Nothing Phone 3: Expected release date, specs, features and design

In a highly competitive smartphone market which includes giants such as Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Google, it’s tough for newcomers to arrive and make an impact – but that is what Nothing Phone 3 intends to do.

Nothing already defied the odds with their current trio of Nothing Phones (1, 2 and 2a). The London-based, Google Ventures-backed tech company prides itself on “making tech fun again” via quirky designs and features that seek to excite users in an age where the excitement of owning new tech has become “uninspired.”

Nothing’s previous two smartphones were released in July 2022 and July 2023, so there have been lots of rumors surrounding the potential of a Nothing Phone 3 and its expected announcement.

Nothing Phone 3: What we know so far and rumors

From AI to improved features, a better camera and more powerful hardware, there’s a lot in the pipeline for Nothing 3, and we’ve even been treated to teasers by Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, who is renowned for using X as a platform to speak to Nothing’s fans.

The other day I couldn't help but shed a tear reviewing future product designs with the team. I'm really proud of how far we've come.

Our first phone was 2022. It's really only been two years. We've got so much ahead of us.

July 8 can't come soon enough. It's time to put… https://t.co/fgv2BzupXE

— Carl Pei (@getpeid) July 3, 2024

Design

The Nothing Phone’s design has become iconic, with its semi-transparent LED back which Nothing calls the Glyph Interface.

It’s not just a design perk, though, as it doubles up as a torch, and volume level indicator which flashes when you receive calls or notifications. Ideal when your phone is face down. Not so much if it’s face down because you’re trying to avoid being distracted. It’s also able to collaborate with specific apps that allow it.

We don’t expect Nothing to steer away from this design for the Phone 3. We’re led to believe we should expect a Glyph Interface on the next edition too.

One change that has been teased by Carl Pei is the introduction of a new button below the existing power button. Pei posted an image on X to show off some changes to Nothing Phone’s OS design, but eagle-eyed followers noticed a mysterious new button. Speculation surrounding its purpose points towards it serving a similar function as Apple’s new Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Display

The Nothing Phone 2 boasts a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1600 nits and support for HDR10+.

Some rumors suggest we might expect to see improvements to the brightness, but its current 120Hz refresh rate may remain the same.

Specs

To remain competitively priced, Nothing Phones tend not to offer the latest hardware. For example, the 2023’s Nothing Phone 2 featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, which was released a year earlier.

Since then, Qualcomm has released Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but we’re not expecting to see that in the Nothing Phone 3, with Gen 2 a more likely inclusion.

However, 91Mobiles reported we could see the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s processor – released in June 2024 – included.

Software-wise, we should expect to see Android 15 out of the box underneath Nothing’s own OS (either 2.5 or 3), which we’ve already been given a glimpse of by Pei in the image above.

Camera

In another attempt to keep costs down, Nothing hasn’t put a great deal of attention into making its cameras competitive in the mid-range market.

The Nothing Phones 1 and 2 both had a two-camera set-up, with the latter boasting a newer Sony IMX890 for its main sensor with a 50MP output, phase-detect autofocus and optical image stabilization.

There are no rumors to suggest Nothing is planning to move away from the current dual camera set-up, but there may still be some improvements to quality and performance, as is generally standard for new smartphone releases.

For example, Phone Arena has reported that the Phone 3 may boast Sony’s latest LYTIA sensor lineup, which could lead to increased control and a richer photographic experience in both light and dark conditions.

Battery

One of the most impressive aspects of the Nothing Phone 2 was its 4,700mAh battery, alongside support for 45W wired fast charging. That’s better than the latest premium offerings from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google.

It’s rumored that Nothing will look to add more advanced fast-charging technology to Phone 3 and perhaps increase battery capacity.

AI

Pei announced on X in June 2024 that Phone 3 will be centered around the company’s AI plans.

He didn’t go into any more detail than that but if that’s the case, we should expect Phone 3 to be packed with AI features.

No surprise there given AI is a focus for almost every new smartphone entering the market today.

What is the Nothing Phone 3 release date?

Initial expectations were that Nothing would follow their recent scheduling by announcing Phone 3 in July 2024, 12 months after Phone 2 hit the shelves. But Pei confirmed on X in June 2024 that Nothing Phone 3 will launch in 2025.

He explained that the company is taking its time to “redefine the user interface to enable a highly personalized and dynamic user experience as AI is integrated at a system level across smartphones.”

Therefore, instead of launching a phone in 2024 that was packed with AI features for the sake of it, Nothing is putting serious consideration into how exactly the introduction of AI would practically benefit its users.

That’s backed up by Pei’s words, where he explained in his announcement that Nothing “wants to get the product right.”

How much will the Nothing Phone 3 cost?

Nothing Phone 2 launched at $600 but with several design and software upgrades expected in Phone 3, we might expect a slight price increase.

The Phone 3 launch price will probably be around the same.

With that in mind, don’t be surprised if it does hit the shelves at north of the Phone 2’s $600 price tag.

Featured Image: Nothing