This is what actually obtained my consideration af...

In recent times, London, UK-based tech firm Nothing has made a reputation for itself by bucking the trend of boring smartphone {hardware} design in favor of one thing extra thrilling. Not like so a lot of its contemporaries, the corporate is keen to experiment with distinctive aesthetic kinds, whereas throwing in and iterating on its quirky addition of rear-facing LED lights.

With its all-new Cellphone 3, Nothing is making a daring declare. The corporate describes the $800 handset as a real flagship, with inner parts that may measure as much as the competitors. I’ve had the chance to take a look at the Cellphone 3 for a number of days — listed here are my preliminary impressions of the system after unboxing and setting it up for the primary time.

1

The telephone seems to be and feels the half

I am a sucker for Nothing’s distinctive and premium design language

I’ve come to count on stable construct high quality from Nothing, and its new Cellphone 3 does not disappoint. The system is well-built, with tight tolerances, clicky buttons, and a very good weighted-in-hand really feel. Each inch of the unit is constructed out of premium supplies, whether or not it’s the glass back and front panels, or the aluminum aspect rail.

The Cellphone 3 is on the market in each white and black colorways, every that includes a subtly translucent rear. The Nothing emblem is tastefully positioned close to the underside left-hand aspect, and the boxy form of the unit seems to be slick with out feeling uncomfortable whereas resting in my hand. Personally, I are likely to gravitate in the direction of extra compact telephones, however the trade-off right here comes within the type of an expansive 6.67-inch AMOLED show.

I’ll say that the triple rear digital camera array is an acquired style, nevertheless. Every lens is housed individually versus being clustered inside a single visor or digital camera protrusion, however there is a conspicuous lack of symmetry that I discover laborious to look previous. To the precise of the cameras is Nothing’s new Glyph Matrix display — extra on that in only a bit.

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2

The in-box equipment are suitably premium

These aren’t commonplace off-the-shelf components

Becoming in with the theme of premium high quality, Nothing has bundled the Cellphone 3 with a set of customized in-box peripherals. The three.28-foot (1-meter) USB-C to USB-C charging cable is stylized with a clear jacket, and the SIM tray ejector instrument is rounded off and equally clear. These are small particulars that most individuals will not assume twice about, however they go a good distance in demonstrating Nothing’s total consideration to element.

After all, with it being 2025, there isn’t any AC adapter or earbuds to be discovered within the field. Nevertheless, the inclusion of a free case and a pre-applied display screen protector is a consumer-friendly transfer that I recognize drastically. All in all, Nothing has mastered the artwork of treating its customers nicely from an out-of-box expertise perspective.

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3

I like Nothing OS

The slickest Android pores and skin this aspect of Pixel UI

As ever, Nothing has completely nailed the software program aspect of the smartphone equation. The Cellphone 3 ships with Android 15 out of the field, custom-made with Nothing OS 3.5. The pores and skin itself is light-weight, with small tweaks and additions sprinkled all through the “inventory” Android Open Source Project (AOSP) model of Google’s cellular OS.

I proceed to like the visible cohesiveness of Nothing’s UI, with its distinctive dot matrix design and its assured selection of typeface. There’s completely no bloatware pre-installed on the telephone; the Nothing X and Essential Space apps, that are chargeable for Nothing-branded accent administration and screenshot group, respectively, are the one out-of-box software program additions that could possibly be described as superfluous.

Nothing guarantees 5 years of characteristic updates and safety patches for the Cellphone 3. This does not fairly attain the seven-year threshold established by Samsung and Google, however I might argue that it is throughout the realm of acceptability for a modern-day Android smartphone. Nothing OS 4, which might be based mostly on Android 16, is expected to land sometime soon on the Cellphone 3.

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Nothing’s new ‘Glyph Matrix’ seems like the best use for the back of your phone

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4

The Glyph Interface is enjoyable however not significantly helpful

I by no means thought I might spin a digital bottle on the again of my telephone

Apparently, Nothing has determined to axe its now-iconic array of rear-facing LED strips from the smartphone equation, in favor of a brand new Glyph Interface referred to as the Glyph Matrix. Primarily, there is a small round show embedded on the again of the telephone, which shows content material with a pixelated retro-style aesthetic. This secondary ticker show is activated by way of a pressure-sensitive button (additionally discovered on the rear of the unit), permitting you to cycle by means of varied “toys.”

There are a number of of those Glyph Toys obtainable, and Nothing has opened up the API for third-party builders to utilize as nicely. Out of the field, there are modules for the present time, for spinning a digital bottle, for displaying battery life, and for triggering a stopwatch. The Glyph Interface also can point out the adjustment of quantity, it may be used as a makeshift flashlight, and it may be configured to mild up in distinctive methods on a per-notification degree.

On the entire, Nothing’s new Glyph Interface is a enjoyable gimmick that does not actually get in the way in which of the telephone expertise correct. I have been having fun with the glanceable info it supplies when resting the telephone face-down on a desk, although the precise utility on provide is fairly unremarkable. Apparently, my favourite a part of the setup to this point has been the blinking pink LED that lights up each time a video is being actively recorded.

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5

The Important Key nonetheless bugs me

I incessantly set off it by chance

Nothing first launched the Important Key on its mid-range Phone 3a and 3a Pro handsets earlier this yr. The characteristic is pitched as a quick-access button for taking screenshots and voice notes, which then get despatched right into a devoted Important Area app for viewing and organizing. At its core, the Important Key’s an AI button, and AI buttons have by no means been my cup of tea.

The issue with the Important Key and its corresponding Area is that it is proprietary: in the intervening time, I can not sync my notes and screencaps with any third-party service, nor can I entry them on my desktop PC. This severely limits the characteristic’s utility in my eyes, however I am hoping future software program updates will bolster its capabilities over time.

The opposite situation I’ve with the Important Key pertains to the bodily button itself. Regardless of its shiny end and convex form, I at all times discover myself clicking it as a substitute of the ability key. This proved irritating throughout my time with the Phone 3a Pro, and the scenario is similar on the three. I hope that, given sufficient time, the utility of the Key will enhance to the purpose the place I discover its location to be a comfort versus a hindrance.

This system was offered to Pocket-lint by Nothing.

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