Nothing 3 – its definition of a flagship phone (review)

The Nothing 3 is its definition of a flagship phone, and they got it mostly right. This is a powerful and quirky standout phone for the younger crowd. But why should they have all the fun?

If you have not heard of Nothing, it is a UK-based, youth-focused (Gen X, Y and Z) company founded by Carl Pei in 2020, who co-founded OnePlus (OPPO/BBK stable). Another founding partner is Teenage Engineering, primarily responsible for the brand’s design aesthetic and its products.

Design-wise, they are interesting, some may say polarising, and Nothing OS 3.5 (which is a value-added skin over Android 15) is a little different. But under the glass lies a pretty standard Qualcomm phone.

CyberShack analyses ‘speeds and feeds’, conducting over 70 tests and gathering 300 data points to write a detailed, 5,000-word review. Our readers want that, whereas Nothing’s primary audience would not know the differences between processors, screens, phone reception, and battery life. They look at the 1-minute TikTok or Instagram ‘reviews’ and that shallow recommendation is enough for them. Pretty shiny things. Read this review – yeah, nah.

Nothing 3 is their definition of a flagship

We define a flagship as:

• Current and reasonably powerful AI-capable processor ✅
• 10-bit AMOLED screen, low PWM-sensitivity ✅
• 12 or 16GB RAM ✅
• 256 or 512GB storage ✅
• USB-C Alt DP and external mountable storage ❌
• All-day battery and fast charge (no charger supplied) ✅
• Fast Wi-Fi 6E or 7 ✅
• City, Suburbs, regional and rural phone reception strength ✅
• eSIM and SIM, DSDA (dual active). Only DSDS (dual SIM, dual standby – only one active at a time). ❌
• Decent range of Bluetooth Codecs ✅
• Camera with wide, ultra-wide/macro and telephoto ✅
• Android 15 (or 16), value-added UI, and decent 2+5+7 warranty, OS upgrade and security patch policies ✅
• Price: in the same bracket as Samsung Galaxy S25+ or Pixel 9 Pro ✅

Nothing had to walk the fine line between specs and costs. For example, it uses some lower-cost components that don’t affect usability.

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, which is pretty much equivalent to the 2024 SD8 Gen 3. Samsung use the 2025 SD8 Elite, which is the most powerful chip on the planet.
• The screen uses Gorilla Glass 7i versus Samsung’s harder and more drop-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
• Five OS upgrades and seven years of patches versus Samsung 7+7.
• USB-C 2.0 versus USB-C 3.2 Alt DP (no ALT DP and mountable external storage)
• 10-bit, low PWM, LTPS AMOLED (stepped frequency) versus Samsung’s 8-bit, high PWM, LTPO AMOLED (1-120Hz)

If it weren’t for the slow USB-C 2.0, which means no screen mirroring over a USB-C to HDMI cable and slow external storage, this could have easily been the 2025 phone of the year. Samsung also falls short in this regard and has an 8-bit screen.

Nothing 3 took two years to develop

Australian Review: Nothing 3 Model A024, SIM and eSIM, 16/512GB as tested

Brand	Nothing
Model	Nothing 3. Note: We used Nothing 3 for SEO purposes
Model Number	A024
RAM/Storage Base	12/256
Price base	1509
Price 2	16/512GB $1689 (as tested)
Warranty months	24-months
Teir	Flagship
Website	Product page
Manual	Nothing (3) manual and OS guide
From	JB Hi-Fi, Nothing AU online Optus plans include no upfront costs and are available on 12-, 24-, or 36-month terms.
Country of Origin	China
Company	Nothing (Est. 2020) is a London-based company. Its founder was a co-founder of OnePlus (BBK/OPPO).
More	CyberShack smartphone news and reviews CyberShack Nothing news and reviews
Test date	July 2025
Ambient temp	6-17°
Release	July 2025
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Only buy from Nothing Online, JB Hi-Fi or Optus. The rest are grey market.

Ratings

We use the following ratings for many of the items below. CyberShack regards 70/100 as a pass mark. You can click on most images to enlarge them.

• Fail (below expectations), and we will let you know if this affects its use.
• Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be.
• Pass (meets expectations).
• Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good, but does not quite make it to Exceed
• Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader).

How to make the best use of this deep dive review

We tested over 70 different aspects and uncovered nearly 300 key data points about the device. Overall reviews can reach a few thousand words. So, if you are keen, this is the world’s most comprehensive review!

