CHOICE verdict
The Nothing Phone (3) is the company’s first premium smartphone and is a commendable effort. The bright and sharp 6.7-inch screen, impressive camera quality and solid overall performance is on par with more expensive offerings from Apple or Google, and the design is unique and quirky, without being over the top. The Nothing (3) is not only a very good performer for the price, it's a very good performing smartphone, period. The Nothing operating system is distinctive and fresh yet still obviously Android, with all the menus, settings and apps that Android users will find familiar. While Apple, Samsung and Google will continue to dominate the high-end smartphone space, companies like Nothing stand out from the crowd. It all depends on whether you want something different or more of the same.
Price: $1509 (256GB / 12GB RAM)
Contact: www.au.nothing.tech
What is the Nothing Phone (3)?
The smartphone industry is often criticised for being overly safe, with design changes that are incremental rather than offering anything truly different. Since it arrived on the scene in 2021, Nothing has made a name for itself offering a fresh alternative to the standard Android smartphone approach at the mid-priced ($500 to $1000) range.
The Nothing Phone (3) is competing with the big end of town ($1500-plus), with its large screen, fast performance and high-quality camera. However, the standout aspect to this smartphone is the ability to customise the look and feel of the interface, and the 'Glyph' interface on the back of the phone (more on this later).
Nothing has made a name for itself offering a fresh alternative to the standard Android smartphone approach at the mid-priced ($500 to $1000) range
It features a sharp and bright 6.7-inch high resolution AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a wide colour gamut. In terms of connectivity, there's dual 5G SIM support as well as eSIM and Wi-Fi 7 for very fast speed if you have appropriate wireless network support. The phone can also handle all the bumps and falls of daily life, as well as a dunk in the pool, thanks to its IP68 certification.
The clear case it comes with protects the raised camera lens, provides access to the Glyph button, and lets you see all the Glyph flashing lights when getting notifications.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S chipset with 3.21GHz clock-rate provides very good performance and the 12GB of onboard RAM allows you to work on multiple apps with ease. The phone can be unlocked biometrically with a fingerprint sensor or face recognition.
Glyphs: Gimmick, or useful tool?
Nothing phones are known for their brightly flashing backs, with lights that form signs and signals known as 'Glyphs'. These Glyphs provide the user with information such as call or message notifications or the battery level.
The Nothing (3) has introduced a 'Glyph Matrix', a little screen in the top right corner of the phone's back that includes notifications, utilities and 'Glyph Toys'.
Some of these are useful, and some might be considered whimsical.
App-specific alerts, a digital clock, stopwatch, battery level indicator, solar clock and a simple compass are useful tools. Spin the Bottle, Rock/Paper/Scissors and Magic 8 Ball maybe less so.
A dedicated button at the back of the phone allows you to switch between Glyph toys, and you can enable just those you wish to use.
Three dedicated lenses provide high resolution images in ultra-wide, wide and telephoto. The Glyph screen provides extra information, some useful, some less so.
Camera performance
The camera system consists of three lenses with a 50MP camera (ultra-wide, wide and tele), and a 50MP front camera that might be overkill for a selfie that will rarely be printed. Image and video quality is overall very good, with the main camera lens performance up there with the best on offer from Google, Apple or Samsung.
Camera menu features are surprisingly useful and, importantly, easy to find. An action camera option will be popular for a range of users – from families with kids running everywhere at a party, to active outdoor enthusiasts wanting to capture the subject in the moment rather than as a messy blur.
The 6.7-inch display is clear and sharp allowing you to do do some of the things you would normally associate with a tablet device.
Battery and charging performance
The 5500mAh battery delivers excellent performance for daily use and compares favourably with the best on offer from Google, Samsung and Apple. When you use a high-capacity charger, the Nothing Phone (3) will deliver a fully charged device in a little more than an hour.
