Nothing phones have always been the kind you can spot from across the room. It’s like they scream, “Hey, I’m different!” without even trying. With the new Phone (3), though, Nothing seems to have flipped its design playbook, and I’m honestly not complaining. The asymmetrical camera module on the back is a bold choice, and weirdly enough, I feel like it matches my weird personality a little too well. The rest of the back looks familiar, sticking to what Nothing has done before, but the overall look feels much fresher.
Nothing Phone (3)
Rs 79,999
What Is Good?
- Attractive design, very unique
- Excellent display quality
- Smooth software experience
- Camera setup is good
- Everyday performance is good
- Reliable battery life
What Is Bad?
- Not for gaming
- Too pricey
- Edge detection issues in portraits
Then there’s the Glyph Matrix, which is really smart and it interacts. You’ll either love it or spend your time explaining it to curious friends at parties. Either way, it adds to the fun. But here’s the catch: the Phone (3) starts at Rs 79,999. Pricey? Definitely. Worth it? Well, I’ve been living with it for over a month now, so let me tell you what it’s really like.
Peculiar Yet Pretty
The moment I first saw the Phone (3), I could tell Nothing really went bold with the design. Everyone I showed it to had a different opinion, but I’m firmly in the group that loves it. I got the White variant, and it looks stunning. I honestly thought the shine would wear off after a while, but it has held its charm even after a month of daily use.
The main highlight is the Glyph Matrix on the back. It is made up of 489 tiny LEDs, and it is surprisingly fun to use. A small button below the Matrix lets you interact with it, and I have to admit I kept pressing it just for the thrill of it. It is not just pretty lights either. It has features like Spin the Bottle, battery indicators, volume controls, and even a stopwatch. For me, it’s more like a playful little companion.
When it comes to everyday use, the phone feels premium in hand. It is heavier than the Phone (2) by 17 grams, and that weight is noticeable. If you dislike heavier phones, you might find it bothersome. Personally, I did not mind. I actually liked knowing it was in my pocket without having to check twice.
The Essential Key on the right frame is another feature that stands out. With a single press, it gathers all your files, photos, and documents into one place. For someone like me, who lives off screenshots to save everything important, it is a blessing. And yes, if you ever get on my bad side, I definitely have proof stored neatly, so maybe think twice before testing me, haha.
When it comes to the display, the Phone (3) really nails it. It has a 6.67-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ is already built in. I tested it with a mix of high-quality YouTube videos and my current guilty pleasure, The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video, and the colours looked spot-on every single time. Smoothness was another win here, with no lag or stutter slowing things down. Brightness wasn’t an issue either. Indoors, outdoors, or even standing under the blazing afternoon sun, the screen held its ground and I never had to do the awkward squint-and-tilt dance. The stereo speakers do their job well too. Audio came through crisp, and the best part is that I didn’t feel any odd vibration at the back while holding the phone. Honestly, that’s one little detail I really appreciate; it keeps the experience clean and enjoyable.
Under the Hood
The Nothing Phone (3) runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, the very same chip you’ll also find inside the POCO F7 and OPPO K13 Turbo Pro. Now, this processor usually shows up in phones priced around Rs 40,000, so seeing it inside a device that costs nearly double feels a bit underwhelming. It is not bad by any means, but it does feel like Nothing played it a little too safe. Honestly, if they had gone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Phone (3) would have matched its price tag better and really earned its spot among the flagships.
In my daily use, the Phone (3) did exactly what I hoped for. Whether I was sending texts, scrolling endlessly on Instagram, or watching YouTube for hours, it never gave me trouble. The real test came when my colleague borrowed it for his London trip. He clicked photos nonstop, yet the phone stayed cool and never once acted up. When it came to gaming, I pushed the Phone (3) with Call of Duty: Mobile, and it mostly held up really well. There was this one moment during a team deathmatch when the phone decided to lag just as I was about to take down an enemy, and yes, it cost me the kill. I’m still salty about that, but to be fair, it only happened a couple of times. Thankfully, it didn’t become one of those ongoing problems that make you want to rage quit.
On the software side, the Phone (3) runs on NothingOS 3.5, which is based on Android 15 straight out of the box. I’ve always admired how Nothing approaches its software, and my thoughts haven’t really changed since I tested the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. The whole point here is to give you the smoothest experience possible without stuffing the phone with random pre-installed apps you’ll never use. Honestly, I’m all for it. Even the little things, like the way the phone powers on and off, how the apps are designed, and the extra room for customisation, make everyday use feel much more enjoyable. If you want an Android device that feels smooth and fuss-free, this one is pretty close to that experience.
