From playful Glyph 'toys' to pro cameras – why the Nothing Phone (3) surprised me

The Nothing Phone (3) has been announced at a special reveal event in London, and once again, the UK-based design-first tech brand is pushing against the grain. The third-generation smartphone from Carl Pei’s designer brand takes what worked before and evolves it, in form, function, and philosophy, with a focus on creativity, intelligence, and pure design joy.

Now, it's no secret I like the Nothing brand and its approach. I reviewed the Nothing Phone (2) after buying it, and have been using it, on and off, with Nothing Phone 2a and 3a, ever since. The new Nothing Headphone (1) are a new obsession too. But why should you care as much as I do about the brand's new, and arguably first, true flagship smartphone?

For starters, Nothing's attention to unique design continues, as CEO Carl Pei details in his keynote during launch, explaining how the rear of the Phone (3) features a tri-column grid based on three flexible PCBs, which provide the foundation of how the phone functions. "It brings rhythm and structure to the layout, giving the phone a calm and confident presence… We call it technical warmth, where structure meets soul,” says Pei.

Having now gone hands-on with the Nothing Phone (3), I can say it's a lovely smartphone, and goes some way to being that emotive hardware design Pei wants to make. Below I share the specs and details, and offer some hands-on opinion of how this all feels in the hand.

Design matters

The Phone (3) continues Nothing’s now-iconic transparent aesthetic but introduces meaningful changes. Pei describes how the redesigned frame is inspired by modern architecture, with bold geometry and ergonomically curved edges. Uniform bezels (just 1.87mm thin) frame a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED screen, Nothing’s brightest to date with 4,500 nits peak HDR brightness.

In the hand, Phone (3) feels nicer to hold; neater and more agile, even. Those slim bezels and vibrant display feel premium, while both black and white editions get close to that unique design philosophy Nothing aspires to. There's even room for some little touches of personality tech giants iron out - the little red square that's become a design aesthetic of recent Nothing Phones now lights and blinks red when video recording.

But perhaps the boldest evolution is on the back. Rather than taking over the entire back of the phone, the new Glyph matrix sits in a circular display at the top-right of the phone, next to the cameras. Rather than a simple mix of LEDs, this is a functioning display designed to show new animated emotes, dot matrix camera effects, and more.

“There’s been a lot of discussion online, so I want to set the record straight,” says Pei. “The Glyph is not a gimmick. Eight out of ten of our users have the Glyph interface enabled from day one.”

With the Phone (3), the Glyph evolves into the Glyph Matrix, a smarter, more expressive system that uses a grid of micro-LEDs. Notifications for contacts, apps and timers now appear visually, and include tools like a stopwatch, visual selfie countdowns, and a Flip to Record feature that auto-transcribes meetings when you place the phone face down. But it's the gamification of the Glyph system that will excite many users.

“You can show a lot more content on a screen than on light strips,” Pei explains. “And then there’s the fun side, Glyph Toys are playful, ambient experiences that live on the back of your device… Rock Paper Scissors, even Spin the Bottle. Because fun deserves a place in tech too.”

Nothing has opened up a public SDK at nothing.community, and is already working with fans. “We worked with members of our community to bring two new Glyph Toys to life: the Magic 8 Ball and the Leveler. This is just the beginning.”

Leveler is just that, a dot matrix spirit level that uses the phone's gyros for measurements, and it's fun to see the little dot gloop about the display and settle when the phone is angled. I can't wait to see what people come up with for Glyph Toys, from Tamagochi-style characters to perhaps AR animations.

Pei adds: “We believe smartphones should work for you and not the other way around. That’s why we built the Glyph Matrix, to create a calmer and more expressive way for you to stay connected, letting you see what’s important without turning on the screen.”

The specs to match the looks

The Phone (3) is more than capable, too, and a technical step forward when compared to previous releases. A triple-lens system with a 1/1.3-inch sensor captures sharp, cinematic images in any light. There’s lossless optical zoom, full-lens 4K 60fps video, and something I can't wait to try, professional presets crafted with working photographers to create stylised photos with a click.

At the event, the specs were revealed: Snapdragon’s latest 8s Gen 4 chip brings a 36% boost in CPU performance and a huge 88% increase in GPU power, making mobile gaming, multitasking, and real-time editing ultra-fluid. I'd need to spend more time with Phone (3) for a verdict, but it feels faster and more nimble than some recent smartphones I've used.

While most tech brands rush to bolt AI onto legacy systems, Nothing is embedding intelligence where it matters. Nothing OS 3.5 includes Essential Space, a minimalist AI organiser that helps record and store notes, photos, and ideas in one calm hub that's already on older Nothing Phones.

“Earlier this year, we previewed Essential Space, a new layer in Nothing OS – a calm and focused place, like a second memory,” says Pei, reflecting: “Since launch… It’s actually, to be honest, more than we expected.”

Phone (3) also introduces Flip to Record – just place the phone face-down in a meeting, and it’ll begin recording and summarising the conversation into Essential Space automatically. As someone who regularly needs to use AI transcribers, this could become an essential tool.

Another smart addition is Essential Search, a universal swipe-up bar that searches your contacts, content, and even answers questions in the UI – no need to switch apps. In practice, it looks like a faster way to search, and yet another reason why Google should be concerned. As more of us live and work on our phones, a tool like Essential Search could become invaluable.

“Smartphone AI often feels surface level,” Pei explains. “We’re taking a different approach… Because smartphones already have scale, and no other device has better context on you. AI gives us a real shot to redefine the software experience – but it has to be useful.”

He continues: “To be successful here, you need three things: speed, which comes from being a nimble startup; taste, which we’ve proven through our design-first mindset; and community, which always helps us stay grounded to what people want.”

What's clear here is Nothing's approach to AI feels user-friendly and, indeed, bold. It's repositioning Nothing devices and its OS as a true alternative to other brands, with the aim to replace common search tools and organisers with its UI and UX (it makes me wish a Nothing tablet was in the works).

Fast charging and hidden benefits

Phone (3) packs a 5150mAh silicon-carbon battery – Nothing’s largest yet – that comfortably lasts a day and beyond. Nothing boasts its new Phone (3) will charge from 0 to 100% in 54 minutes with 65W wired fast charging, and supports 15W wireless.

It ships with Android 15 and Nothing OS 3.5, with Android 16 and OS 4.0 coming towards the end of 2025. Nothing promises five years of major Android updates and seven years of security support – an industry-leading pledge.

So why does this matter? Maybe like me, you find many new tech releases too uniform, devices are, well… dull, and feature fatigue is a definite reality. Against this background, Nothing is carving its path by designing with feeling, function, and fun. As Pei puts it: “This new level of detail is more evolved and mature than the previous generations… It’s an object that deserves to sit on your desk.”

Phone (3) might just be the most personal smartphone yet – designed not just to impress, but to express (and believe me, those Glyph Toys are going to become an obsession).

Pre-orders for Nothing Phone (3) start 4 July 2025 via nothing.tech, with open sales from 15 July 2025.