The Nothing Phone 3 is here. It's the company’s most expensive phone yet, priced at $799. It brings a new look, a bigger screen, and four 50MP cameras. There's also a new version of its back-light system, now called the Glyph Matrix.
While it stands out in design, some parts don’t fully live up to the “flagship” label. The camera is hit or miss, and the processor isn’t top-level. So, is it worth the price? Let’s break it down.
What’s Good
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Big, sharp screen
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Fun and different design
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Large battery with better tech
What’s Not
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Cameras give mixed results
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Chip is not the best for the price
Design and Feel
Every phone has a unique appearance, and the Phone 3 is no exception. People notice it. The back is clear, showing off screws and parts arranged in neat lines. It’s not real inside access, but it looks cool.
This time, the camera layout is also cleaner. The three rear cameras stick out just a little, and they’re placed apart from each other. A small red light near the wide lens turns on while recording video. You can turn it off if you want.
The phone is thinner than last year’s model. It feels solid and smooth in the hand. The glass back and squared edges make it feel premium.
The Glyph Matrix, which consists of 489 tiny lights, is the most noticeable component. It’s a round, dot-style display that can show alerts, caller ID, time, battery level, and even simple images. It’s less flashy than older models but more useful. You can set different light patterns for calls or app alerts. Future updates will let you add custom pixel art.
You can press a special Glyph button to scroll through alerts or tools. A lengthy press initiates the tool, while a short press switches it. Some instruments, like a Magic 8 Ball or pixel spinner, are entertaining. Others, like the bubble level, feel less useful due to the low pixel count.
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The Screen
The Phone 3 has a 6.67-inch screen with a sharp 2,800 x 1,260 resolution. It’s bright — up to 4,500 nits — and very clear outdoors. It supports HDR10+ and runs at a smooth 120Hz. Gorilla Glass 7 protects it from scratches.
If you like big screens, this is a good pick. It’s larger than both the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25 screens.
Camera Setup
You get three 50MP cameras: one main, one wide, and one telephoto. The main lens has optical image stabilization to help avoid blur. The telephoto lens offers 3x zoom and even works for close-up macro shots.
In good light, photos are crisp and clear. On a trip to Amsterdam, shots of buildings and animals looked great. The Action mode worked well too, keeping moving subjects in focus while blurring the background slightly.
But in other cases, the results were not so great. Some city photos looked flat, even when the real scenes were colorful. The phone sometimes pushes ISO too high, which adds grain. Blue skies don’t always come out right, and switching between lenses can result in big color changes.
The zoom camera is a highlight. It lets you crop in close without losing quality. It also helps with close-up shots since the camera doesn’t cast shadows when zoomed.
Software Experience
Nothing uses its own version of Android. It’s simple and clean, with white text and dot-style icons. Some people may find it harder to recognize apps without color icons, but it looks sharp.
The phone includes a feature called Essential Space. It connects to a special hardware button and gives you tools like reminders, calendar events, and quick summaries. It’s handy but easy to confuse with the power button, which is placed nearby.
The Glyph Matrix can also be used to create custom notifications. For example, you can pick certain contacts or apps and assign them unique light patterns. Some people will find this useful, while others may not want to deal with setup.
Performance
The Phone 3 is powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip. It’s good enough for daily use and most games. But it’s not as fast as the chips in the iPhone 16 or Galaxy S25. That may bother users who expect top speed at this price.
Even so, the chip supports high-end graphics and can run ray-traced games. Most users won’t notice a big speed issue unless they’re running heavy apps or multitasking a lot.
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Battery Life
One of the best parts of the Phone 3 is its new battery. It uses silicon-carbon tech, which can hold more charge than the usual lithium-ion cells. The 5,150mAh size gives a small power boost over past models.
In video tests, the phone lasted about 23 hours on one charge. That’s a strong result, especially given the big screen. It charges fast too — going from empty to full in under an hour with the right charger.
It also supports wireless charging and can share power with other devices, like earbuds. But it lacks Qi2 support, which feels like a miss for a phone at this level.
How It Compares
So, how does the Phone 3 stand up to other phones in the same price range?
You get a large screen, good battery life, and twice the storage (256GB) compared to some rivals like the Pixel 9 or Galaxy S25. The design is fresh, and the software is unique. That might be enough to win over fans.
However, it is limited by its mid-tier processor and inconsistent camera performance. At $799, you expect top-level hardware across the board. And while the Glyph Matrix is fun and different, it’s still a work in progress.
Final Thoughts
The Nothing Phone 3 is bold and different. It has interesting features, smooth software, and a tidy appearance.The Glyph Matrix adds a new way to handle alerts, and the camera’s zoom features are impressive.
But it’s not perfect. The chip is a step below true flagships. The camera isn’t always reliable. For a phone that costs $799, that matters.
If you want a phone that looks and feels unique, this is worth a look. If speed and top camera quality matter most, you may want to compare it to others first.
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Good information 👍
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