaxy S25 is right there, and there are even more choices if you're willing to shop outside the big US brands. But outside of hardcore gaming, I'd argue that few people will notice the difference day-to-day. More importantly, the Nothing Phone 3 scores plenty of wins in areas that matter far more: battery capacity, charging speeds, a triple camera setup, and generous base storage for all your media. Starting at 256GB is a move other brands should've made years ago, but they refuse just to save a few bucks. Nothing Phone 3 Pixel 9 iPhone 16 Galaxy S25 SoC Nothing Phone 3 Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 Pixel 9 Tensor G4 iPhone 16 Apple A18 Galaxy S25 Snapdragon 8 Elite RAM & Storage Nothing Phone 3 12GB, 256GB Pixel 9 12GB, 128GB iPhone 16 8GB, 128GB Galaxy S25 12GB, 128GB Battery Nothing Phone 3 5,150 mAh Pixel 9 4,700 mAh iPhone 16 3,560 mAh Galaxy S25 4,000 mAh Charging Nothing Phone 3 65W wired 15W wireless Pixel 9 27W wired 15W wireless iPhone 16 25W wired 15W wireless Galaxy S25 25W wired 15W wireless Main Camera Nothing Phone 3 50MP, f/1.67, 1/1.3' Pixel 9 50 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.31" iPhone 16 48 MP, f/1.6, 1/1.56" Galaxy S25 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.56" Ultrawide Camera Nothing Phone 3 50MP, f/2.2, 1/2.76' Pixel 9 48 MP, f/1.7, 1/2.55" iPhone 16 12 MP, f/2.2 Galaxy S25 12 MP, f/2.2, 1/2.55" Telephoto Camera Nothing Phone 3 50MP, f/2.7, 1/2.75' 3x zoom Pixel 9 iPhone 16 Galaxy S25 10 MP, f/2.4, 1/3.94" 3x zoom There's solid parity with these rivals in other areas, too, including an IP68 rating, Gorilla Glass protection, and a slick aluminum chassis. The optical fingerprint scanner won't be the best around, and the display can't go as low as 1Hz, but those are minor trade-offs. Our hands-on with the Nothing Phone 3 also revealed plenty of clever touches and design choices that help it stand out. I'm still on the fence about the new Glyph Matrix system, and I'll have to wait and see if the camera array truly competes. Still, Nothing OS 3.5 is polished and streamlined, and with five years of OS updates plus seven years of security patches, you can keep this phone just as long as any competitor. What concessions could Nothing really make to build a cheaper flagship? Could Nothing have priced the Phone 3 at $699 instead? Perhaps — but that would mean more compromises, pushing it further from the flagship market it's aiming for. Would you be happy to lose Gorilla Glass protection, skip IP68 certification, drop the telephoto camera, shave off some support years, or settle for a mid-range chip just to save a bit? If so, you might as well already grab the very affordable Phone 3a Pro. My point is this: $799 might not be an outright bargain, but it's competitive at the very least, and could be great value if you prioritize the specs that Nothing has focused on. Player 2 has joined Joe Maring / Android Authority If undercutting the big players sounds familiar, that's because Carl Pei has been here before, back in his OnePlus days. Nothing's first flagship is certainly built in the same spirit as those golden years — turning heads with bold design choices while pulling few punches on the fundamentals. Ironically, if there's one phone that stops the Nothing Phone 3 from running away with the US value crown it's the OnePlus 13. Yes, it's $899, but that extra cash buys some serious upgrades. Is $100 extra worth jumping to a Snapdragon 8 Elite, larger and superior camera sensors, an even bigger 6,000mAh battery, and a more sophisticated, mainstream design? Well, in my opinion, it absolutely is; the OnePlus 13 is the best phone from the brand in years and arguably the best smartphone you can buy without spending a grand. Ironically, the OnePlus 13 represents equally, if not even better value than the Nothing Phone 3. Of course, the battle is much tougher outside the US, with Xiaomi, vivo, and others throwing far more hardware at the wall for similar or even cheaper prices than Apple, Google, and Samsung. Global buyers have a harder job deciding whether Nothing's extra features justify the cost, and I think that'll boil down to whether you buy into the novelty. Still, just because the OnePlus 13 edges it out on pure specs doesn't mean the Nothing Phone 3 lacks merit or is overpriced. Not unlike Google's Pixel series and its software-first approach, the Phone 3 is priced fairly for what it offers — even if that offer is a little more unconventional. As we've covered, it has the hardware to stand toe-to-toe with the big three while providing more storage right out of the box and a bigger battery. A comparable 256GB Galaxy S25 runs $860, which looks steep by comparison. Throw in the Glyph, Essential Key, and OS touches, and you have a unique experience that doesn't look overpriced to me. If it ever drops to $699 or equivalent regional pricing, the Nothing Phone 3 will be an absolute steal. But that doesn't mean you should sleep on it at $799. Nothing Phone 3 Nothing Phone 3 MSRP: $799.99 Nothing's first 'true flagship.' The Phone 3 is a stylish reinvention of Nothing's Android phone series, now with flagship specs, including a large silicon-carbon battery, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, and a periscope zoom lens with macro photography support. See price at Amazon
India Today
30-05-2025
- India Today
Xiaomi 16 specs leaked, performance and camera seem to be in focus
