Apparent Nothing Phone 3 design leak has fans intrigued

While iPhone 16 rumours come in thick and fast, it seems we may have just been treated to a glimpse of Nothing Phone 3, the next generation of another of our favourite smartphones. And it comes from none of than the company's CEO himself.

In a post on X, Carl Pei asked users for feedback on updates to the Nothing OS interface. But it appears he may have casually leaked the design of the upcoming phone.

The phone shown in Pei's post quickly got the attention of fans of the brand since it has a different design to the current Nothing Phone 2. Inevitably, there's speculation that this is the Nothing Phone 3, and we're particularly intrigued by a new forth button on the right of the device.

The additional button recalls the introduction of the Action button on last year's iPhone 15 Pro. It's rumoured that Apple will expand this customisable shortcut button to the entry-level iPhone 16 this year. Some have suggested that the placement looks more reachable than Apple's Action button, while others have speculated that it may be a camera shutter button or an AI button like Samsung's Bixby key.

Of course, the phone in Pei's tweet may just be a mockup designed to show the UI tweaks and may not reflect the actual design of the Nothing Phone 3, but it seems unlikely that the company would add a fourth button for no reason. The bezels also appear to be thinner than on previous Nothing phones.

We don't know much about the Nothing Phone 3 yet, but based on the release dates of previous generations, we expect it could be released in July. That would be two months before the iPhone 16. It's been rumoured that it will pack a Snapdragon 8-series chip. 

In the meantime, it's interesting to see a CEO turning to Twitter to ask for UI design feedback. It's not something I can imagine Tim Cook doing! Designers and tech enthusiasts have been quick to respond with suggestions. You can see prices for the Nothing Phone 2 below.