Nothing Phone 3 Evaluate: From daring design and options to dependable cameras, this telephone provides vibes of a flagship

Nothing has been attempting to make an area for itself within the already overcrowded smartphone market in India over the previous few years. Apart from environment friendly operate within the price range phase, Nothing telephones have tried to interrupt away from the monotony of smartphone designs with its quirkier designs. In an effort to carve a distinct segment for itself and stand out from the competitors, the corporate has now launched its first flagship telephone Nothing Phone 3 on the worth of ₹79,999. While the telephone does stand out for its funky design and Glyph Matrix, the processor brings it right down to the extent of 30K phase telephones like iQOO Neo 10 and Poco F7. It might be fascinating to see if the telephone ticks all of the packing containers to be a flagship telephone that competes with the likes of Pixel 9, Samsung S25 and that iPhone 16.

Design

Nothing has dialled down the flamboyance this 12 months, however not by a lot. The Nothing Phone 3 takes a extra refined stab at its clear design philosophy. Gone are the Glyph traces that wrapped across the again; in comes the Glyph Matrix, a round LED disc product of 489 individually addressable micro-LEDs. Is it helpful? Not actually. Is it enjoyable? Absolutely.

But right here’s the catch: the again panel feels visually scattered. The Glyph Matrix sits alone in a single nook whereas the three rear cameras huddle on the opposite facet. It’s whimsical, sure, however not essentially the most elegant format you’ll see this year- it’s catchy although.

That stated, the in-hand really feel of the Nothing Phone 3 is nice. It’s constructed with a mixture of Gorilla Glass Victus on the again and Gorilla Glass 7i on the entrance, making it really feel sturdy and premium. The body is aluminium, and the perimeters curve simply sufficient to keep away from any sharp digs into your palm. IP68 ranking is lastly right here, one thing that was sorely missed earlier than, placing it in the identical league as the massive gamers on sturdiness.

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Up entrance, the telephone boasts impressively slim bezels, simply 1.87mm throughout. The buttons are tactile, ports well-placed, and the in-display fingerprint scanner is responsive. Nothing’s visible identification could also be polarising, however it positive is distinctive.

Display

A 6.67-inch versatile AMOLED display screen on Nothing Phone 3 is a showstopper. With a crisp 1260×2800 decision and a pixel density of 460 ppi, visuals are razor sharp. The 120 Hz adaptive refresh fee delivers easy scrolling, whereas the 1,000 Hz contact sampling fee ensures ultra-fast response occasions, particularly throughout gaming.

What really dazzles is the brightness. The panel hits 4,500 nits at peak HDR, 1,600 nits in out of doors full-screen brightness, and 800 nits usually. Watching HDR10+ content material is immersive, with deep blacks and vibrant colors. The show additionally helps 2160 Hz PWM dimming for low flicker and lowered eye pressure. It’s comfy to have a look at, even throughout lengthy periods, which might’t at all times be stated in regards to the iPhone 16’s brightness-intensive panel.

OS and AI

The Phone 3 runs Nothing OS 3.5, layered on prime of Android 15. While the software program is clear, fluid, and delightfully completely different in type, due to its dot-matrix design language. Also, I really feel that the corporate may have opted for Android 16 to be extra on the up to date facet. Nothing guarantees 5 years of main Android updates and 7 years of safety patches.

However, Nothing makes up floor with significant options powered by AI. Essential Space, accessed by the bodily Essential Key on the best edge, is a productivity-driven layer the place notes, screenshots, voice recordings, and concepts could be catalogued and organised. The key even helps gestures—long-press to file a voice memo, double-tap to leap into Essential Space and AI transcribes and categorises all the things on-device. It’s like Google Keep meets Samsung Notes however stripped down for pace and ease.

And then there’s Essential Search, a common sensible search bar that replaces clunky navigation. Swipe up, and you may seek for something, contacts, information, internet outcomes, and even calendar occasions. It’s quick, dependable, and surprisingly helpful. Among Android skins, this is among the few that feels constructed for human wants, not function creep.

Performance

Here’s the place issues get sophisticated. Nothing has geared up the Phone 3 with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, a succesful processor, sure, however extra frequent in telephones priced round ₹30–40K just like the iQOO Neo 10 or Poco F7. When paying ₹80K, expectations are understandably larger.

