Where the reviewers agree
- The distinctive, quirky design stands out, though its chunky, heavy build at about 218g divides opinion. — TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Wired, Tech Advisor, Android Police, The Verge, Android Central, The Guardian, SmartWorld, Phonandroid, PC-Welt, Tweakers, Trusted Reviews
- The display is praised as bright, vibrant and good for everyday use. — TechRadar, Tech Advisor, Wired, The Guardian, SmartWorld, Phonandroid, PC-Welt, Tweakers, Trusted Reviews, Android Central
- The Glyph Matrix is seen as fun, but its usefulness is limited and it is often called gimmicky. — TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Android Police, The Verge, SmartWorld, PC-Welt, Tweakers, Phonandroid
- Battery life and 65W wired charging are generally rated well. — TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Tech Advisor, Android Police, The Verge, Android Central, SmartWorld, Phonandroid, PC-Welt, Trusted Reviews
Where they disagree
- Cameras are judged differently: Tom's Guide, Android Central and The Guardian see weak or inconsistent results, while TechRadar and Tweakers call the cameras competent or excellent. — Tom's Guide, Android Central, The Guardian, TechRadar, Tweakers
- Performance is seen as strong for the price by some, while others say the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip lags flagship rivals and overheats. — TechRadar, Tech Advisor, PC-Welt, The Verge, Tweakers, Android Central
- Value is contested: several call the price too high for what it offers, while Wired and Tech Advisor see strong specs or performance for the money. — Wired, Tech Advisor, Tom's Guide, Tweakers, SmartWorld
Bottom line: Suits buyers who want a quirky, distinctive phone with a bright screen, long battery life and fast charging. The trade-offs are a mid-tier chip for the price, inconsistent low-light cameras, a heavy body and a high price against rival flagships.
Summarised with AI from the 13 reviews below — each one is linked in full.
What the reviewers said
TechRadar UK
4/5Nov 26, 2025A capable flagship with strong chipset, cameras and display, but its divisive design and gimmicky software limit its appeal against Samsung and Apple rivals.
- Solid Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 performance for demanding tasks
- Competent camera array with periscope telephoto
- Good-looking 120Hz display
- Large battery and fast 65W wired charging
- Neat software touches and adaptable Nothing OS
- Price rise over Phone 2 to flagship levels
- Chunky, heavy 218g design divisive and ungainly
- Essential Key poorly placed, often mistaken for power button
- Gimmick features like Glyph Matrix lose novelty fast
Android Police US
7.5/10Aug 23, 2025A unique, fun, quirky phone with strong design and software, but not a traditional flagship; best for buyers who love its look.
- Distinctive transparent design unlike any other phone
- Customizable, fun Nothing OS software
- Enjoyable social-media-friendly camera
- Creative ringtones and generative sounds
- Fast wired charging up to 65W
- Heat buildup during long gaming sessions
- Reflections hinder screen visibility
- Performance not robust enough for hardcore gaming
- Battery life decent but not outstanding
- Glyph Matrix feels gimmicky and less useful than Glyph Lights
PC-Welt DE
4/5Jul 28, 2025A striking-design flagship with a great display, build, battery and fast performance, but the Glyph Matrix is limited at launch, the ultrawide camera disappoints, and the design may not suit…
- Beautiful, bright AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh
- Excellent build quality and IP68 water and dust resistance
- Strong performance for a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip
- Very good battery life
- Seven years of security updates promised
- Unusual design may not appeal to everyone
- Glyph Matrix feels limited at launch with few functions
- Disappointing ultrawide camera
- Only five years of OS updates
- Heavy and large at 218 g and 9 mm
The Verge US
6/10Jul 19, 2025A distinctive flagship-priced phone with big storage, battery and fast charging, but weaker chip and cameras and a divisive design.
- Unique design that stands out from rivals
- Big 5,150mAh battery lasts a day
- 65W wired charging, fastest in its class
- 12GB RAM and 256GB base storage
- Telephoto camera offers attractive natural bokeh
- Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 less powerful than flagship rivals
- Main cameras lag behind competition in low light
- Rear design feels unbalanced and empty at bottom
- Glyph Matrix feels gimmicky and takes effort to set up
- Essential Space audio summaries capped at 300 minutes monthly
Tweakers NL
No scoreJul 19, 2025Nothing aims too high with the Phone 3; at €850 rivals are better. Strong cameras, but weak performance, battery life and heat handling make it hard to recommend.
