Nothing made things difficult for itself by calling its latest phone its first "true flagship." It suggests that it is a contender to premium phones such as the iPhone 16 Pro or the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it simply isn't. Instead it's a solid midranger, offering decent performance and a host of quirky features for a relatively affordable price.
At $799 (£799), the Nothing Phone 3 is the most expensive phone the company has made, and it backs this up with a more potent processor, better cameras and an additional year of software support compared to its previous models. But it's also a real mixed bag of things I like and things I really don't.
7.3 Nothing Phone 3 Like Awesome macro photography mode
Awesome macro photography mode Good software support period
Good software support period Quirky design stands out from the crowd Don't like Camera performance overall disappoints
Camera performance overall disappoints Processor lags behind flagship rivals
Processor lags behind flagship rivals Rear Glyph Matrix is arguably a gimmick
Rear Glyph Matrix is arguably a gimmick Battery life is underwhelming
The square-blocks-under-transparent-glass design is arguably fun, but it's not without its problems. The cameras are mostly underwhelming except for its surprisingly good macro mode, and the software features are basically the same as you'll find on the company's much cheaper 3A Pro. At a price that matches both the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16, the Nothing Phone 3 is best seen as a midtier phone at a flagship price.
Nothing needed to push for better performance -- especially from the cameras -- or drop the price by at least 100 bucks. As it stands, this phone is difficult to recommend over the Pixel 9. A "flagship" it isn't, and my advice to Nothing would be to stick to what they do best: quirky phones with affordable price tags.
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