As the Nothing Phone 3 gears up for its launch on July 1 in London, new confirmed details have emerged, especially about its chipset—and there’s a twist.
Contrary to earlier expectations of the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or 8 Gen 4 Elite, the Phone 3 will instead be powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. While this may appear to place it just below the top-tier chipsets, it’s still a very capable processor with all big cores, including:
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1x Cortex-X4 at 3.2GHz
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3x Cortex-A720 at 3GHz
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2x Cortex-A720 at 2.8GHz
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2x Cortex-A720 at 2GHz
This configuration suggests the Phone 3 will deliver strong multi-core performance—potentially even better than the 8 Gen 3 in sustained tasks—though not at the absolute peak flagship level.
Nothing may be taking a page from Google’s playbook, similar to how the Pixel 9 series uses a less powerful chipset but still delivers a premium experience. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 should be more than capable for gaming, multitasking, and AI features.
In terms of design, Nothing is expected to once again emphasize its distinct industrial aesthetic:
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Transparent or patterned back
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No Glyph lighting this time — possibly replaced by a dot matrix display or another interactive design element
Nothing is also expected to unveil its first over-the-ear headphones, Nothing Headphones 1, at the same event — aiming to rival Sony and Bose in the premium audio space.
Price Expectation
The Phone 3 is likely to be priced in the ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 range, positioning it as a flagship alternative to the:
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Galaxy S25
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OnePlus 13
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iPhone 16
The final judgment will rest on the entire package: design, software experience, display, cameras, and extras like AI features. With Nothing’s track record of pushing unique and bold hardware designs, the Phone 3 could offer a strong flagship-like experience at a slightly lower tier chipset cost.