If you want to see our impressions only, they are listed at the beginning of each table. At the end, you will find CyberShack’s view, competitor analysis, and ratings. Ratings are based on the price bracket and expectations, so a $200 phone may score as well as a $2000 phone—we compare like with like.

First Impression – Interesting

Nothing makes glass slabs, and it is trying to rise above ‘boring. To some, the back panel is a work of art, and to some, it is not. Below the skin is a fairly traditional Qualcomm SD8s Gen 4 phone (one level below the 2025 Flagship SD8 Elite), featuring a superb screen, ample RAM/Storage (hint: buy the 16/512GB model for more futureproofing), an excellent camera, and pure Android overlaid with a quirky Nothing OS 3.5. Wrap this up in a 2+5+7 Warranty, OS and patch, and it gets our vote.

When we mentioned the compromises earlier, it helps you to decide what you need. For example, my daily drive is the 2024 Smartphone of the Year,  the $999 Motorola Edge 50 Pro – an excellent upper-mid-range smartphone. It has a Qualcomm SD7 Gen 3 (I really don’t miss the SD8 Gen 3), USB-C 3.2 (a must for me for screen mirroring and mountable external storage), and a superb 10-bit pOLED screen. So far, no 2025 smartphones have passed all 15 criteria.

Its addition to boring black slabs is the Glyph matrix, which has the potential to provide helpful information without requiring the phone to be turned over. Nothing’s Essential Space button and features are pretty helpful and innovative.

Screen – Exceed

It is 6.7” of bright (1600 nits), colourful (10-bit/1.07 billion colours) LTPS AMOLED (Samsung, Apple and Google use 8-bit). It saves a few dollars by using LTPS and 60/90/120Hz stepping compared to Samsung’s LTPO AMOLED, which supports 1-120Hz, but who cares?

Where it beats Samsung et al. is that its screen has a PWM frequency of 960Hz and low depth modulation, making it PWM-friendly (Samsung’s screens are a headache-inducing 120/240Hz).

Size	6.67″
Type	Flexible AMOLED LTPS (Not LTPO)
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat with centre o-hole
Resolution	2800 x 1260
PPI	460
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body%	88.5%
Colours bits	10-bit/1.07 billion colours True 10-bit – not 8-bit plus 2 FRC
Refresh Hz, adaptive	High: 120 Hz maximum Standard: 60 Hz Dynamic: 60/90/120 Hz
Response 120Hz	1000Hz
Nits typical, test	Claim: 800 typical Test: 750
Nits max, test	Claim: 1600 Outdoors Test: 1530 Claim: 4500 peak Test: Unable to test in 2% or 10% window, but it does support HDR10+ (not Dolby Vision)
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	100+% in standard and alive modes
DCI-P3	94% standard mode 110% Alive mode
Rec 2020 or other	N/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	<2
HDR Level	HDR10/HDR10+ (no Dolby Vision).
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light control	No
PWM if known	DC dimming at 50+% brightness. PWM frequency 960Hz below 50%. Should be fine for PWM-susceptible.
Daylight readable	Yes – exceptionally so
Always on Display	Yes
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android 15
DRM	L1 SDR and HDR from some streaming platforms
Gaming	The processor power and screen response (<1ms GtG) are sufficient to play HD games up to 60fps.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 7i Mohs hardness 6 (average scratch resistance)
Comment	For the price, this flexible 10-bit AMOLED is a superb screen with excellent colour gamut and colour accuracy. It has DC dimming at <50% brightness.

Processor – Excellent choice

Choosing a Qualcomm processor almost guarantees good performance and excellent phone reception. This is one step below the 2025 SD8 Elite used in the Samsung S25 Series, and we have included its performance benchmarks in brackets where applicable.

Using this processor helps shave more cost without any significant downsides.

Type	Qualcomm SD 8s Gen 4 Benchmark comparison SD8s Gen 4 versus SD8 Elite
nm	4nm TSMC N4P
Cores	4 clusters 8 cores 1 x 3.21 GHz X4 2 x 2.8 GHz A-720 3 x 3.01 GHz A-720 2 x 2.02 GHz A-720
GPU	Adreno 825
Modem	5G Modem-RF System 4 x 4 MIMO DSDS (Soc supports DSDA. Why is it not enabled?) 4.2 Gbps

AI and speed tests – Pass+

As you can see, the SD8S Gen 4 is quite impressive and outperforms last year’s Samsung S24, which used the SD8 Gen 3. (SD8 Elite in brackets).

