Carl Pei led electronics producer OnePlus from being a scrappy model for tech lovers providing reasonably priced telephones to at least one that produces a number of strains of gadgets, together with flagship telephones that problem Samsung and Apple. He’s operating the same playbook with Nothing, a five-year-old, venture-backed {hardware} startup that simply launched its most formidable machine, the Telephone (3), earlier this month. The telephone, priced at $799, is meant to compete with gadgets from Samsung and Apple.
Whereas OnePlus targeted on offering value-for-money specs and expertise in its early days, Nothing targeted on design and software program as a differentiator to face out from different telephones. The startup produces eye-catching gadgets with a clear design that attracts consideration.
As my former TechCrunch colleague Brian Heater stated, Nothing Telephone (1) was cool, and the Telephone (2) was a strong mid-range machine whereas sustaining the novelty. The Telephone (3), whereas sustaining the clear design ethos, invokes combined feelings in direction of its design.
The telephone has plenty of uneven parts on the again, together with the unusually organized digital camera module. If you happen to take a look at the reactions on the web, some folks favored it as a result of it’s not like different telephones, whereas some hated it. If you may get over the asymmetrical association, you would possibly just like the machine.
Nothing additionally took away the glyph LED association that was distinguished in earlier Nothing telephones. This association made gadgets stand out much more after they illuminated to point an incoming name or a message. Through the years, the corporate made it extra customizable, permitting you to assign completely different patterns for various contacts. It even created an SDK for builders, which didn’t take off.
With Telephone (3) the LED association is substituted with Glyph Matrix, a circle-shaped second display screen within the prime right-hand nook to show extra info. It might show primary info reminiscent of time and battery degree if you press the button on the again.
The corporate has additionally included mini apps reminiscent of spin the bottle, a stopwatch, and rock, paper, and scissors. That is extra of a enjoyable gimmick that you just would possibly use to indicate off your telephone.
A second display screen on a tool is just not a brand new idea, and it doesn’t remedy the issue of getting to show the telephone to learn the message. You possibly can assign an emoji to a contact, but it surely simply tells you that you just received a message from that contact, however doesn’t let you know what it’s. So it’s important to flip your telephone on anyway. Is the matrix cool? Type of. Is it helpful? Not by a lot but.
The corporate is inviting builders to construct instruments for it, which may enhance issues if there’s adoption.
{Hardware} and Digital camera
The corporate is utilizing a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, constructed on a 4-nanometer structure, which is a step under the Snapdragon 8 Elite used within the Galaxy S25, OnePlus 13, and Xiaomi 15 Extremely. Nonetheless, in your day-to-day utilization, that wouldn’t matter loads.
The machine additionally features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display screen with 1.5K decision, which is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i as a substitute of a stronger Gorilla Glass Victus. The display screen is shiny and has punchy colours. Whereas it helps HDR for YouTube, Nothing stated that Netflix hasn’t whitelisted its gadgets to run HDR content material.
The Telephone (3) options three 50-megapixel cameras for various functions. The principle digital camera has a 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is 20% larger than Telephone (2), at a f/1.68 aperture; the periscope telephoto lens provides 3x optical zoom, 6x in-sensor, and 60x digital zoom with AI Tremendous Res Zoom; and the ultra-wide lens supplies a 114-degree subject of view. There’s additionally a 50-megapixel selfie digital camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
Whereas Nothing claims that this telephone is its “true flagship,” top-tier gadgets reminiscent of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy telephones have achieved distinct digital camera high quality with years of labor. Nothing Telephone (3) takes good photographs, however coloration accuracy wants work to match different flagship telephones. Plus, if the lighting was not superb, the telephone produced crushed shadows and overblown highlights in darkish or shiny areas of photographs.
The telephone has a 5150mAh battery for worldwide variations, which is nice sufficient to final you a day of average to heavy utilization. You possibly can cost the machine by 65W wired charging and 15W wi-fi charging.
AI options
Nothing debuted a customizable {hardware} key known as the Important Key with the Nothing Telephone 3a and 3a Professional. This key ports over to the brand new flagship and opens up the Nothing Area app, which helps you to save screenshots with notes. However unusually, you’ll be able to’t save simply notes.
The corporate can be debuting Important search, which doubles up as an web and internet search utilizing AI.
You possibly can seek for information and occasions by typing in key phrases, or you may also ask a question like “Who gained Wimbledon in 2024?” after which faucet on the AI button to floor internet outcomes utilizing Google’s Gemini fashions. That is akin to Apple integrating ChatGPT with Siri to go looking the net for sure queries.
Picture Credit: Screenshot from TechCrunch
The telephone additionally will get a gathering be aware transcriber, which information your assembly and likewise summarizes key factors. You possibly can set off this by holding the Important key and flipping the telephone. You possibly can double-press the Important key to document a voice snippet with transcription. Nonetheless, customers don’t have a method to entry these recordings and transcripts exterior the Nothing telephone, except they explicitly export them.
In a chat with TechCrunch, CEO Pei stated that smartphone is the most effective medium to distribute AI and the corporate needs to make AI options helpful for customers.
“We’ve got to be actually targeted on constructing issues [AI features] which can be helpful [for end users] and never simply name our telephones ‘Nothing AI telephones’ with some having some picture technology and name it a day,” he stated. “[We are thinking about] how we are able to actually leverage this new know-how to assist folks. The thought is to not compete with folks or to take their jobs away. How will we assist folks develop into higher and likewise extra inventive?”
Whereas this ambition is an effective one to have, Nothing’s function set, which additionally contains an AI-powered wallpaper technology device, is in keeping with different telephone makers.
Nothing’s positioning
Nothing is making the telephone accessible by its web site and Amazon within the U.S. In Canada, it’s partnering with Finest Purchase.
At $799, the machine instantly competes with the Samsung Galaxy S25, Google Pixel 9, and the iPhone 16. Since it’s not being provided by wi-fi service bundles, the telephone remains to be aimed toward folks shopping for unlocked telephones and in search of options to Samsung, Apple, and Google.
In India, the corporate’s largest market, it’s a completely different story for the reason that telephone begins at ₹79,999. Though the corporate provides reductions and exchanges, the costs are on par with or above the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy 25, relying on the vendor. Preliminary reactions on social media recommended that the purchasers discovered the worth excessive, which may influence the corporate’s gross sales.
Nothing has taken it upon itself to problem Samsung and Apple of the world, however in the meanwhile, relatively than direct competitors, the telephone is an effective, cheaper various to these gadgets.