It's crazy that we're even talking about the Xiaomi 16 series this early, but that's just how things move in the internet age. Following the recently leaked render of the Xiaomi 16, fresh details have now emerged regarding the phone's specs and features. If you're unaware, we're talking about a phone expected to succeed the Xiaomi 15 — a device that only launched in India a couple of months ago. Even if we consider the Xiaomi 15's original China launch, which happened in October last year, and assume Xiaomi sticks to a similar timeline for the 16 series this year — we're still discussing details of a phone that's at least five months away from becoming to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Xiaomi 16 will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chip — the spiritual successor to the current-gen 8 Elite processor. This isn't surprising, considering the Xiaomi 15 runs on the 8 Elite, so it's only logical the next model will move to the next-gen version. Qualcomm is expected to unveil the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 at the company's Snapdragon Summit, which is scheduled to take place between September 23 and 25. That said, Xiaomi has also recently introduced its own in-house chip — the Xring 01 — which currently powers the 15s Pro and Pad 7 Ultra. So, the possibility of the Xiaomi 16 using company's own chip can't be ruled out either. Again, this is purely speculative, and realistically, the Xiaomi 16 will most likely continue with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 interesting detail is the rumoured battery capacity. Reports suggest that the Xiaomi 16 could pack a battery of over 6,500mAh. Early leaks even hint at the possibility of a 7,000mAh unit under the hood. Following the trend in the industry, this will probably be a silicon carbon battery — something we've started seeing more brands adopt for better energy density and efficiency. In the camera department, the Xiaomi 16 is expected to feature a triple rear camera setup. This includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor (reportedly 1/1.3-inch in size), a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with macro functionality. The display is also said to be similar to the one on the Xiaomi 15 — a 6.32-inch panel, likely AMOLED with 12-bit colour support and an adaptive 1–120Hz refresh mentioned earlier, if Xiaomi sticks to its usual launch cycle, we can expect the Xiaomi 16, 16 Pro, and 16 Ultra to debut in China sometime in October. As for the Indian launch, it's safe to assume we'll see the Xiaomi 16 series arrive around March 2026. For context, the Xiaomi 15 was launched in India this past March and is currently available in a single 12GB RAM + 512GB storage variant, priced at Rs 64,999.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Qualcomm to unveil Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 at early summit in September 2025
Qualcomm has announced key details about its upcoming Snapdragon Summit set for September 23 to 25, 2025, in Hawaii. The event marks a shift to an earlier date compared to last year, signalling the company's intent to lead the market with new technology releases. The focus of this year's summit will be the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (model SM8850), the successor to last year's 8 Elite chip. Qualcomm plans to produce this new chipset using TSMC's N3P manufacturing process. This move is expected to deliver improvements in power efficiency and overall performance. Also read: ChatGPT now lets you download Deep Research reports as PDFs - here's how The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will introduce the Adreno 840 GPU, which is reported to boost graphics performance by up to 30 percent compared to the previous generation. The chipset may feature a CPU design with six high-performance cores plus two efficiency cores, enhanced Pegasus CPU cores, and clock speeds possibly reaching 5GHz. This setup aims to provide faster processing power across various tasks. Another notable feature expected in the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is support for LPDDR6 RAM, which will offer higher data transfer speeds. This addition positions the chip as a strong competitor to Apple's iPhone 17 series, anticipated to launch just weeks before Qualcomm's event. Also read: Google renames Find My Device to Find Hub: What's new, and why Android trackers still need work Brands such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, iQOO, and HONOR are likely to be among the first to equip their flagship smartphones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, with device launches expected by late September or early October. Qualcomm will also highlight its Snapdragon X Elite 2 platform during the summit, which targets next-generation Windows laptops. The original Snapdragon X Elite, introduced in 2023, positioned Qualcomm as an alternative to Intel and AMD in ultrabooks and convertible laptops. The new version is expected to continue this trend, focusing on flagship Windows devices like Microsoft's Surface series. However, this chipset may not reach the market until 2026. Also read: iOS 19 to take to boost iPhone's battery life with help of AI Qualcomm's early scheduling of the Snapdragon Summit and the details shared suggest the company aims to establish a strong lead in the mobile and PC chip markets as 2025 progresses.