It is more than capable of on-device Google Gemini Nano, Circle to Search, and any Google AI, as well as its own AI helpers. If you’re looking to future-proof this, consider buying the 16GB Model.

AI	Qualcomm Hexagon Geekbench AI CPU: 2500/2467/4008 (4571) GPU: 2012/3256/2726 (1749) NNAPI: 422/423/934 (1459) AiTuTu: 58,306 (66,443) AI Benchmark 6: 5,579 (10,536) GFLOPS: 23.88 (22.57) GINOPS: 28.65 (35.99)
AnTuTu	1,944,795 (2,143,922)
Geekbench 6 Single-core	2120 (3155)
Geekbench 6 multi-core	6612 (9777)
Like	Similar to SD8 Gen 3
GPU Test
Open CL	13264 (18729)
Like	Similar to SD8 Gen 3
Vulcan	18,835 (24183) Well above SD8 Gen 3 and Exynos 2400 at 15,500

RAM and Storage – Exceed

It has the fastest RAM and storage, with no bottlenecks. It will use external storage as cut and paste (OTG), but it is not mountable.

RAM, type	16GB LPDDR5X as tested Entry-level is 12GB
Storage, free, type	512GB UFS 4.0 as tested (442 GB free) Entry-level is 256GB
micro-SD	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained/peak	1780 Mbps 3050 peak (3260)
CPDT internal seq. Write MBps sustained/peak	761.47 Mbps 1040 peak (1360)
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	Files finds it as an OTG for cut and paste, but not as a mountable device, and will not speed test.
Comment	This is an excellent choice, although not as powerful as the SD8 Elite in the Samsung S25 series. However, it is significantly more powerful than last year’s flagship, the 2023 SD8 Gen 3. Let’s just say there are no downsides.

Throttle test – Exceed

Nothing has done an excellent job of thermal management of this ‘hot’ chip with an insignificant 13% throttle after 15 minutes of 100% load. It will be suitable for games and CPU/GPU-heavy tasks.

By comparison, the Samsung S25 Ultra SD8 Elite throttles terribly (over 50%), resulting in far lower sustained performance figures. The S25U figures in brackets were from a cold start (the best possible – they deteriorate from there).

Max GIPS	448795 (290,076)
Average GIPS	409301 (206,325)
Minimum GIPS	363523 (110,196)
% Throttle	13% (49%)
CPU Temp	96° (99)
Comment	The SD8s Gen 4 is a 4nm ‘hot’ chip, and Nothing has done a great job with thermal management, resulting in minimal throttling under our 100% load test for 15 minutes.

Comms – Exceed for Wi-Fi and passable for USB-C 2.0. Nothing. Why did you do this?

This is the first Wi-Fi 7 device we have tested to feature the proper 4×4 MIMO and 320 MHz MLO support. The result is a spectacular near-maximum 6 GHz speed of 5,573 Mbps.

Add BT 6 (the first we have seen), complete set of Qualcomm aptX codecs (Samsung only has the free aptX), and LDAC/LDHC; this is excellent.

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 7 2.4/6/6 GHz 4 x 4 MIMO 320 Hz MLO support
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps	-36/3875 to 5573/3715 to 4804
Test 5m	-47/3170 to 4804/3458 to 4003
Test 10m	-52/1393 to 3843/2498 to 3587
BT Type	6
GPS single, dual	1 meter accuracy L1+L5 dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC and SBAS.
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps no Alt DP support
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass	Yes
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	X-Axis linear vibrator (haptics – all phones have this) In total, the physical sensors and SoC emulate 32 sensors. The S25U emulates 43.
Comment	Nothing has done a brilliant job with Wi-Fi 7 and MLO support, reaching maximum speeds. However, to be frank, it has done a terrible job with USB-C 2.0 on a flagship, where USB-C 3.1/2 Gen 1 or 2 is expected for USB-C to HDMI screen mirroring and mountable external SSDs. For this reason alone, it cannot be considered for our 2025 phone of the year.

4/5G – City, suburb, regional and remote use – Pass+

While the SoC supports DDSA (dual SIM, dual Active), it, like the S25U, only appears to implement DSDS (dual SIM, dual standby). This could be as simple as a switch or a firmware update.

It performed better than the Samsung S25U. It has our tick for city, suburb, regional and rural use.