On paper, the telephone does okay: Geekbench scores are 2106 (single-core) and 6596 (multi-core), with a GPU rating of 13,596. Antutu throws up 1937966. But in comparison with different flagship fashions which are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the uncooked muscle of Apple’s A18 Bionic within the iPhone 16, these numbers don’t scream flagship.

That stated, the telephone isn’t sluggish. In reality, on a regular basis efficiency is easy, animations circulation superbly, and the OS feels optimised. With 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage, multitasking and app loading are seamless.

Gaming additionally holds up nicely. We performed Call of Duty Mobile, BGMI, and Asphalt at excessive settings with out main body drops. The Adreno 825 GPU handles most titles comfortably, although prolonged gaming does heat the telephone up a bit greater than splendid.

In quick: it’s quick sufficient for most individuals, however using the 8s Gen 4 processor won’t work within the favour of the telephone that sells for a premium.

Camera

Here’s the place the Nothing Phone 3 surprises and excels. The all 50 MP quad system: important, periscope, ultrawide, and selfie, provides the telephone actual versatility. The photographs look clear, vibrant, and balanced throughout lighting situations.

Nothing Phone digicam pattern
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan

Daylight photographs exhibit punchy colors, wonderful distinction, and low noise. Night mode makes use of the massive 1/1.3” sensor on the primary digicam successfully to drag in gentle and protect shadow element. The TrueLens Engine 4, backed by AI, additionally helps scenes look extra pure and cinematic than overly processed.

Nothing Phone digicam pattern
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan

The periscope digicam is a pleasure to make use of. You get 6x lossless zoom and as much as 60x AI zoom for distant photographs. Portraits are particularly spectacular, with nice edge detection and natural-looking blur. The macro images mode, enabled by the periscope lens, is one other win. It captures textures and close-ups with placing readability.

Nothing Phone digicam pattern
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan

The 50 MP ultra-wide digicam has a 114° discipline of view, which works nicely for landscapes and dynamic group photographs. Video? Ultra XDR 4K at 60fps from each lens, together with the 50MP entrance digicam. Stabilisation is robust, making this probably the greatest creator centric telephones within the phase.

Nothing Phone digicam pattern
| Photo Credit:
Haider Ali Khan

Selfies are crisp, even in low gentle, and pores and skin tones stay pure. While the iPhone 16 nonetheless wins on cinematic video high quality and the Pixel 9 could supply smarter computational images, the Nothing Phone 3 is arguably essentially the most enjoyable and inventive digicam bundle of the three.

Battery

The 5,500 mAh battery is a workhorse. Thanks to environment friendly energy draw and silicon-carbon chemistry, it comfortably delivers as much as two days of reasonable use. You can stream, sport, click on pictures, and nonetheless not fear about hitting 0% earlier than bedtime.

Charging is the place it will get higher. 65 W wired charging fills the tank from 1% to 100% in round 54 to 60 minutes. Ten minutes of charging provides you just about 30%. There’s additionally 15 W wi-fi charging and reverse wi-fi charging for earbuds or different telephones. Remember, the telephone doesn’t ship with a charger.

Thermal efficiency throughout charging is stable too. The Glyph matrix exhibits charging progress in a visually satisfying approach, one other Nothing quirk that feels surprisingly helpful.

Verdict

Starting at ₹79,999, the Nothing Phone 3 has all of the vibes of a flagship, from daring design and playful options to dependable cameras and spectacular software program creativity. The Glyph Matrix, Essential Key and Essential Search make the telephone really feel alive in a approach most rivals don’t.

But for a flagship in 2025, launching with Android 15 and a mid-premium chip feels out of step. Competitors like OnePlus 13, Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25 supply higher efficiency and extra polish at related costs. And for these entrenched within the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 16 nonetheless delivers the best-in-class expertise.

So, does the Nothing Phone 3 tick all of the flagship packing containers? Not fairly. But it checks a couple of that others don’t even try. If you’re in search of expression, innovation, and a telephone that doesn’t really feel like everybody else’s, this one’s for you. Just know you’re paying flagship cash for what’s nonetheless, in some methods, a wise newbie at premium stage in disguise.