Nothing is also promising five years of updates with the Phone (3), which is definitely good news. Still, since Android 16 was already out when the phone launched, it feels like they could have just given us that from the start. It is almost like being served fresh coffee but forgetting the sugar; good on its own, but it could have been little bit better.
Through the Lens
The Nothing Phone (3) comes with a triple-camera setup on the back that includes a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens offering up to 3x optical zoom with OIS, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. Compared to the Nothing Phone (2), the addition of a periscope telephoto lens is a proper step up and feels like a meaningful upgrade.
As I mentioned earlier, my colleague took this phone with him to London to test its cameras. The city looked absolutely stunning through the lens in daylight. He had a great time taking photos, but the shutter button often acted like it was still waking up from a nap. Because of that, he sometimes missed shots of moving subjects. Interestingly, no one else we spoke to who was using the Phone (3) had the same issue, which makes me think this was more of a unit-specific hiccup. What’s funnier is that after he kept on using the camera, the problem just vanished on its own. It was odd, but we were not complaining. The ultra-wide camera also produced some very pleasing results with accurate colours, although I did notice a touch of grain near the edges. Low-light performance was strong as well, with colours looking good and very little noise creeping into the pictures.
Portrait mode was where things really got messy. The phone often struggled to separate the subject from the background, and sometimes it felt like half the subject had decided to blend into the scenery. Edge detection clearly needed work. Once again, we shared this with the Nothing team, and after another software update, the portraits started to look far better. The improvement was so noticeable that it almost felt like we had started using a different camera altogether.
For selfies, the Nothing Phone (3) packs a 50MP front camera. The results looked clean and natural, without those blush effects or red patches on the cheeks and chin. I have always had a soft spot for iPhone selfies, and to my surprise, Nothing has managed to come really close.
Overall, the Phone (3) has a capable camera setup, but it still falls short when compared to rivals such as the Vivo X200, OPPO Find X8, and Xiaomi 15. To make matters worse, some of these competitors are priced lower, which only makes the situation more difficult for Nothing.
Battery Built to Go the Distance
The Nothing Phone (3) comes with a 5,500mAh battery, but the bigger battery is only for the Indian models. If you buy it outside India, you get a slightly smaller 5,150mAh cell instead.
In my colleague’s experience, the phone comfortably made it through a full day and sometimes even stretched beyond that with light to moderate use. On days when he went all out clicking photos or using the phone non-stop, he did find himself hunting for a charger by night.
The not-so-great part is that Nothing doesn’t include a charger in the box. So, after already paying Rs 79,999 for the phone, you still need to spend extra on a PD GaN charger. Of course, if you have a decent charger lying around at home, that will get the job done too. I tested it with a PD charger, and it went from completely dead to full in 53 minutes, which is actually quite good. Overall, the battery life is dependable.
The Bottom Line and Should You Buy
Honestly, I was quite happy with the Nothing Phone (3) until I came across the price tag. That was the moment my jaw hit the floor. Carl Pei did say in a video that the Phone (3) would deliver a true flagship experience, and he was not wrong. What I did not expect was that it would also bring along a flagship-sized price. Considering the chipset inside is the same one used in phones that usually sit around Rs 40,000, the pricing really felt like a jump scare.
To be fair, Nothing has packed this phone well. You get a proper triple-camera setup on the back, a large battery that even some mainstream flagships do not offer, a design that instantly grabs attention, and a display that makes everything look polished. Still, if performance and heavy-duty gaming are what matter most to you, this phone is not going to be your most reliable companion.
At the moment, the Phone (3) is listed for Rs 44,600 on Amazon, which actually makes it sound like a sweet deal. At that price, it is a solid option if you have been eyeing it. The catch is that even Akis Evangelidis, Co-founder of Nothing, has warned buyers to be careful with Amazon sellers since the phone is officially exclusive to Flipkart. On Flipkart, however, the starting price still stands at Rs 79,999, and that makes it really difficult to recommend. Because everything the Nothing Phone (3) is offering, the OnePlus 13, iQOO 13, and Realme GT 7 Pro are also offering, and in some cases, they are doing it better.