LTE and 5G	4/5G
SIM	Dual SIM plus e-SIM (maximum 2 SIMs)
Active	DSDS (Dual SIM, One active)
Ringtone single, dual	Single
VoLTE	Yes
Wi-Fi calling	Yes
4G Bands	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71
Comment	World phone
5G sub-6Ghz	n1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 – SA/NSA
Comment	World phone
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
DL/UL, ms	4G: 72.6/27.9/37ms – good 5G: Not enough signal
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	4G Band 3: -80 to -87/ 2 to 10 pW 5G: not enough signal
Tower 2	4G Band 28: -90/1 pW 5G: Not enough signal
Tower 3	4G Band 3 and 28: pW signal 5G: Not enough signal
Tower 4	4G 28: -79 12.6 pW 5G: Not enough signal
Indoors	fW usable signal
Comment	The Qualcomm modem detects all four towers, but likely due to antenna design, none are particularly strong. For example, Band 3 was always found at 2 to 10 pW and Band 28 at 1 to 12 pW.

Battery – Pass

India gets a 5,500mAh Si/C anode battery, whereas we get a standard 5,150mAh lithium-ion pouch battery. So, if you read international reviews, please disregard their battery tests.

Fast charging takes 53 minutes at 9V/5A/45W using an Anker 140W GaN charger and a 5W cable. We were unable to get higher rates.

The SoC and screen chew up the power under load and full brightness, giving a 3-4 hour screen-on time.  Typical uses will get 18-24 hours.

But at 53 minutes charge, who cares?

mAh	5150 mAh 3.86V/5.15A/19.88W standard Lithium Polymer pouch battery.   India gets a 5,550 mAh Si/C anode battery that fits into the same space with a claimed 1,400 complete battery charge cycles.
Charger, type	Not supplied. 65W capable (the maximum we could get was 45W)
PD, QC level	PPS / PD3.0 / PD2.0 / QC4.0 / QC3.0 / QC2.0 / DCP / SDP / CDP / UFCS
Qi, wattage	15W Qi
Reverse Qi or cable	5W reverse Qi 7.5W reverse cable
Test (screen 60Hz or adaptive)	60 Hz
Charge % 30mins	Claim: 72%
Charge 0-100%	Test: 53 minutes at 9V/5A/45W using Anker 140W GaN. Other chargers supplied 9V/3A/27W and 9V/4A/36W.
Qi, Belkin Boost charge 15W	Estimate 3-4 hours
Charge 5V/2A/10W	Estimate 5 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane mode	26 hours 27 minutes. This is a ‘gamed’ result. See *
PC Mark 3 battery	18 hours Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	786.6 minutes (13.13 hours) 3376 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	3 hours 18 minutes Accubattery 4 hours 57 minutes
mA Full load screen on	3000-3050 100% brightness 2450-2500 50% brightness
mA Watt idle Screen on	550-600 100% brightness 250-300 50% brightness
Estimate loss at max refresh	20%
Estimate typical use	This SoC uses a lot of power, and the screen brightness is a battery sucker. Given PC Mark and Accubattery largely concur that 18 hours is a typical use, you should easily get through a day. Power users may only get 3 to 5 hours. But at 53 minutes for a full recharge, who cares?
Comment	* New AI processors ‘game’ video loop results by disabling all phone functions, effectively turning the device into a media player. We can no longer use this as an effective measurement of screen-on time.

Sound hardware – Pass+

It does not decode Dolby Atmos, but will try to emulate spatial sound. It does not have an EQ, which saves costs.

On the plus side, it features a comprehensive suite of Qualcomm BT Codecs, as well as 24-bit/48000Hz LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-resolution audio.

It gets very loud too – nearly 85dB, so it’s great for hands-free.

Speakers	Forward-firing Earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker
Tuning	N/A
AMP	2 x TFA98 5.6W, THD 1% We wonder why it did not use the standard Qualcomm Aqstic Amp and decoder, but it becomes clearer as you see that it does not decode Dolby Atmos, saving a licensing fee.
Dolby Atmos decode	No
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	No – requires an external DAC to use wired headphones.
BT Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, LDAC, LDHC CV3/5 24-bit 48000 Hz.
Multipoint	Yes
Dolby Atmos (DA)	No decoder. Spatial Audio is only for headphones.
EQ	No
Mics	2 – one top and one bottom. One is for noise cancelling.
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	84.9
Media (music)	82.6
Ring	84.2
Alarm	87.2
Notifications	82.9
Earpiece	60
Hands-free	Dual mics work OK. Lots of volume for calls.
BT headphones	The Qualcomm Aqstic audio, featuring a wide selection of codecs and 24-bit processing, makes this a suitable device for use with headphones, especially LDAC-compatible ones.

