Nothing Phone (3): In summary
- The challenger brand’s upcoming third-generation smartphone and “first true flagship smartphone”
- Set to launch sometime during summer 2025, possibly July
- Price confirmed already at around £800 (approximately $1,000)
Nothing has quickly proven itself as a tech company worthy of taking seriously, offering high-quality devices such as phones and wireless earbuds at affordable prices with stand-out design. Now all eyes are on the Phone (3), so here’s what we know so far.
The company, led by Carl Pei (formerly of OnePlus), has been one to watch from day one and now has its sights firmly on the big leagues.
It’s been a longer wait for the Phone (3) than is typical for the smartphone market, but that’s not a bad thing in our eyes. Spending longer to get a product right is to be applauded and Nothing looks set to take on the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 this year.
The Phone (3) is shaping up nicely, so here’s what you need to know about its release date, price, specs and more based on official news, rumours and our expert analysis.
When will the Nothing Phone (3) be released?
In summary
- A summer 2025/Q3 release window is confirmed for the Phone (3)
- July seems the most likely month
Most phones follow a simple and predictable annual release cycle, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if the Phone (3) arrived in July 2024.
However, Carl Pei revealed that it wouldn’t arrive until 2025, stating that “it’s important we get the product right, integrating hardware and AI.”
At Google’s The Android Show: I/O Edition, where it detailed Android 16’s Material 3 Expressive redesign, Pei made a special appearance in a Device Showcase to talk about the Phone (3) while showing it in a blurred-out pixelated form.
“Phone (3) is coming this summer, and we’re going all in”, Pei said in the Device Showcase, where he also confirmed the price (more on that in the next section).
Pei previously replied to the question of the Phone (3)’s arrival on X (formerly Twitter), stating simply “Q3”.
While the release window is fairly vague, there’s a good chance the launch will happen in July.
The Phone (1) and Phone (2) arrived in July 2022 and 2023, respectively, but a popular leaker said the three new Nothing phones would launch in the first half of 2025.
We already have the Phone (3a) (below) and Phone (3a) Pro, so perhaps the Phone (3) got delayed a little bit.
Sources: Carl Pei | Yogesh Brar
Luke Baker
How much will the Nothing Phone (3) cost?
In summary
- A big price rise is confirmed
- Phone (3) will cost around £800 ($1,000 converted)
So far, Nothing’s main-line phones have seen price increases and that’s not going to change for the Phone (3).
The prices of previous models during their initial launches were as follows:
- Nothing Phone (1): £399/€469
- Nothing Phone (2): £579/$599/€649
Now, in the Android Show Device Showcase mentioned in the section above, Carl Pei has confirmed the Phone (3) price will be around £800 which converts to approximately $1,000.
“And since you’re here, a little early clue on the price, it’ll land somewhere around £800”, said Pei.
This means we’re looking at a price rise of £230. Substantially more than the previous hike of £180, which was also way above average.
It’s not just a case of minor upgrades but a big increase price as Pei says it’ll have “premium materials, major performance upgrades, and software that really levels things up”.
However, this means instead of standing out in the mid-range, Nothing is properly shifting to take on the likes of Samsung, Google and others in the premium market.
Mattias Inghe
What specs and features will the Nothing Phone (3) have?
In summary
- Moving to full-on flagship design and specs
- Phone (3) will use “premium materials”
- Nothing promises “major performance upgrades” and “software that really levels things up”
Not much has been leaked about the Phone (3)’s design, specs and features yet, but we expect things to ramp up over the coming weeks now Carl Pei has teased the device.
For now, there’s a lot to learn and predict from the (3a) series.
Design & Build
Previously, the Nothing Phone compromised on build quality in order to meet its price point. With the third generation, we hope to see improvements in protection and durability.
The adoption of newer glass technology – possibly the robust Gorilla Glass Victus – could further enhance the device’s overall build quality.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Fortunately, the firm has promised “premium materials,” though it hasn’t provided any details on what that means just yet. Titanium could be possible as it’s a popular material for rivals like Samsung.
A notable improvement could also be made in the device’s water and dust resistance.
The IP54 rating of the Phone (2) falls short of the more common IP68 rating, found on most flagship smartphones. Elevating to at least IP68 would bring the Phone (3) in line with industry standards.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
The Glyph Interface will continue to be a key selling point of the Phone (3). Exploring innovative uses, such as creating a universal standard for broader applications, and collaborating with major retailers for unique Glyph features could further its unique appeal.
Screen & Speakers
We don’t expect many changes to the display on the Phone (3) compared to its predecessor.
The Phone (2) has a 6.7-inch OLED panel that can refresh at up to 120Hz and uses LTPO tech to scale that refresh rate right down to 1Hz when not needed, to save battery.
Its weakest attribute is brightness, with an outdoor panel average of 1,000nits and peak brightness of 1,600nits, falling short in real-world use. As such, a brighter panel would be welcome on the Phone (3).
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Improving sound quality and internal speakers would also contribute to a more satisfying audio experience, even for those who primarily use Bluetooth earbuds.
Nothing might have its own Ear (2) earbuds, but you don’t want to have to use them all the time.
Core Specs & Performance
Despite featuring a powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, we had some concerns about the user experience slowing down and stalling, in our Phone (2) review.
The Nothing Phone (3) could address this by considering an upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which powers many 2023 flagships.
Or it could go all-out and opt for the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – positioned between the 8 Gen 2 and Gen 3 – which would allow it to rival the best Android phones in terms of performance.
This upper mid-tier chip boasts impressive specs, including a Cortex-X4 core at 3GHz, three performance cores at 2.8GHz, and four efficiency cores at 2GHz.
However, with Carl Pei promising “major performance upgrades,” we could see a jump to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite along with an upgrade to 12GB of RAM no matter what storage capacity you choose.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Cameras
Upgrading the camera setup would also be welcome. In particular, Nothing could introduce a better primary sensor and address issues with the ultrawide.
Low-light performance, colour reproduction, and reduced shutter lag should also be priorities for the Phone (3).
Furthermore, a periscope telephoto camera seems all but certain when you consider the Phone (3a) Pro has a 50Mp shooter with 3x optical zoom.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Battery & Charging
The Phone (2) features a sizeable 4700mAh battery, with support for 45W wired fast charging.
It’s likely that Phone (3) will receive similar treatment, as that still places it above more premium phones like the latest iPhones, Galaxys and Pixels.
Of course, a larger battery is always welcome and should be possible without making the phone any bigger if Nothing uses Silicon Carbon technology (SiC).
Once again, we can look to the Phone (3a) Pro for a good idea of the bar for the flagship (3), and that phone has a 5000mAh battery and 50W, so it wouldn’t make much sense for it to be any smaller or slower.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
Software
The Phone (3) will most likely arrive running on Android 15 and Nothing OS 2.5 or Nothing OS 3 out of the box.
As Pei said back in June 2024, the Phone (3) will be at the centre of the company’s AI efforts. Therefore, we can expect lots of AI features, even if the specifics haven’t been revealed yet.
The leaked internal email in January 2025 also mentions “breakthrough innovations in user interface” as part of an “AI-powered platform”.
Henry Burrell / Foundry
We’ll update this article once more is revealed about Phone (3).
In the meantime, take a look at our picks of the current best Android phones and the best mid-range phones, to check out the competition.
