Nothing Phone (3) at £799: Great Phone or Expensive Mistake? (2025 Analysis)

British startup Nothing just dropped their most ambitious smartphone yet - the Nothing Phone (3) - with a £799 price tag that’s got everyone talking. But here’s the million-pound question: in a world where flagship phones cost £1,000+, is Nothing’s latest offering the bargain we’ve been waiting for, or should you be looking elsewhere?

I’ve spent years in tech marketing, and I can tell you that pricing a phone is part art, part science, and part pure audacity. So let’s dive deep into what Nothing is really offering for your hard-earned £799, and whether it stacks up against what else is available in 2025.

What Exactly Are You Getting for £799?

Let’s start with the headline specs, because Nothing has genuinely stepped up their game:

The Core Package:

• Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 processor (that’s current-gen flagship territory, but not quite)
• 12GB RAM + 256GB storage or 16GB RAM + 512GB storage
• 6.67" AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution
• Triple camera system with 50MP main, 50MP periscope (6x optical zoom), and 50MP ultra-wide and a 50MP front camera
• The signature transparent design plus the new “Glyph Matrix” circular display
• 5,150mAh battery with 65W fast charging

On paper, these specs are absolutely competitive. The Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 is no joke - though it’s atleast 20 percent slower than Samsung’s flagships. And that camera setup? 60x digital zoom, 4K video recording across all lenses, and optical image stabilization on all rear cameras. That’s genuinely impressive for £799.

The Glyph Matrix: Gimmick or Game-Changer?

Here’s where Nothing is trying to differentiate themselves, and honestly? It’s pretty clever marketing.

The Glyph Matrix is that small circular LED display on the back that shows notifications, timers, and even plays little games. Nothing calls these “Glyph Toys,” and they include things like a spirit level, Magic 8 Ball, and spin-the-bottle animation.

Is it useful? Marginally. Will it make you feel like you own something unique? Absolutely.

But here’s the thing about unique features in smartphones - they need to solve real problems, not just look cool in marketing videos. The Glyph Matrix is undeniably eye-catching, but after the novelty wears off (and trust me, it will), you’re left asking: does this actually improve my daily phone experience?

The AI Features: Playing Catch-Up or Leading the Pack?

Nothing has packed the Phone (3) with AI features that sound impressive:

• Essential Search: One-stop search across contacts, photos, files, and settings
• Flip To Record: Turn your phone over to start recording meetings
• Essential Space: AI-powered scrapbook for notes and screenshots

These are solid features, but let’s be honest - they’re playing catch-up to what Samsung, Apple, and Google have been doing for years. The “Essential Space” sounds remarkably similar to Samsung’s Notes app with AI integration, and “Essential Search” is basically what Google has been perfecting for decades.

Don’t get me wrong - these features work well and add value. But they’re not revolutionary.

Where the Nothing Phone (3) Starts to Show Its Cracks

Now, here’s where things get interesting, and where my marketing brain starts seeing red flags.

The Camera Reality Check: While that triple-camera setup looks impressive on paper, real-world photography is about more than megapixels and zoom ranges. Nothing is still a relatively young company, and computational photography - the secret sauce that makes modern smartphone cameras actually good - takes years to perfect.

Compare this to established players who’ve had decades to fine-tune their camera algorithms, and you start to see the problem.

The Software Longevity Question: Nothing promises NothingOS 4.0 with Android 16 features “coming soon,” but what about long-term support? Samsung now offers 7 years of security updates. Apple supports iPhones for 6+ years. Nothing? They’re still proving themselves in this department.

The Hardware Gaps: Nothing makes small compromises that add up to a lot. The display being LTPS rather than LTPO means the refresh rate cannot go as low as 1Hz impacting battery life. The front glass is not Gorilla Glass Victus 2 which is what the other flagships use.

The £859 Elephant in the Room

Which brings me to something that’s been nagging at me since Nothing announced this pricing: for just £60 more, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Let me break down what that extra £60 gets you:

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at £859:

• Snapdragon 8 Elite
• S Pen included
• 200MP main camera with proven computational photography
• 7 years of guaranteed software updates
• Full ecosystem integration (Galaxy Watch, Buds, etc.)
• Established track record for resale value
• Samsung DeX for desktop-like productivity

The Math That Nothing Doesn’t Want You to Do

Here’s where my marketing experience kicks in hard: price positioning is everything.

Nothing has positioned the Phone (3) at £799 to seem like a premium-but-affordable option. It’s just under the psychological £800 barrier, making it feel like a steal compared to £1,000+ flagships.

But that positioning only works if there’s nothing significantly better in the £800-900 range. And unfortunately for Nothing, there is if you buy at vendi - Flagship phones but lower priced.

Real-World Usage: Beyond the Spec Sheet

Let me share something most tech reviewers won’t tell you: specs don’t equal experience.

I’ve used flagship phones from every major manufacturer, and there’s a reason Samsung Galaxy S Ultra phones consistently rank among the best despite being more expensive than alternatives. It’s the little things:

• How smoothly the camera app launches
• How accurately the fingerprint sensor works in different conditions
• How well the phone handles thermal management during intensive gaming
• How the software ages over years of use

These are areas where established manufacturers with massive R&D budgets simply have advantages that startup companies can’t match overnight.

The Verdict: Good Phone, Wrong Price Point

Look, the Nothing Phone (3) is genuinely a good smartphone. If it were priced at £599, this would be a very different conversation. At £799, it’s competing in a bracket where “good” isn’t enough - you need to be exceptional.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: for £60 more, you can get exceptional.

Ready to make the smart choice? Check out the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at £859 - your future self will thank you.