Nothing Phone (3) Review - Loss of Glyphs

After a month of daily usage, we share our thoughts on the Nothing Phone (3), including the company's controversial pivot from the Glyph LED interface and surprisingly higher-than-expected pricing.

Nothing Phone (3)'s three-pillar design

To recap, the Nothing Phone (3) features a 6.67-inch 120Hz Flexible AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 octa-core processor, 12GB/16GB of RAM, 256GB/512GB of storage, and a 5,150mAh battery with 65W fast charging.

The cameras at the back are a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP 3x telephoto camera with an LED flash. While in front is the 50MP selfie camera.

In the Philippines, it is priced at only PHP 44,999 for the 12GB/256GB model.

In our unboxing, we were immediately surprised at the pivot from the Glyph LED lights to the new Glyph Matrix and at the unique camera module design.

For our review part 1: Nothing Phone (3) Unboxing, First Impressions, and Camera Samples

Multimedia Experience

Stunning AMOLED panel with symmetrical bezels

In front is the 6.67-inch Flexible AMOLED with a 2880 x 1260 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1,000Hz touch sampling rate. It supports 10-bit color and 2160Hz PWM dimming.

Again, it is Gorilla Glass 7i protected.

The panel is bright, at 1,600 nits peak brightness. This means it's readable under direct sunlight. The colours pop, while the text and fine details are crisp.

It supports 10 multi-touch points, making it good for multitasking or games that support multiple simultaneous touch inputs. It responds quickly and accurately to our taps and gestures.

The bezels around the panel area are thin and symmetrical. On the top bezel is the super slim earpiece, while below it is the punch hole that houses the selfie camera.

The display and bezels are delightful

While it skips LTPO, the flexible OLED keeps the profile sleek without major compromises.

Nothing Phone (3)'s top and bottom

The phone is equipped with stereo speakers (top and bottom firing) for audio. Around the phone are microphones used for noise cancellation in calls and audio recording.

The sound from the speakers is surprisingly loud. What surprised us even more is that it maintains good sound quality until 90 percent. Distortion is apparent from 91 percent until its maximum. 

The microphones do a good job of picking up sounds from a meter away, while the noise-cancellation for calls is good too.

Cameras

Nothing Phone (3)'s rear cameras

The back features a 50MP f/1.68 main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, EIS, and OIS, a 50MP f/2.2 114-degree ultra-wide camera with a 1/2.76-inch sensor, and a 50MP f/2.68 3x optical periscope telephoto camera with a 1/2.75-inch sensor, EIS, OIS, and LED flash.

The stock camera app includes Photo, Video, Portrait, Macro, Action, Expert, Night, Slo-Mo, Time-Lapse, and Pano.

The Expert Mode controls include EV (+-2), ISO (50-10,500), Shutter speed (1/8,000-32 secs), Focus, and White Balance.

Added features include Aspect Ratio, Timer, Action Mode, Interval Shooting, and Live Photo.

The Portrait Mode can use the 1x, 2x, 3x, and 4x camera, and it comes with bokeh strength control (f/0.95-16), and Retouching (natural, strong, off).

In both the Photo, Portrait, and Video Modes, users can use preset filters such as Stretch, Natural, Retro, Tone, CC Film, Warm, Cold, Texture, B&W Film, Noir, Negative, and Lenticular.

Rear Camera Samples

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera daylight 1x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera daylight 2x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera daylight 3x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera daylight 6x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera daylight ultra-wide

The images from the ultra-wide, 1x, 2x, 3x, and 6x are good. Detail, color, and contrast are good. However, the 6x images look oversharpened compared to the rest of the shots.

There is a 60x hybrid zoom, but we only recommend using it in daylight.

Macro shot at 3x

With Macro images, the areas that are in focus are sharp, while the out-of-focus areas have a nice fall-off. The color and contrast are great, too. White balance leans slightly to warmer tones.

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera indoor 1x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera indoor 2x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera indoor 3x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera indoor 6x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera indoor ultra-wide

Indoors, the images from the 1x, 2x, 3x, 6x, and ultra-wide are sharp and detailed with vibrant color. But we did notice that some light sources were overexposed. The cameras did their job to keep the indoors well-exposed.

Nothing Phone (3)'s filters

It has several unique filters, too.

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera Portrait 1x, 2x, and 4x

For portraits, the Nothing Phone (3) offers a choice between 1x, 2x, 3x, and 4x, allowing users to apply filters and artificial bokeh. The bokeh is strong and somewhat harsh at f/0.95. We recommend toning it down to f/2.0.