- Good readability in bright sunlight
- Excellent main and telephoto cameras
- Premium-feeling buttons and finish
- Glyph Matrix offers future potential
- Nothing OS 3.5 works smoothly
- Persistent overheating problem
- Below-average battery life
- Glyph Toys unpleasant to use
- Expensive compared with competing flagships
- Divisive design, heavier and thicker than Phone 2
Tech Advisor UK
4/5Jul 16, 2025A visually striking flagship with excellent display, build, performance and battery life, but its unusual design and limited early software make it hard to recommend over rivals at this price.
- Gorgeous AMOLED display with high peak brightness
- Excellent build quality and IP68 rating
- Strong performance for the price
- Superb battery life
- Seven years of security updates
- Polarising design with off-centre telephoto placement
- Disappointing ultrawide camera
- Limited Glyph Matrix tools at launch
- Five years of OS updates trail rivals
- Gaming shows limitations; face unlock not secure enough
The Guardian UK
No scoreJul 16, 2025A good but not great Android from Nothing: interesting and quirky, but rivals offer better performance and battery life at a similar price.
- Slick, customisable dot-matrix software
- Eye-catching back with glyph LED matrix
- Solid performance for everyday use
- Good bright OLED display
- 3x telephoto camera nearly as good as main
- Camera results are inconsistent in colour and tone
- Battery life good but not class-leading
- AI features still basic
- Only five years of OS upgrades
- Ultrawide camera is weakest
Trusted Reviews UK
4/5Jul 8, 2025A bold, quirky phone with a distinctive design, a great screen and clean software, held back by average processing, inconsistent cameras and a heavy build.
- Fun, unique design with playful Glyph Matrix
- Large, vibrant and bright display
- Clean, light Nothing OS that is fun to customise
- Great battery life
- Camera performance is inconsistent, especially the zoom
- Processor not the best for a flagship
- Thick and heavy at around 218-220g
- Display lacks LTPO, so static-screen battery use is higher
Tom's Guide US
4/5Jul 8, 2025Nothing's first flagship keeps the brand's quirky identity and adds a telephoto camera, stronger durability and bigger battery, but it is pricier and photography and performance lag rivals.
- Distinctive design with improved IP68 durability
- New 3x telephoto camera with macro mode
- Glyph Matrix is fun and practical
- Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 offers strong performance
- Larger battery and faster 65W charging
- Most expensive Nothing phone yet
- Photography is weak overall
- Trails Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 in benchmarks
- Dimmer display than rival flagships
Phonandroid FR
No scoreJul 8, 2025A distinctive, fun premium phone with a useful Glyph Matrix and excellent battery life, but its camera lags rivals and it is priced slightly too high.
- Original design with transparent back and Glyph Matrix display
- Glyph Matrix notifications and gadgets are useful and fun
- Excellent battery life
- Calibrated, pleasant screen
- IP68 water resistance
- Camera lags behind direct rivals like Pixel 9
- Heating management is somewhat erratic
- Price is high for French market
- Glyph interface lacks intuitiveness
- Essential Space button too close to power button
SmartWorld IT
8/10Jul 8, 2025A distinctive, well-rounded flagship with excellent software, good battery life and a strong display; the Glyph Matrix is less essential and the price is high.
- Unique, distinctive design
- Excellent, clean Nothing OS software
- Very good display with fast touch sampling
- Strong battery life
- Good camera performance overall, especially daytime
- Glyph Matrix is not a game changer
- Price is high for many buyers
- Display protected only by Gorilla Glass 7i
- Design will not appeal to everyone
- Portrait mode and low light images are weaker
Android Central US
3.75/5Jul 8, 2025Nothing's best phone yet with distinctive design and excellent software, but the mid-range chip and high $799 price hold it back.
- Distinctive design with customizable Glyph Matrix LED panel
- Thoughtful Nothing OS 3.5 software with useful extras
- Much better cameras than predecessor
- Vibrant OLED display with good color accuracy
- Good battery life with 65W charging
- Uses Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 instead of flagship 8 Elite
- Cameras not as good as Chinese rivals
- No LTPO display tech and no IP69 rating
- Launches with Android 15 rather than Android 16
- Overheating issues and price hard to justify
A quirky, visually distinct Android phone with a useful Glyph Matrix and solid all-round performance, though not the best value for its specs.
- Distinctive design with a useful Glyph Matrix display
- Clean interface with handy widgets
- Good performance and strong battery life
- Bright display, wireless charging, NFC
- 256 GB base storage at this price
- Not the best value for specs versus price
- No Qi2 magnetic charging support
- Low-light camera performance is weaker
- Software update policy trails Pixel and Samsung
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
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