HomeMobile PhonesNothing Phone 3 Review: The Most Stylish Smartphone of 2025

Nothing Phone 3 Review: The Most Stylish Smartphone of 2025

The Nothing Phone 3 is now on sale, and it aims to be the best of what a new-age smartphone should be. But is it innovative, or just another flashy phone that is going to cost a premium price? Let’s break it down.

When Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus, unveiled Nothing, the company promised to restore the thrill in smartphone design. However, by releasing the Nothing Phone 1 and 2, the company did not hesitate to emphasize radical design decisions and pay much attention to a simple user experience. With the Nothing Phone 3, the bar has been set quite high now. The phone promises to be even more transparent, more intelligent, and with flagship-level performance at a relatively affordable price.

But, is it as good as it seems, or does it just fall into the aesthetic and marketing trend? In this review of the Nothing Phone 3, we will explore its design, how it performs, the software, its camera, battery life, and finally, ascertain whether the Nothing Phone 3 is innovative or overpriced.

1. Design: A Familiar, Transparent Evolution

Nothing Phone 3 continues the tradition of having a transparent back of the phone, but with minor improvements. The glyph interface possesses an extra number of lighting zones, which allows it to be more customizable regarding notifications, ringtones up to battery charging indicators. The aluminum body is solid, and non-reflective glass on the back minimizes the smudges. The camera design is stylish, and it surely draws attention, wherever it is, be it in a coffee shop or the metro.

Transparent back, customizable glyph lights, sleek and minimalist.
Image Source – PhoneArena

Is it Innovative? Yes, as far as smartphone designs in 2025 are concerned. However, it might feel like a polished variant of the earlier models to people who had anticipated something game-changing.

2. Display: Bright, Smooth, and Adaptive

Nothing Phone 3 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display that supports a 1Hz-120Hz dynamic refresh rate. The screen is bright, and its colors are punchy and deep blacks. Its maximum brightness of above 1600 nits means that the visibility is impressive even when used outdoors. It is notable how smooth the UI interactions and animation are. Scrolling through applications, tab swapping, and video watching is smooth.

The screen works well for casual users, streamers, and even gamers. Though not significantly more advanced compared to its predecessor, the display quality stands reasonably strong in comparison with other phones, which are more expensive. It is not a revolution, but it is implemented well and is reliable.

3. Performance: Powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

The Nothing Phone 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset behind the scenes, and up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Applications launch fast, multitasking is uninterrupted, and even intensive games such as Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile work with high settings, and no stuttering frame rate is noticed. Better thermal management is also realized.

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3; smooth multitasking and gaming, with great heat management.
Image Source – The Verge

The phone shows no sign of heating up within 30 minutes of gameplay, although it tends to become warm, but not hot. The built-in cooling layer is beneficial, and the UI does not slow down during a strain. Although it is not the very best processor (such as 8 Gen 3), it is reasonably balanced between power and efficiency, just what most users need. With its strong performance, heat control, and vibrant display, the Nothing Phone 3 comfortably earns a spot among the best gaming phones in its price bracket delivering a gaming experience that punches well above its weight.

4. Software: Clean, Smart, and Customizable

The Phone 3 is powered by the Nothing OS 3.0 operating system that offers a clean Android platform with a unique twist in style. The interface of the glyph itself is more interactive than before; you can give particular lighting patterns to different people on your contact list, have timers with light signals triggered, or act as a visualization of the progress bar during app downloads. Icons are consistent, transitions are smooth, and widgets are reshaped. It is Android, but with a twist of Nothing to it.

Promised updates include 3 years of major Android versions and 4 years of security patches. Therefore, it is a pleasant experience, especially for users who appreciate the culture of minimalism and fluid performance.

5. Camera: Improved, but Not Industry-Leading

The Nothing Phone 3 has a 50 MP main camera, a 50 MP ultra-wide lens, and a new 12 MP telephoto lens. With daylight, the camera shoots quality images with sharp, vibrant colours and good dynamic range. There is a better night mode with a cleaner low-light image quality that is not as good as a Pixel or an iPhone.

50 MP main, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses; good, but not top-tier.
Image Source – Android Police

Video recording is up to 4K at 60fps and also has better stabilization than the Nothing Phone 2. Portrait shots are more precise in edge detection, and a telephoto lens is more versatile. This is not the ideal camera phone in the segment as far as photography is concerned. But for social media, casual shots, and content creators, it offers reliable performance.

6. Battery Life: All Day, With Fast Charging

The Nothing Phone 3 comes with a 4,800mAh battery and will comfortably get through a day of normal to heavy usage, that is approximately 6 to 7 hours of screen time. It can be charged at 45W using fast charging and will go to 100 percent in less than an hour. 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging are also supported.

Nothing also has smart charging capabilities, which maximize the life of batteries in the long term. Even the glyph interface can display a progress indicator when charging is in progress when the phone is face down. So, battery results are efficient and practical.

7. Glyph Interface: Gimmick or Useful?

The glyph lights are perceived as a gimmick by some but as a functional feature by others. You have the option to use it as a notification light, a countdown digital clock or a volume level indicator. It goes to the extent of working on third-party applications such as Uber and Spotify as a visual guide. It introduces a lot of character and usability, particularly where you would prefer to remain quiet but still be alerted via the lighting.

8. Audio and Haptics: Loud and Precise

The stereo speakers are clear, loud, and have good stereo separation and bass. Its sound quality is good and is not distorted even when you turn up the volume, watching movies, video calling, or playing games. Supported by haptics, it is responsive and tight, which many of the mid-range phones do not seem to be.

Clear stereo speakers, responsive haptics.
Image Source – WhatGear

These minor details make the whole experience feel high-quality and sophisticated, according to you, elevating the overall user experience.

9. Price: Worth It or Not?

The base model is priced at $799. That is by far below the average of most flagships, but it offers 80-90 percent of the functionality they do. The price increase compared to the Nothing Phone 2 can be justified by an improved processor, improved display, software enhancements, and glyph upgrades.

It is a very attractive package to first-time buyers. It is not expensive, nor is it a cheap mobile. What you are buying is the special experience, the brand name, and the overall performance, not just the raw specifications.

Innovation or Overpriced?

Nothing Phone 3 is a fashionable phone that does not go unnoticed. It is very user-friendly, has a convincing performance, and is also designed with its shining glyph lights. Although it is not the most powerful phone on the market, it is worth it in terms of price. It is worth considering because it has clean software with considerable features, and it looks different. It may be slightly costly to some people, but considering the looks and performance, it is like balancing the two aspects.

Conclusion

Nothing Phone 3 is the continuation of the brand’s mission, which is creating something new in the smartphone industry. It is a very special phone with its shiny transparent finish, intelligent glyphs, sleek software, and solid performance that none of the other phones in its price range can beat. It might not be the leader in raw specs or camera capability, but it is a world leader in style, usability, and design detail. The Nothing Phone 3 is a decent option to consider for users who want an experience that is different and has the fundamental aspects well covered, yet with a bit of finesse.

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Tech Specs
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