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera lowlight 1x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera lowlight 2x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera lowlight 3x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera lowlight 6x

Nothing Phone (3) Rear Camera lowlight ultra-wide

For low light, the camera app automatically runs Night Mode-like shots. The 1x, 2x, 3x, and ultra-wide-angle shots are impressive. Color, contrast, detail, and sharpness are all good with minimal noise, too.

However, the 6x zoom falls apart because of noise. The noise reduction has softened the image, and the color isn't accurate as we would like.

Overall, the rear camera has produced consistently great images. There we some shots with inaccurate white balance, but it only happened under 5x. The 6x zoom produced good images most of the time, too. It only struggled in low light.

Nothing Phone (3)'s selfie camera

The 50MP f/2.2 selfie camera with a 1/2.76-inch sensor is on the punch hole on the display.

Camera modes include Photo, Video, Portrait, and Night.

Selfie Camera Samples

Nothing Phone (3) Selfie Camera daylight

Daylight selfies from the Nothing Phone (3) are good too. The colors, sharpness, and contrast are in line with what we expect from its premium price point. However, we noticed that skin tones could be better.

Nothing Phone (3) Selfie Camera Portrait

Similar to the portrait mode bokeh of the rear cameras, the edge detection is excellent. But the bokeh looks a little artificial. Otherwise, the image has vibrant color and good contrast. The subject is kept tack sharp, too. However, the skin tones could be tweaked.

Nothing Phone (3) Selfie Camera Indoors

Indoor selfies are the same as daylight selfies. It never disappoints. The skin tones are an improvement in this shot compared to the daylight images.

Nothing Phone (3) Selfie Camera low light

In low light, the selfie looks good even though some grain was introduced. The image remained sharp while having nearly accurate colors and deep contrast.

Overall, the front cameras produced great indoor and daylight selfies. Our only nitpick is that light sources in certain situations overexpose, and that skin tones are inconsistent.

The rear and front cameras can record up to 4K at 60fps with Dolby Vision. The footage is sharp and vibrant in color. The noise is noticeable in some areas. There is no software-based stabilization. Only the main rear camera and the periscope zoom have OIS. 

The rear and front camera video capability of the Nothing Phone (3) is capable.

Performance

Nothing Phone (3) AnTuTu and GeekBench results

Inside the Nothing Phone (3) is the 4nm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 octa-core processor, Adreno GPU, 12GB/16GB RAM, and 256GB/512GB storage. 

During the AnTuTu test, the phone's temperature increased by 11 degrees while the battery lost 7 percent power.

In GeekBench, the Nothing Phone (3) scored 1,736 in the single-core test and scored 6,676 in the multi-core test.

Nothing Phone (3) GeekBench AI and CPDT results

In GeekBench AI, it scored 2,363 in single precision, 2,395 in half-precision, and 3,833 in the quantized score. The internal storage got 2.42 BB/s in sequential read speeds and 780.89 MB/s in sequential write speeds.

Nothing Phone (3) benchmarks:

1. AnTuTu - 2,471,110
2. Geekbench 6 - 1,736 (single-core), 6,676 (multi-core)
3. CPDT - 2.42 GB/s sequential read speeds and 780.89 MB/s sequential write speeds
4. GeekBench AI - 2,363  single precision, 2,395 half-precision, 3,833 quantized score

The Nothing Phone (3) scores in AnTuTu and Geekbench offer scores that are within the range of what is expected in its price range. However, it is not near the current flagship performance.

Nothing Phone (3) Genshin Impact Graphics

Our takeaway is that when playing games, the Nothing Phone (3) performs to near flagship levels. It even unlocked the 'High' graphics settings as the default in Genshin Impact. This is reflected in the gameplay with good graphics and decently smooth frame rates.

Nothing Phone (3) Call of Duty: Mobile Graphics Settings

In Call of Duty: Mobile, a similar story is present. It managed to unlock the Max Frame rate settings while being Very High in graphics. When playing, the graphics look good while being smooth, too.

In our experience, the phone can handle the majority of tasks like navigating through the OS, opening apps, web surfing, and social media without struggling.

The phone has an optical In-Display fingerprint sensor and face unlock for security. The initial setup and subsequent uses are quick, and it detects our biometrics instantaneously. It works even if your finger is a little sweaty.

The face unlock only struggles when the camera is dirty. The screen brightens up when used in the dark. It detects the face and unlocks the phone super fast, too.

