OPINION: Nothing’s CEO Carl Pei has all but confirmed the brand’s highly anticipated Phone 3 will be arriving in the US this year – and it’s the launch I am looking forward to the most.
It’s become a bit cliché to say even the best smartphones have become boring. I say it in most of my phone reviews, and it has become the narrative around just about all the big releases.
Since Apple launched the original iPhone, designs have slowly melded into one, with most of the individuality removed.
For too long, the best iPhones and best Android phones have been sold on most of the same features. We’ve had years of focus on the camera – from the days of expanding megapixel counts, to many software gimmicks and multiple lenses.
We’re now into an era of AI software tweaks being the main selling points, and it’s already starting to feel like all the AI features are the same.
Look at the biggest features of Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence, both are built on the same things: writing tools, image generation and transcribing.
A design-focused future?
Things could be changing though, and I feel like 2025 could be the year where the focus turns to design rather than superfluous spec-bumps or software tweaks that 90% of users will touch once and then discard.
Both Samsung and Apple are set to release phones this year that are going to be sold on their respective super-thin designs. The Galaxy S25 Edge, which we’ve already seen a few times, is rumoured to officially arrive in May, and many believe the iPhone 17 Air will follow in September.
Motorola has also shown it is interested in focusing on design with the recent upgrades to the Razr foldable line. The Razr 60 Ultra can be customised with various material backs, including a wooden option that’s a proper throwback to the creative Moto X from over a decade ago.
A lot from Nothing
But, the brand really championing design and trying so hard to stand out from the dull crowd is Nothing. This year alone, the London-based brand has launched one of the best mid-range phones in the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and followed that up with the very innovative CMF Phone 2 Pro.
Both of these phones have aspects that set them apart from the crowd. The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is, in my opinion, the best-looking phone around. It has this transparent back – a trait the brand has become known for – that gives it the retro feel of an original Game Boy colour, plus a smart blue colour and an overall industrial feel that gets people talking.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is innovative in a very different way. This budget device can be paired with a bunch of accessories that become part of the phone itself, screwing in to feel like part of the actual design.
There’s a macro lens that screws over the exsiting camera, a magnetic case that attaches over the original back and a lanyard loop. Some will call this a gimmick, but a gimmick is fine if it’s genuinely offering something different.
The release I am really looking forward to from Nothing though, is the Phone 3.
Without being shackled to a budget or even mid-range price (the Phone 3a Pro feels like it’s sitting in the price point where the Nothing Phone 2 originally did) I think Nothing can really excel, combining its innovative design approach without a more traditional phone base.
Not long to go
We’ve been waiting for the Phone 3 for a while, and Nothing has already shown it’s not bothered about breaking out of the traditional yearly release cycle. The brand’s CEO, Carl Pei, has confirmed in an X Q&A that the Phone 3 will be arriving in Q3, so it might only be a few more months before we see it in the flesh.
Rumours about what might be included in the Phone 3 remain slim, although rumblings have suggested it’ll pack a high-end (although not flagship) Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip to provide plenty of power. I’d also expect Nothing to go even further with its Glyph light interface.
Even with Apple and Samsung set to launch their slimmest ever phones, my most anticipated phone set to arrive this year is the Nothing Phone 3 – and I’ve got very high hopes.
