Two years after the launch of Phone 2, Nothing has just announced its successor with the aptly named Phone 3.
Promising to evolve Nothing’s “iconic design”, the Phone 3 sports a new Glyph Matrix, slimmer design and a boost in performance from its predecessor.
If you’re still sporting the Phone 2 and aren’t sure whether you should upgrade, we’re here to help as we’ve highlighted the key differences between the Phone 3 and Phone 2 below.
Keep reading to learn more and see whether the Phone 3 stands a chance at making it into our best smartphone or best Android phone lists.
Price and Availability
The Nothing Phone 3 is available for pre-orders from the 4th July 2025 via Nothing’s official website and select third-party retailers, ready for its official launch on July 15 2025. As this is Nothing’s “first true flagship smartphone”, the Phone (3) has a price tag to reflect this, with a starting RRP of £799 / $799 / €799 for its 12GB and 256GB model.
As the Nothing Phone (2) is now two years old, it’s certainly possible to nab the handset at a cheaper price. While it has an RRP of £579, at the time of writing the handset is retailing at Amazon for just £399.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1
One of the key differences between the Nothing Phone 3 and Phone 2 is their respective Qualcomm processor. While the Phone 2 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, the Phone 3 is powered by the much newer Snapdragon 8s Gen 4.
Although we’re yet to review the latest Qualcomm chipset, Nothing explains its use in the Phone 3 will offer “significant enhancements in multitasking, image processing, and graphics handling compared to Phone (2)”. It continues by promising a 36% increase in CPU power, 60% boost in AI-related task processing and a whopping 125% faster image recognition over the Phone (2).
Sure, Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 isn’t quite as mighty as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship, which powers some of the best Android phones, Mobile Editor Lewis Painter noted that, judging by its specs, the processor isn’t “that far off”.
Having said that, it’s worth noting that we were impressed with the Nothing Phone 2’s performance during our time. We found the processor delivered “top-notch everyday performance” with the phone able to handle all tasks “at a rapid pace”.
We’re keen to see just how much of a difference the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 makes.
The Nothing Phone 3 should have Nothing’s brightest and sharpest screen
While the Phone 3 and Phone 2 undoubtedly share the same design characteristics of a Nothing handset, there are important differences to note. Firstly, the Phone 3’s 1.87mm bezels are 18% slimmer than the Phone 2, which offers a more immersive screen experience.
Speaking of the screen, the Phone 3 boasts Nothing’s brightest and sharpest screen to date thanks to its AMOLED panel with 1.5K resolution and up to 4500 nits peak brightness. Comparatively, the Phone 2 sports an OLED panel with a peak brightness of a much lower 1600 nits. Even so, we still found the Phone 2 provided a great movie-watching experience with vibrant colours and deep inky blacks too.
Otherwise, both smartphones have a 120Hz refresh rate, something we still can’t believe is missing from the iPhone 16.
Flip the Phone 3 over and you’ll be greeted by a familiar yet revamped Glyph Matrix which is arguably the key feature of a Nothing handset. Designed to reduce screen time while allowing users to keep notified, the Glyph Matrix of the Phone 3 now supports Glyph Toys which bring tools and micro-games to the back of your phone.
These tools include a Glyph Mirror, Digital Clock, Battery Indicator and more, while the games include Spin the Bottle. Nothing has also teased that a new caller ID feature will roll out, which allows users to long-press the Glyph Button to show the contact name or number during a phone call.
Nothing Phone (3). Credit: Nothing
Nothing Phone (2)
Nothing Phone 3 includes a 50MP Periscope camera
Whether you’re a content creator or just an avid photographer, the Phone 3 promises to improve upon the camera experience of the Phone 2. While both handsets sport a 50MP main lens, the Phone 3’s sensor promises to let in 44% more light than the Phone 2. Not only that but although they both also feature a 50MP ultrawide, the Phone (3) benefits from the addition of a 50MP Periscope camera too.
The Periscope lens offers a 6x lossless zoom with 60x AI Super Res Zoom too. Plus, the Periscope lens promises to provide a “filmmaker look” with “beautifully soft backgrounds” and rich detail.
Nothing Phone (3). Credit: Nothing
Nothing Phone (2) rear
Nothing Phone 3 has the Essential Key
First debuted in the Phone 3a and 3a Pro, the Phone 3 sports the Essential Key. A physical button found on the right side of the Phone 3, the Essential Key acts as a shortcut to a few Nothing features but specifically to Essential Space.
Essential Space is a tool similar to Google’s Pixel Screenshots and uses AI to organise your ideas, notes and content in one handy place. However, this isn’t the only tool that uses the Essential Key.
Launching with the Phone 3 is Flip to Record, which enables users to transcribe and summarise meetings simply by long-pressing the Essential Key and turning your phone face down. Similarly, Nothing is also launching the new Essential Search tool which is a “smart search bar” that allows you to search across your contacts, photos, files and more.
Nothing Phone 3 has a larger battery
We were impressed with the battery of the Phone 2, and found it comfortably lasted for an entire day. Interestingly, the Phone 3 includes Nothing’s largest battery to date which the brand promises will last “beyond a full day” although it doesn’t elaborate on how long that should be.
The Phone (3) also promises to charge up in 54 minutes, thanks to 65W fast charging, while 15W wireless is provided for topping up in a pinch. This is an improvement on the Phone (2)’s 45W speeds which we found saw the handset take just under an hour to reach 100%.
Early Verdict
It’s fair to say the Nothing Phone 3 looks like a promising update to its 2023 predecessor. We’re especially keen to see how the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset compares to, not only the Phone 2’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 but also the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite too.
Although Nothing promises the battery is the largest, we’re curious to see how much of a difference this really makes with the Phone 3, especially considering we were pretty pleased with the battery life of the Phone 2.
We’ll be sure to update this article once we’ve reviewed the Phone 3.
