Nothing Cellphone 3 assessment: flagship-ish

Nothing says that the Cellphone 3 is its “first true flagship cellphone,” and it has put its cash the place its mouth is. The cellphone is getting a full US launch, and at $799, it prices precisely the identical as a Pixel 9, Galaxy S25, or iPhone 16.

That makes reviewing the Cellphone 3 refreshingly easy, as a result of there are solely two actual questions that matter: is that this nearly as good as these three? And can or not it’s nearly as good as what we’re anticipating from the brand new Pixel and iPhone fashions which might be proper across the nook?

The reply goes to return all the way down to how a lot you want its distinctive look. The dangerous information for Nothing is that the Cellphone 3’s design is extra divisive than any on the market, even amongst Nothing’s largest followers.

The Cellphone 3 is the primary Nothing cellphone to ditch the Glyph interface, an summary sample of LED dots and strips that turned Nothing’s design trademark when the Cellphone 1 launched in 2022. As a replacement is one thing smaller and subtler: a round dot matrix show dubbed the Glyph Matrix.

The Glyph Matrix can show photos and icons, so as an alternative of attempting to recollect which gentle present you programmed for cellphone calls out of your mother, you may set an emoji to symbolize her (you might even use a photograph, however these are simply as illegible because the outdated lights when rendered on the dot matrix). You should use Nothing’s preselected designs or generate your personal from a picture, however if you wish to use a selected emoji or app icon, you then’ll have to come up with the picture file your self to transform it. This all must be enabled manually, contact by contact, app by app, so it’s a good bit of labor to arrange.

The Glyph Matrix may also do smart issues like show the time or remaining battery, stranger issues like run a photo voltaic clock or body a selfie utilizing the rear digicam, and downright bizarre stuff like play rock, paper, scissors or spin the bottle. Sensible or not, these are collectively dubbed Glyph Toys, and you’ll cycle by means of them utilizing a hidden haptic button on the cellphone’s rear. You possibly can set the clocks or battery indicator to run perpetually as a type of always-on show, too, which is a boring use case however the most effective a part of it for me.

The top result’s a system that’s a little bit extra sensible than it was once — although it doesn’t do an entire lot to dispel accusations that it’s a gimmick — however feels much less distinctive, following within the wake of a number of years of Asus ROG telephones which have related second screens.

It additionally leaves the remainder of the cellphone’s rear oddly naked. Tons has been written already in regards to the cellphone’s uneven digicam placement, but it surely’s the barren white house that bothers me extra. Nothing’s design language is all about particulars and doohickeys that draw the attention and trace on the {hardware} beneath. However right here, there’s a cramped cluster of cameras and different particulars on the cellphone’s prime, and on the backside there’s an entire lot of, properly, nothing. I like the look of the corporate’s different {hardware}, however the Cellphone 3 is its first design dud — too busy on the prime and too empty in every single place else.

Nothing’s distinct design language runs by means of the software program. Nothing OS 3.5, primarily based on Android 15, is minimalist and monochrome, with loads of customizability — proper all the way down to particulars just like the structure of the fast settings menu. The grayscale seems nice, although it’s a little bit unhelpful whenever you’re looking for an app icon in a rush, however you may all the time swap to Android’s commonplace colourful icons in the event you desire. A brand new AI-powered world search bar helps, too, pulling up apps, contacts, settings, and extra.

The opposite large AI options are discovered within the returning Important House, triggered by a devoted {hardware} key to save lots of screenshots and voice notes, which the AI will analyze to offer you reminders about occasions or duties, with a brand new choice so as to add occasions to Google Calendar. It may additionally summarize audio recordings, although you’re restricted to 300 minutes a month, with no choice to purchase extra, and also you solely get a abstract, not a full transcript.

However there’s extra to being a flagship than simply wanting the half. Nothing angered some followers by boasting in regards to the Cellphone 3’s “flagship” Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 chipset, which can be discovered within the $399 Poco F7. And positive, it is a chip for the decrease finish of the flagship house, much less highly effective than the Snapdragon 8 Elite you’ll discover within the Galaxy S25. However Google’s Pixel line has delivered much less pure energy ever because the firm switched to in-house Tensor chips, and the 8S Gen 4 is aggressive with that. It hasn’t lagged or stuttered over my couple weeks with the cellphone, picture processing is quick sufficient, and it handles gaming comfortably.

Some specs are robust: 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage are nice for the bottom mannequin, delivering double the house of rivals. The 5,150mAh battery is bigger than the alternate options and lasts the day comfortably, whereas 65W wired charging is the quickest of the lot. The intense 120Hz OLED show doesn’t stand aside from the competitors outdoors of being larger at 6.67 inches.

Nothing’s earlier cameras have been competent, however that doesn’t lower it for a flagship. Nothing upgraded the Cellphone 3’s {hardware} with a triple rear digicam that makes use of 50-megapixel sensors throughout the board — together with the selfie digicam — outpacing all its rivals on decision. It says it’s made software program tweaks, too, prioritizing richer shadows and pure highlights.

The primary digicam works properly in good gentle by means of nightfall. Some pictures have the flat sheen of extreme HDR results, eradicating the distinction and element, although Nothing’s post-processing is extra restrained than some. Outcomes drop off as soon as it will get darkish, although, and the digicam overexposes highlights and crushes blacks within the course of.

The telephoto is the most effective characteristic this digicam has going for it, partly as a result of the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 don’t have one. The colour tuning differs from the principle lens, being flatter and colder, but it surely takes pictures with a gorgeous, pure bokeh impact, particularly in macro mode.

General, the cameras lag a little bit behind the competitors, however this telephoto is likely to be a tempting cause to think about it — although with the Pixel 10 rumored to leap to 3 cameras, that benefit would possibly disappear.

Again to the massive query: must you purchase this over different flagships? The Cellphone 3 comes with extra storage, a much bigger battery, and sooner charging. It’s more likely to beat the upcoming Pixel and iPhone fashions on these fronts. However neither the chipset nor the cameras sustain, and there’s a danger that these gaps develop over the following few months.

Nonetheless, none of these different flagships appear to be this. Relying in your style, which may be a degree of their favor. I don’t love the Cellphone 3’s design. But it surely’s distinctive, and the Glyph Matrix might be highly effective in the event you take the time to customise it. If that appeals, then the Nothing Cellphone 3 is a novel flagship. Simply be sure to’re proud of placing type over perform.

Photographs by Dominic Preston / The Verge