Regarding connectivity, we have the following: WiFi 7, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, OTG, GPS, GLONASS, and dual-SIM support.

Connections are usually stable for WiFi, and we get 4 to 5 bars of mobile data signal most of the time.

Nothing Phone (3) Battery PCMark Benchmark Result

Inside the phone is a large 5,150 mAh battery. In our usual PCMark Battery Benchmark, it lasted for a whopping 19 hours and 30 minutes. What is even more impressive is that we were consistently ending a 12-hour day with 35 percent battery. This includes being connected to WiFi and 5G networks constantly. We even used it as a hotspot for 6 consecutive hours, and it managed to still have 30 percent battery left. It has a remarkable battery life that can compete with larger battery capacity phones of recent memory.

The battery charges via USB-C with the 65W wall charger, which charges the phone 100 percent in around 50 minutes.

It does not have a charger in the box. It supports 15W wireless charging and 7.5W reverse wireless charging.

Nothing OS 3.5

It is running on Nothing OS 3.5 based on Android 15, which further leans into Nothing's unique design language and philosophy. It is a skin that works, and you either like it or you don't. In our experience, the OS has reached a refined and efficient level that we almost never had hiccups, nor did we expect to keep getting great battery life each and every day.

Pre-installed is Essential Space. It is advertised to give users key information from images that the user saves, it can transcribe and summarize what is on the user's mind, and it organizes them. It can also take a quick note for memory. More features are promised to arrive soon. We almost never found a reason to use it after the initial setup, tho.

Pros - Eye-catching and slim design, premium build materials, IP68, incredible battery life, near flagship grade performance, capable cameras for photo and video, stereo speakers, 120Hz AMOLED with symmetrical bezels, polished Nothing OS

Cons - Rear camera design placement is polarizing, no charger in the box, no more Glyph LEDs

Nothing Phone (3) Specs

Display: 6.67-inch Gorilla Glass 7i protected 10-bit Flexible AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 1,000Hz touch sampling rate, 2,160Hz PWM dimming, 2880 x 1260 resolution at 460 ppi

CPU: 3.21GHz 4nm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno

RAM: 12GB/16GB

ROM: 256GB/512GB

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.68 w/ 2x2 OCL PDAF, OIS + 50MP f/2.2 114-degree ultra-wide-angle + 50MP f/2.68 3x optical zoom w/ AF, OIS + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 50MP f/2.2 

Battery: 5,150mAh SiC w/ 65W Fast Charging, 15W Wireless Charging, 7.5W Reverse Wired Charging, 5W Reverse Wireless Charging

OS: Android 15 w/ Nothing OS 3.5

Connectivity: WiFi 7, 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS, dual SIM  (nano) w/ eSIM support

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, electronic compass, gyroscope, proximity

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, IP68 dust and water resistance, Glyph Interface, The Button, stereo speakers, 2x microphones, x-axis linear motor, USB-C, Colors: White, Black

Dimensions: 160.60 x 75.59 x 8.99 mm

Weight: 218 g

Price: PHP 44,999 (12GB/256GB), PHP 50,999 (16GB/512GB)

Verdict

Nothing Phone (3)'s web surfing

We are happy with the slim body, symmetrical bezels, 120Hz AMOLED screen, and the incredible battery life of the Nothing Phone (3).

To get to its price point, it had to compromise on the selection of processors. However, it still performed better than most premium mid-rangers and is just one level below current flagships.

We were surprised at how efficient the OS is and how good the battery life is despite just having a 5,150mAh battery. We were hot-spotting for 6 hours during long work days, and the Nothing Phone (3) managed to get through with plenty of power to spare.

The cameras can hold their own against a few flagships, too. But don't expect it to be as good as the best of the current flagships. It struggles with skin tones and with low-light periscope telephoto zoom. Otherwise, the images from the Nothing Phone (3) are good.

We were disappointed with the removal of the iconic Glyph LEDs. The new Glyph Matrix looks cool, but the features are still limited. We loved that the Glyph Matrix can be controlled with a capacitive button and that it can be used as an indicator for battery, time, and notifications. We also liked that we can take selfies and use them as view viewfinder.

Ultimately, we like the Nothing Phone (3). However, competition is fierce. We are also one of the few people who are okay with the unorthodox camera module design. It grew on us, but a lot of people think otherwise.

What do you guys think?

Build/Design - 4.25

Multimedia Experience - 4.25

Cameras - 4.5

Performance - 4.5

Average - 4.375/5