Nothing’s first true “flagship” arrives with a big promise: a distinctive design, fast performance, and an ecosystem of playful ideas that make the phone feel different. After a few weeks living with Phone (3), I can say it absolutely feels different. Whether that difference is better depends on what you value—and how much patience you have for ideas that are charming, but not always useful. The biggest issue though, is the price — let me explain.
Let’s start with the look, because you can’t ignore it. The Phone (3) is polarising. The semi-transparent back with exposed industrial elements is Nothing’s calling card, but the new circular Glyph Matrix and asymmetrical camera layout push it further. If you have symmetry OCD like I do, those camera’s will drive you nuts. One second, I’m looking at the phone. flipped face down on my desk, I catch myself admiring it like it’s a piece or retro-futuristic art. Other times, I’m terrified of scuffing or cracking that glass back in my pocket. I still haven’t decided whether I love it or hate it, which is both a compliment to bold design and a warning to anyone who prefers invisible hardware.
That Glyph Matrix—a round micro‑LED screen on the back—tries to turn light into language. When the phone’s face down, I use it as a tiny clock. It’s cute; it makes friends ask questions. But beyond showing the time, it’s not meaningfully helpful to me. The “Glyph Toys” (spin the bottle, rock-paper-scissors, battery indicator, etc.) are fun for a minute, then drift into novelty. In practice, I found the older bar-style Glyph lights more honest and glanceable. The Matrix adds interaction, but the moment you’re pressing a button on the back to cycle modes, you’re already engaging with the phone. For my workflow, the value stops at the quick glance.
Performance, though, is where Nothing mostly nails it. Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 isn’t Qualcomm’s top-tier 8 Elite, but it’s a very capable chip. Combined with 12GB of RAM, day-to-day, it’s snappy, fast, and comfortably better than Google’s Tensor G5 in my Google Pixel 10 for general responsiveness. Apps open fast, scrolling is smooth, and the 120Hz AMOLED panel—bright enough to burn through an Aussie summer—makes everything feel slick. Where the 8s shows its limits is sustained gaming. About 15 minutes into Genshin Impact or Destiny Rising, the Phone (3) gets uncomfortably hot to the touch. Frames don’t necessarily tank immediately, but the heat build-up is noticeable enough that I take a break. If gaming is your nightly wind‑down, this is a red flag.
Nothing OS though, is a wonderful experience. It’s clean, fast, and tastefully distinctive—dot-matrix icons, curated widgets, monochrome style that doesn’t feel edgy for the sake of it. It’s like Android on the Pixels but with personality, not Android with baggage. The Quick Settings grid is logical and easy to wrangle; the consistency across widgets, animations, and type gives the phone a cohesive feel most brands don’t bother with. It’s one of the few Android skins I’d recommend to busy professionals who just want a phone that feels considered and gets out of the way.
Essential Space and the Essential Key are clever ideas that, right now, don’t add enough. The dedicated Key can take a screenshot, record voice notes, and jump into Essential Space. The app then transcribes, summarises, and suggests to-dos. Despite some nice touches (bookmarking moments in a recording, on-device privacy posture), I never found it more helpful than my existing workflow with Google Keep, Apple Notes, or Notion. It’s “almost there” in concept, but the lack of broader integrations and cloud sync makes it feel siloed. If Nothing wants this to be a second brain, it needs to play nicely with the first one you already use.
Cameras are a tale of great specs and okay taste. On paper, the whole stack is 50MP—main, periscope telephoto, ultra‑wide, and even the selfie camera. In bright daylight, detail is solid, and the periscope macro is legitimately fun. But in auto, images skew too processed and too contrasty, like they’re trying a bit too hard to impress. Skin tones swing punchy; shadows clip; the HDR choices feel aggressive. Compared to Pixel 10, which still leads the pack on computational consistency and natural rendering, the Nothing Phone (3) lags. Photography Styles are cool conceptually, but unlike Apple’s, they didn’t meaningfully help my output beyond “neat look.” Video at 4K60 with OIS is steady and colourful, but again, it’s not dethroning Pixel or iPhone for me.
Battery life and charging are a highlight. I consistently got through the day comfortably with about 5-6 hours of screentime. The phone could even get me through part of the next day when used lightly. It’s not class leading battery life but it is good. Additionally, the 5,150mAh cell paired with 65W wired charging gets me from 1–50% in under 20 minutes, which is brilliant for chaotic days. It supports 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless—handy for earbuds — though it does heat up quite a bit when charging wirelessly. That said, the thermal behaviour under load makes me suspect the thermal tuning is a little conservative when pushed; light‑to‑moderate days are fine, long gaming sessions are not.
The display and build tick the right boxes. The 6.67″ AMOLED is sharp and extremely bright outdoors. The flat aluminium frame with Gorilla Glass front and back feels premium, and IP68 water resistance is here. It’s a bigger phone, and starting at A$1,509 in Australia, it’s priced like a flagship, not a disruptor. For context, the excellent Pixel 10 costs just $1350(albeit with a smaller 6.3” display) and can often be found for less. As you can see, at this price, the expectations are iPhone/Samsung/Pixel-level fit-and-finish and camera consistency, and while Nothing meets many of those, it doesn’t completely match them.
Is this Nothing’s best bang-for-buck phone? No. That would likely the Nothing Phone (3a). As a value proposition, the Phone (3) is fine but not compelling. If you prioritise camera quality, sustained performance, and reliably useful smart features, I’d sooner recommend the Pixel 10. Google’s camera output is still the one I trust to always get a good shot. Google’s ambient AI (call screening, hold-for-me, context-aware suggestions) lands as genuinely useful, not ornamental. And while Tensor chips have their quirks, I encounter fewer “heat moments” on the Pixel 10 during everyday multitasking and brief gaming.
Verdict
So who is the Nothing Phone (3) for? If you want a phone that looks like nothing else(pun unintended), feels fast, fluid and brings a distinct, well-designed OS—and you’re okay with the Glyph Matrix being more party trick than productivity tool—you’ll enjoy it. If your life is camera-heavy (kids’ sports, night shots, travel), and you value practical AI features, get the Pixel 10.
The Phone (3) is a stylish flagship wannabe that’s fun to use but ultimately not the best buy for the money. I applaud Nothing’s ambition—the OS and hardware character are refreshing—but if a friend asked me today, I’d steer them to Pixel 10.
Nothing Australia kindly provided the Nothing Phone (3) to PowerUp for the purpose of this review.
