Here is what really acquired my consider...

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. In contrast to so a lot of its contemporaries, the corporate is keen to experiment with distinctive aesthetic types, 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 cellphone seems and feels the half

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

I’ve come to anticipate 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 or not it’s the glass back and front panels, or the aluminum facet rail.

The Cellphone 3 is accessible in each white and black colorways, every that includes a subtly translucent rear. The Nothing brand is tastefully positioned close to the underside left-hand facet, and the boxy form of the unit seems slick with out feeling uncomfortable whereas resting in my hand. Personally, I are inclined 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 digicam array is an acquired style, nonetheless. Every lens is housed individually versus being clustered inside a single visor or digicam protrusion, however there is a conspicuous lack of symmetry that I discover onerous to look previous. To the proper 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 normal off-the-shelf elements

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 device is rounded off and equally clear. These are small particulars that most individuals will not suppose twice about, however they go a great distance in demonstrating Nothing’s total consideration to element.

In fact, 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 significantly. All in all, Nothing has mastered the artwork of treating its customers properly from an out-of-box expertise perspective.

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3

I really like Nothing OS

The slickest Android pores and skin this facet of Pixel UI

As ever, Nothing has completely nailed the software program facet of the smartphone equation. The Cellphone 3 ships with Android 15 out of the field, personalized 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 alternative of typeface. There’s completely no bloatware pre-installed on the cellphone; the Nothing X and Essential Space apps, that are liable 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 function 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 will probably be primarily based 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 notably helpful

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

Curiously, 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 cellphone, which shows content material with a pixelated retro-style aesthetic. This secondary ticker show is activated through 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 accessible, and Nothing has opened up the API for third-party builders to utilize as properly. 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 may also point out the adjustment of quantity, it may be used as a makeshift flashlight, and it may be configured to gentle 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 best way of the cellphone expertise correct. I have been having fun with the glanceable info it offers when resting the cellphone face-down on a desk, although the precise utility on supply is fairly unremarkable. Curiously, my favourite a part of the setup to this point has been the blinking pink LED that lights up every time a video is being actively recorded.

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5

The Important Key nonetheless bugs me

I continuously 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 function is pitched as a quick-access button for taking screenshots and voice notes, which then get despatched right into a devoted Important House app for viewing and organizing. At its core, the Important Secret’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 House is that it is proprietary: for the time being, 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 function’s utility in my eyes, however I am hoping future software program updates will bolster its capabilities over time.

The opposite difficulty I’ve with the Important Key pertains to the bodily button itself. Regardless of its shiny end and convex form, I all the time discover myself clicking it as a substitute of the facility key. This proved irritating throughout my time with the Phone 3a Pro, and the state of affairs 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 supplied to Pocket-lint by Nothing.

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