Nothing Phone (3) Reinvents the Glyph, But at What Cost?

The Nothing Phone (3) has finally landed, bringing with it a bold new look and plenty of buzz-good and bad. The biggest talking point? The revamped Glyph Matrix: a 489-LED dot-matrix display embedded on the top-right of the phone’s back. It’s an upgrade from previous Glyph versions, now capable of showing caller ID, app alerts, and playful animations. You can even personalize icons for contacts or slap on some retro watch faces.

But this gimmicky charm is proving divisive. While some users enjoy the quirky features-like Glyph Mirror, Stopwatch, or the nostalgic Spin the Bottle mini-game-others see the rear screen as style over substance, replacing utility with flashy distractions. Even the so-called Glyph Button, meant to toggle matrix modes, feels like a forced novelty for a feature few asked for.

Design-wise, the Phone (3) has gone full asymmetrical, ditching the clean minimalism of earlier models. A triple-camera setup dominates the back: a 50MP main sensor with OIS (1/1.3″), a 50MP periscope lens with 3x optical zoom (1/2.75″), and a 114° ultrawide shooter. Despite these specs, critics argue that sensor sizes are underwhelming and poorly optimized, especially in this price range.

The front features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display (FHD+, 120Hz adaptive, 4,500 nits peak brightness) with ultra-thin bezels and 2160Hz PWM dimming for a smoother experience. A 50MP front cam sits up top, and an under-display fingerprint sensor is included-though it’s likely optical, not ultrasonic.

Under the hood, Nothing opted for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, supported by 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB storage. A 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery powers the phone, with 65W wired and 15W wireless charging. It’s also the first Nothing phone to feature IP68 water and dust resistance.

Software is handled by Nothing OS 3.5, built on Android 15. Nothing promises OS 4.0 (based on Android 16) later this quarter, alongside 5 years of Android updates and 7 years of security patches-a welcome gesture in a world of short-lived support.

But even with all that, controversy clouds the launch. The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot, especially when Nothing is launching wired accessories, frustrates many. Add to that the questionable design and pricing-$799 for 12/256GB, $899 for 16/512GB-and fans are left wondering whether Nothing’s focus on aesthetic appeal is masking a lack of true flagship substance.

Pre-orders begin July 4, with first sales on July 15 via nothing.tech and partner retailers. It’s available in black and white, but don’t expect the discussion around it to be so monochrome.