The Nothing Phone series has delivered some of my favorite phones of the past few years, with a refreshing but familiar take on Android and smartphone hardware in general, and it’s all culminated in the Nothing Phone (3). I think it’s safe to say this was one of the most polarizing phones of 2025, and it’s also one that I think will serve as a bit of a make-or-break moment for Nothing.
First things first, why is this review so late? Put frankly, Nothing launched Phone (3) at a terrible time. The announcement came just barely a week prior to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 launch and, well, we’re just humans over here. So rather than rush out a review, we opted to offer some early impressions and shelve this one for a few months and, now that Nothing Phone (3) has picked up its Android 16 update and its latest budget brethren are on the horizon, it feels like a fitting time to circle back.
As I said in our first impressions, the hardware is the most divisive part of the Nothing Phone (3), and that’s not something that’s changed with time. I’m a fan at best, indifferent at worst to Nothing’s aesthetic, the styling here just boils down to unique. The camera placements and transparent design I think mostly work, they’re just unorthodox. The design really just boils down to what you like or don’t, but the far more important thing is the feel in the hand. On the bright side, the matte metal rails of Phone (3) are something I think the design gets right. It’s grippy and instills confidence in the grip without a case, and at least partially makes up for the glossy glass finish on the back that I’d otherwise loathe. Please Nothing, keep trying out that frosted effect.
Another knock for me on the hardware side of things is the Essential Key on the side. Between the couple of weeks this was my daily driver back in July, the on and off usage in the months since, the weeks I spent…