Even London’s warmth wave couldn’t dampen my pleasure to strive the Nothing Telephone (3). Round ten to 12 tech journalists and YouTubers have been lined up behind me—simply sufficient to safe a spot to check out the brand new gadget. The huge occasion gathered tons of of media from world wide, making it the most important present Nothing has ever assembled. That scale tells you simply how aggressively Nothing is aiming to make the Telephone (3) stick in shoppers’ minds.
The £800 (Rs 79,999 onwards) Telephone (3) is Nothing’s costliest smartphone thus far. That’s a steep worth—and one can’t deny it—particularly at a time when all the pieces round us has gotten dearer. The unique Telephone (1) had a toy-like design that stood out from opponents. However the Telephone (3) is a extra highly effective model—barely extra bold in scale, truthfully—nevertheless it’s additionally a dangerous gamble for a model that’s not but in the identical league as Apple or Samsung. Nonetheless, the corporate is thought for taking daring dangers, and the Telephone (3) comes with a number of quirky additions that make it a transparent step up from Nothing’s earlier units. But on the similar time, it additionally provides off a way of “extra of the identical”—although it could nonetheless shock you.
I briefly spent a while with the Nothing cellphone (3) in London, and right here’s my early impressions.
The Telephone 3 has a polarizing design. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
Appears to be like and appears like a flagship
I’m fairly positive the Telephone (3) and its design will generate a polarizing response. One aspect will seemingly say the gadget has a merely refined design that feels acquainted. The opposite aspect would possibly discover extra drastic design adjustments that aren’t instantly apparent to everybody.
I don’t know which aspect you might be on, however there’s clearly an effort to construct on what the Telephone (1) launched whereas persevering with to evolve the design language. The see-through aesthetic continues to be current, however I really feel the translucent impact has matured—and the Telephone (3) is its greatest expression but.
There was an prompt sense of familiarity after I held the Telephone (3) in my fingers. It feels sturdier and extra substantial—seemingly as a result of Nothing is aiming for a extra high-end look. It’s a big cellphone, little question, however I felt the Telephone (3) has a barely slimmer profile than the Telephone (2). The display dimension would be the similar as its predecessor—6.67 inches—however the show seems a lot brighter and extra vibrant.
Nonetheless, what strikes me most is the location of the three cameras on the rear of the cellphone. It’s completely wild—a very completely different design, and probably the most unconventional digicam layouts I’ve ever seen. I’m not positive what the rationale behind the location is—they’ve a separated format, not organized in a triangle like on the iPhone 16 Professional, nor in a digicam bar like on the Pixel telephones.
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The Telephone 3 has a dot matrix-like lighting system.(Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
The Glyph interface isn’t lifeless but however continues to evolve
When Nothing launched the Glyph lights on the Telephone (1), many—together with myself—initially noticed them as gimmicky. Nonetheless, the distinctive again panel gave the Telephone (1) a singular identification. When the Glyph flashes to sign a notification or an incoming name, it provides off an old-school vibe—but in addition feels refreshingly completely different.
However on the Telephone (3), the unique Glyph interface is now not current. As a substitute, Nothing has launched a brand new model known as the Glyph Matrix. This new round secondary show is positioned within the top-right nook of the rear panel, changing the Glyph interface lights from earlier fashions. Whereas Nothing promotes it as a extra purposeful improve, it’s a drastic design departure from the corporate’s earlier units.
The concept behind the Glyph Matrix is kind of the identical as what the unique Glyph lights stood for: offering a glanceable view of notifications, timers, contacts, and extra. Nonetheless, Nothing says the Glyph Matrix takes it a step additional—it not solely alerts alerts but in addition shows content material. You may see a stopwatch, a visible selfie counter, and notifications that allow you to know who’s calling or texting with out having to carry your cellphone.
I attempted out how the Glyph Matrix works, and it’s really enjoyable—paying homage to how Asus used a dot matrix show on the lids of a few of its laptops. However right here, the implementation is completely different and executed in a extra refined method. All it’s important to do is press the Glyph button on the again of the gadget to work together with the Glyph Matrix.
Nothing is looking these micro-interactions “Glyph Toys,” and there are a number of of them—like Glyph Mirror, which makes use of the rear show to border selfies, in addition to a clock, battery indicator, and even a sport known as “Spill the Bottle.” The corporate can also be opening up the Glyph SDK to the Nothing developer neighborhood in order that its neighborhood may begin constructing their very own instruments and video games for the Glyph Matrix.
The interface is straightforward, clear, and its monochrome UI provides a particular expertise. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
Improved processor, refined AI options, and higher cameras
Nothing can also be touting improved {hardware} on the Telephone (3), packing within the newest Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, coupled with both 256GB or 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM or 16GB of RAM. Though the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 isn’t a flagship-grade processor, it nonetheless delivers a noticeably higher expertise than earlier than. Fireplace up the pre-loaded apps on the demo unit, and the added snappiness is instantly obvious.
AI can also be a giant a part of the Telephone (3), although—in contrast to with different manufacturers—the AI expertise is subtly woven into Nothing OS, which stays my favourite interface constructed on prime of Android. Important Area, Nothing’s model of an AI characteristic suite, feels easy and never pressured. It makes use of AI to drag out related bits of data and helps set up what would in any other case be left floating round your cellphone. The performance is fairly primary for now, however Nothing continues to enhance it. For instance, the corporate is including a mode that routinely begins recording a voice memo once you flip the cellphone over.
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The Telephone (3) ships with three 50MP cameras on the again, consisting of a foremost digicam, a periscope lens, and an ultra-wide digicam. On paper, the digicam specs look nice, however I haven’t tried the digicam but—so that you’ll want to attend for my detailed evaluation of the Telephone (3). The gadget additionally includes a 5,150 mAh battery with 65W wired charging and 15W wi-fi charging help.
The Telephone 3 continues to be a big cellphone. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Categorical)
Early impressions
The Telephone (3) is probably not taking massive swings—nevertheless it doesn’t should. Nothing has carved out a distinct segment within the smartphone market with its distinctive design language—not simply within the {hardware}, however throughout the software program as effectively. With the Telephone (3), the corporate appears to be mixing its differentiated design with scale, and which may be the true take a look at for the London-based model. No firm can succeed purely by promoting units which are unexpectedly bizarre or wacky—and Nothing is aware of that effectively.