Look and feel
The Nothing Phone (3) puts the volume buttons on the left side of the phone, and the power button on the right. This allows for simple control of the volume with the thumb when held in the left hand, and the power button falls comfortably under the middle finger. Buttons require a firm press so you won't be bothered by an overly sensitive response, and the phone is comfortable to hold, especially considering it has such a large display.
An additional button, the 'Essential Key', sits below the power button. Pressing it once will capture the content on your screen and save it to a hub called 'Essential Space'. You can long-press it to start recording a voice memo – an interesting feature, but not one that everyone will find useful, and unfortunately you can't allocate another action to this button.
The Nothing OS interface is refreshingly simple but if you like you can revert to the standard Android look and feel.
When transferring your details from another device, the Nothing operating system (OS) provides a simple and efficient transfer process either wirelessly or via a cable connection. The almost universal adoption of USB-C across Android and recent Apple iPhone devices means you can tether the supplied cable from your old device to the Nothing (3) and have everything come across, including stored content and personal details.
Nothing Phone (3) competitors
The Nothing Phone (3) smartphone is targeted at competing with some fairly specific models from Apple, Samsung and Google. Keep in mind that Apple and Google release their latest and greatest models in September, whereas Samsung usually announce its newest range early in the year.
If you were looking to compare it with an Apple device, the most similar would be the iPhone 16 Plus, which has just had a price drop with the release of the iPhone 17 range, making it around $100 more than the similarly configured Nothing (3). The downside is the iPhone 16 range is older and the display is a bit smaller. We haven't yet reviewed the iPhone 17, but it could also be a good option particularly if you're wedded to Apple, you don't have $2000 to spend, and want an extremely thin smartphone.
if you're an Apple or Google user wanting something different, the Nothing Phone (3) offers a compelling value option with similar performance
Google fans who want a very clean Android OS smartphone could consider the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL as the closest to the Nothing Phone (3) in terms of screen and performance, but it remains at a premium price of around $2000. Interestingly, the previous Pixel 9 Pro XL has remained at the same price of $2000, but you can expect it to drop significantly – if it appears for around the same price as the Nothing (3) at around $1500 it would suddenly become a great Android smartphone option.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 range has been out for most of 2025 and it shows in the pricing, with some great deals on the latest range. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is very similar to the Nothing (3) in terms of performance, storage and RAM and has a comparable 6.7-inch display. It's currently on special for $1300, making it very difficult to encourage Samsung fans to seriously consider the Nothing (3) as an alternative.
In summary, if you're an Apple or Google user wanting something different, the Nothing Phone (3) offers a compelling value option with similar performance. If you want to stay in the Samsung universe and you're looking to upgrade but you like the display size and features of the Nothing (3), it's probably a good idea to go with the Samsung Galaxy S25 while it's at a bargain price.
As with all new smartphones a charger is not included, but you get a high quality USB-C cable and clear bumper case.
What's in the box?
As with all the latest smartphones, the Nothing (3) comes in a minimalist package with no charger, based on the assumption you have one already.
There's a good-sized (100cm) USB-C cable, a SIM tray ejector tool and, importantly, a clear case, which is all you should need as you want the world to see the back of your phone 'Glyphing' about brightly.
The Nothing Phone (3) gets corrective and functionality updates for seven years from the release date, five years of Android updates and seven years of security updates.
Specifications
- Processor: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
- Display: 6.67″ AMOLED (2800×1260, 460ppi), 4500 nits peak brightness, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass 7I
- Memory: 12GB-256GB / 16GB-512GB (option $1689)
- Battery: 5150mAh, 65W wired charging, 15W wireless charging
- Camera (rear): 50MP Main (f/1.68, OIS, EIS), 50MP Periscope (f/2.68, OIS, EIS, 60x Ultra Zoom), 50MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2, 114° FOV)
- Camera (front): 50MP (f/2.2, 81.2° FOV)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, 5G
- Other: Stereo speakers, IP68, in-display fingerprint sensor
- Size: 160.60 x 75.59 x 8.99mm, 218g
- Colors: White, Black
- Software: Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15), 5 years of Android updates, 7 years of security patches
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