Sound quality – our very first Pass+

I don’t know how Nothing achieved this with micro-speakers (used by everyone else), but it is the most listenable sound that I can recall.

It has just enough high bass and mid treble to supplement a perfectly flat response (good) to make music fun again.

It’s a shame that there’s no software EQ, as this is precisely the sound signature that works well with one.

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil
High Bass 100-200Hz	Quick climb to 400 Hz
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Quick climb to 400 Hz
Mid 400-1000Hz	Flat to 11 kHz – amazing
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat to 11 kHz – amazing
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat to 11 kHz – amazing
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat to 11 kHz – amazing
High Treble 6-10kHz	Flat to 11 kHz – amazing
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Decline to 15 kHz then flat
Sound Signature type	This is close to neutral (good), lacking only in low and mid bass and high treble. It is a Bright Vocal signature with just enough high bass to satisfy – amazing.
Soundstage	As wide as the phone. DA and spatial content do not give any 3D height or surround. Balanced sound from both speakers.
Comment	How to tell if you have good music – sound signature is the key (AV guide)

Build – Exceed

It is very Applesque with its straight sides and rounded corners. The build quality is excellent, as is the repairability. Where it has shaved costs is the use of Gorilla Glass 7i (instead of Victus 2).

Please take the time to view the teardown video.

Build
Size (H X W x D)	160.6 x 75.59 x 8.99mm
Weight grams	218
Front glass	Gorilla Glass 7i for mid-range phones. One meter drop resistance and Mohs 6 hardness.
Rear material	2.5D transparent tinted Glass revealing a faux ‘insides’ sticker. The glyph interface has been updated to a circular LED display.
Frame	Aluminium
IP rating	IP68
Colours	White Black
Pen, Stylus support	No
Teardown	Considered highly repairable.
In the box
Charger	No
USB cable	3W
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Use any PPS or PD charger >45W and a 5A cable for maximum charge speed.

Android – Almost pure – Pass+

Nothing has overlaid pure Android 15 (upgrade to 20) with its Nothing OS 3.5. The latter is quirky like its phone design with different iconography, but in the end, it’s easy to learn.

In fact, a 70-year-old, non-tech-savvy lady and former owner of a Samsung S21 Ultra bought the Nothing (3a) Pro on my recommendation, and her partner purchased the Nothing (3a) and was using it fully within days. They love Nothing, so why let the young ones have all the fun?

Android	Android 15
Security patch date	1 June 2025 current
UI	Nothing OS 3.5
OS upgrade policy	5
Security patch policy	7
Bloatware	It is very clean – 10 points! You can use all standard Google apps, as well as some alternative options. Those accustomed to Android’s standard icons may need to relearn Nothing’s iconography—a relatively easy task.
Other	Glyph is now a circular 489-LED matrix with a Glyph button, various Glyph readouts, and Glyph toys. It represents the biggest change from the Glyph light bars of previous models, and some Nothing aficionados are not happy. New users should find it useful.
Essential Key	Long-press record voice. Double-press to access Essential Space. AI organises your captures and generates personalised suggestions and actions to help you stay on top of things. • Recording Function: The audio will be automatically saved to Essential Space. The system will intelligently extract key information, generate summaries, and transcribe the audio into text to help you organise your thoughts. • Screenshot: Capture a quick screenshot. • Voice Memo (Post-Screenshot): After taking a screenshot, continue holding the Essential Key, and begin speaking to add voice notes directly to the captured content or ask questions about it. • View Records: Double-tap the Essential Key to quickly open Essential Space and access your recent recordings and screenshots There are additional features when using a Nothing Account.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	Goodix under glass
Face ID	2D
Comment	I enjoy using Nothing OS 3.5. At first, I thought it a bit ‘wanky’ with its dot matrix printer fonts and icons, but much thought has gone into adding value to Android 15 and beyond.

Nothing 3 rear camera – Pass+

While the Samsung S25U boasts a 200MP wide camera, it bins to 12.5MP, just like every 50MP camera does. Like Samsung, it also features a 50MP ultrawide camera. Samsung has a slight edge with a combo 13MP and a 50MP telephoto camera.

The screen preview colours are accurate (Samsung is not) and I can’t fault them. The camera app is basic but sufficient. It uses Google Photos for storage, and all the Google editing features are available.

OIS is good and still, and videos are quite shake-free, but we recommend video at 1080p to be sure.

