Nothing Phone (3): A Bold Step or a Misstep?

Nothing, a startup known for its unique phone designs, has launched the Phone (3), priced at $799. This device is aimed at taking on big names like Samsung and Apple. The company's focus has always been on design and software, making its phones stand out with transparent elements and customizable features. The Phone (3) keeps the transparent design but introduces a new circular second screen called Glyph Matrix. This screen shows basic info like time and battery level. It also has fun mini-apps like spin the bottle and rock, paper, and scissors. However, the usefulness of this second screen is debatable. It doesn't solve the problem of having to turn the phone to read messages. While it's cool, it's not very practical yet. The phone uses a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, which is a step below the top-tier processors in other flagship phones. It has a 6. 67-inch AMOLED screen with bright colors but lacks HDR support for Netflix. The camera setup includes three 50-megapixel cameras, but the color accuracy needs improvement to match other flagship phones. Nothing has added AI features like Essential Search, which uses Google's Gemini models to search the web. There's also a meeting note transcriber that summarizes key points. However, these features are not unique and are similar to what other phone makers offer. The Phone (3) is available through Nothing's website, Amazon, and Best Buy in the U. S. and Canada. At $799, it competes with the Samsung Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, and the iPhone 16. In India, the phone starts at ₹79, 999, which is priced higher than the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy 25. Initial reactions suggest that customers find the price high, which could impact sales. Nothing aims to challenge the big players in the phone market. However, the Phone (3) is more of a cheaper alternative rather than a direct competitor. The phone has some interesting features, but it needs to improve in areas like camera quality and practicality to stand out.