Nothing, the UK-based tech company founded by Carl Pei, has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Nothing Phone (3), alongside its first over-ear headphones, the Nothing Headphone (1). The Phone (3) marks a significant shift for the company as it enters the premium smartphone market with an $799 price tag, directly competing with industry giants like Apple, Samsung, and Google.
The most striking change is the replacement of Nothing’s signature Glyph lights with what the company calls a “Glyph Matrix” – a small dot-matrix display made of 489 mini-LEDs on the back of the phone. This tiny screen can display simple notifications, contact images, a stopwatch, battery levels, and even playful features like a Magic 8 Ball or spin-the-bottle game. A physical Glyph Button hidden beneath the transparent back allows users to control these features without navigating through settings.
“The Glyph interface is not a gimmick,” Pei insisted during the launch, though some reviewers question whether the scaled-back version retains the distinctiveness of previous models. The red square introduced in earlier models now serves a practical purpose – it lights up when recording video, providing a visual indicator of active recording.
Under the hood, the Phone (3) features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor rather than the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite found in similarly priced competitors. Nothing claims this choice helped them commit to longer software support – promising five years of Android OS updates and seven years of security patches, which exceeds industry standards for Android manufacturers.
The phone sports a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution, reaching up to 1,600 nits of brightness and peaking at 4,500 nits with HDR content. The silicon-carbon battery technology – one of the first implementations in Western markets – provides a 5,150mAh capacity that supports 65W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging.
Photography capabilities include a triple 50-megapixel camera system on the rear (main, ultrawide, and periscope zoom) and a 50-megapixel front camera. The main camera features a 1/1.3-inch sensor with “lossless” 1.5x and 2x zoom capabilities, while the periscope lens offers 3x optical zoom. Nothing’s TrueLens Engine 4 promises 125% faster photo processing than the previous model.
Software-wise, the Phone (3) runs Android 15 with Nothing OS, featuring the company’s distinctive interface elements and the Essential Space feature, which organizes screen captures and notes. A new “Flip to Record” function starts recording and transcribing audio when you place the phone face down.
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At $799 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage version (with a $899 option offering 16GB RAM/512GB storage), the Phone (3) is Nothing’s most expensive smartphone yet, positioning itself against mainstream flagships rather than competing in the “flagship killer” segment.
The Headphone (1), priced at $299, features a unique transparent design tuned by British audio specialists KEF. The over-ear headphones include tactile controls like a volume roller and track-skipping paddle, along with up to 80 hours of battery life without active noise cancellation (35 hours with ANC enabled). They support spatial audio with head tracking and offer LDAC and USB-C lossless audio.
Industry reaction has been mixed. While reviewers praise the Phone (3)’s distinctive design and innovative features, some question whether the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor justifies the flagship price tag. Mat Smith from Engadget notes that “Samsung Galaxy S25 has the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite, and it’s also $800.”
Julian Chokkattu from WIRED highlights that Nothing has achieved over $1 billion in revenue since its founding in 2021, despite holding only a 0.2% smartphone market share. This launch represents the company’s ambition to “shift from being followers of the market to lead the way,” according to Pei.
For consumers considering the Phone (3), the decision comes down to whether Nothing’s unique design philosophy and software experience justify choosing it over established competitors with more powerful processors. The extended software support and distinctive aesthetics may appeal to those seeking something different in an increasingly homogeneous smartphone market.
Pre-orders for both devices begin July 4, with general availability starting July 15. The Phone (3) will be sold through Nothing’s online store and Amazon in the US, with full compatibility for T-Mobile and AT&T networks and “more limited 5G support” for Verizon.