Test photos

The test photos will tell the story, but let’s say that I can’t fault them.

Camera specs

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Omnivision OV50h
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	1.68
um	1.2 bins to 2.39
FOV° (stated, actual)	73.5 to 86
Stabilisation	OIS and Qualcomm EIS
Zoom	2X digital lossless (crop) and 8X digital
Rear 2	Ultra-wide/macro
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJN1
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.2
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV (stated, actual)	114
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Telephoto
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung S5KJN5
Focus	Auto focus
f-stop	2.68
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV (stated, actual)	N/A
Stabilisation	OIS and EIS
Zoom	3X optical and 60X AI
Special	The camera app is basic. Night mode is automatic. Photo, portrait, video, and slow-motion options, as well as time-lapse, panorama, and expert modes. It uses Google Photos as the storage.
Video max	4K@60
Flash	Single
Auto-HDR	Yes
	TrueLens Engine 4 Ultra XDR     Auto Tone     Portrait Optimiser     Motion Capture Mode     Night Mode     Macro Mode     Action Mode
QR code reader	Yes
Night mode	Yes
DXO Mark	No
Comment	Nothing has nailed the tri-camera setup with a decent 50 MP (Wide) + 50 (Ultrawide) and 50 (Telephoto). All work very well, and AI processing is good without being overpowering. All bin to 12.5MP by default.

Nothing 3 selfie

We don’t publish selfie photos due to ID Theft reasons. As far as we are concerned, the skin tones, brightness, dynamic range, and details are great. Unfortunately, it’s a fixed-focus lens, so you need to be a little more careful with your shot composition.

It records 4 K at 60fps but lacks OIS and EIS, which the rear cameras have.

Front	Selfie
MP	50MP bins to 12.5MP
Sensor	Samsung SK5JN1
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.2
um	.64 bins to 1.28
FOV (stated, actual)	71.8 to 84.3
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Yes
Zoom	Crop Factor 6.6
Video max	4K@60
Comment	The 50MP selfie is excellent.

CyberShack’s view: Nothing 3 has aced most of the flagship criteria

No, it’s not the Uber flagship, but it’s pretty damned good, and frankly, no smartphones this year have met our criteria for phone of the year.

Samsung buyers are generally loyal, so I don’t expect many to jump ship. However, Nothing 3 demonstrates that a new startup utilising third-party manufacturing and supply chains can produce an excellent phone at an even more competitive price.

Damn you, Nothing – all it needed was USB-C 3.2 to win!

Competition 12/256GB $1509 and 16/512GB $1689

• $1687 Samsung Galaxy S25+ 6.7” 8-bit AMOLED, 12/256GB, Qualcomm SD8 Elite, USB-C 3.2 Alt DP but no support for mountable drive. eSIM
• $1687 Google Pixel 9 Pro 6.7” 8-bit AMOLED, 12/128GB, Tensor G3. USB-C 3.2 Alt DP, but no support for mountable drives. eSIM
• $1599 2024 ASUS Zenfone 11, 12/256GB, 10-bit, AMOLED, SD8 Gen 3 (USB-2.0), No eSIM.
• $1799 2025 ASUS ROG 9, 12/256GB, AMOLED, SD8 Elite. No eSIM (should be full USB-C 3.2)

Overall, Nothing 3 stacks up very well.

Nothing 3 Ratings

Ratings	Pass is 70/100
Features	90
	It has everything you need, but throw in the 10-bit AMOLED and Telephoto camera, and it becomes one of the most fully-featured phones at this price.
Value	90
	At $1,509/1,689, it is a class leader, but several subtle down-engineered specs contribute to its achievement. None are particularly deal breakers.
Performance	90
	It features a Qualcomm SD8s Gen 4 processor, which is all you need for daily use and productivity. Considering you would have to spend more for an SD8 Elite processor, this is all you need—and then some.
Ease of Use	90
	Once you get used to Nothing OS 3.5 and its iconography, it is easy. Pure Android 15 with a quirky font! AI is not shoved down your throat, but it is there with Google Gemini and its on-device and on-cloud features. Add a 2-year warranty, 5 x OS upgrades, and 7 years of security patches, and you cannot go wrong.
Design	85
	I don’t mind the design language – you are either going to love it or hate it.
Rating out of 10	89
Final comment	Throughout the test, I kept asking how Nothing could offer such features at such a reasonable price and continued to look for the downsides. There are not many, and practically no deal breakers.