Dear Carl Pei,
It has been almost two years since we wrote to you. A lot has changed in this time. The last time we wrote to you, Nothing was still a relatively new brand, creating a massive marketing buzz in the industry. Since then, not only has Nothing managed to set its feet in the smartphone market but has also launched a sub-brand, CMF, that caters to audiences on a budget. It has emerged as the fastest growing brand in the highly competitive Indian market over the past few quarters – a remarkable achievement for Nothing’s young age. But it is hardly a surprise, given how you built OnePlus in a very similar fashion back when you were with the brand.
3⃣
— Nothing (@nothing) May 8, 2025
Of course, with great success and popularity come great expectations. As Nothing has been around for a while now and is definitely a well-known brand with a wide portfolio, our expectations from the brand have gone up a notch. Which brings us to the next big device on Nothing’s launch horizon: the Nothing Phone (3). You have teased us with a tentative pricing, hinting at a premium phone that could be priced in the vicinity of 800 GBP, and that has taken our expectations even higher. So what do we want from the Nothing Phone (3), apart from the predictable hardware and software boosts?
When you started, you promised that the brand would bring “fun” back to the smartphone world, which had become boring. And credit where it is due, you have been doing exactly that with both Nothing and CMF.
The Nothing Phone (1) (review) was hands down the most fun, innovative phone in terms of design and performance that we had used for a while. The phone brought along that transparent back with LEDs laden on it, which was truly a refreshing sight. Also refreshing were the specs of the phone. We loved how you did not give in to the pressures of adding three cameras on the phone (one great, two very mediocre) and instead decided to add just two very good cameras on the back of the Nothing Phone (1).
Features like wireless charging and a clean UI were not things we expected from a phone in the upper mid-segment range, but you delivered. Then came the Nothing Phone (2) (review), which was more of a follow-up on the Nothing Phone (1). It was a good phone, but it seemed more like an improved version of the OG Phone (1). Interestingly, both these phones were in the premium mid-segment (although the Phone (2) was in touching range of a budget flagship), which gave them the space to miss out on some features – good old corners cut for a lower price.
Now, the Nothing Phone (3) is just around the corner, and our very trusted source (you) has revealed the phone will no longer play in those shallow and forgiving mid-segment waters but instead will move to the more premium price segment – 800 GBP, converts to roughly Rs 90,000 in the Indian currency. That is iPhone and Galaxy S territory, which means the new Nothing Phone has to go all out, leaving no scope for it to have any misses this time around.
In a world full of templates with similar specs and basic designs, the Nothing Phone (1) came as an act of rebellion. The Phone (2) was more of an echo than a revolution, but now that you are going all out (price-wise) with the Phone (3), we need a phone which does not just walk in its predecessors’ shoes but dons a much more unique, fancy and performance-driven pair.
Of course, you would know best what works for Nothing’s first ‘true flagship.’ But we do have our hopes and expectations. So here is what we expect from the Phone (3) (a few suggestions for you to keep the bar high in the smartphone world).
When the Phone (1) was released in the market, there was a sense of surprise and fun that came along with it, mainly because of its transparent back and LED-laden Glyph UI. The Phone (2) brought along a similar arrangement, while the Phone (2a) and (3a) series had smaller variations of this. We think that with the Phone (3), it is time to change things up a bit. And ‘by a bit,’ we mean significantly.
The Nothing Phone (3) needs to come with a back that is radically different from not only its predecessors but anything else we have seen in the market so far. At the very basic level, we would appreciate a change in the design of the LED arrangement, and if you want us to get even more extreme, we would even go as far as to say that maybe it’s time to ditch the LEDs altogether, and instead go for a whole new kind of design with new materials – perhaps the LEDs would stay in a thin bar on the back, like the Pixels’ camera bar, only with more distinct icons (an envelope for email, for instance).
While the Phone (3) is going to be the most premium Nothing phone of all, we would nevertheless like it to come with a feature that is seen in the brand’s most affordable phones. With its sub-brand CMF, Nothing revived the idea of modularity and brought it to a much more affordable segment. Perhaps it is time for Nothing to take a page or two out of CMF’s modularity book and bring some mods to the new Phone (3) as well.
In fact, there can be a Glyph UI cover for the Phone (3), making it optional instead of an integral part of the phone. It would also be super cool to have premium mods like gaming controllers, audio add-ons which would add bigger speakers and even a 3.5 mm audio jack, and of course, the inevitable battery packs. But whatever you do with the mods, try to do make them attachable through magnets and pogo pins – we cannot handle tiny screws anymore. And this is where the mods can come in, premium ones that can take the Nothing Phone (3) experience to a different level, completely.
Moving on to cameras, we appreciate your brand’s commitment to providing quality over quantity when it comes to camera sensors. Even though we have seen some rather ordinary “ultrawide” and “depth” sensors on your budget offerings, we would urge you to stick to your ‘only good cameras’ philosophy with the Phone (3).
Of course, we want a much more improved camera set-up with ideally more megapixels, more zoom and more ability, but do not give in to the temptation to have sensors that are bare minimum megapixel sensors and exist on the back to make up numbers or provide an illusion of variety. Instead, incorporate sensors that can handle more than just one job, sensors that take up less space but do more, like the periscope telephoto sensor that you delivered with the Phone (3a) Pro.
We would be more than happy with an exceptional main sensor paired with a very good periscope telephoto, or a main sensor with some zoom-in abilities and an impressive ultrawide. The choice is yours. All we are saying is– Quality>>>Quantity.
One place where we would not mind having more cameras is on the front. We think there is a lot of potential in selfie cameras that more often than not go unutilised, and it would be awesome if the Phone (3) could change that. The selfie camera on the other Nothing devices is decent, but now that the Phone (3) is going premium, merely being good is not going to cut it.
We all know megapixels are no measure of great performance, so we would like better and bigger sensors and well, even an additional ultrawide sensor would be welcome. While on selfie camera capability, we think the Nothing Phone (3) should get a secure face unlock. While fingerprint scanners are nice and all, give us more reasons to look at the phone – having a great selfie sensor might just come in handy here too.
If there is one complaint that we have had from the Nothing Phone (1) and Phone (2), it is that both phones did not come with a charger in the box and came with relatively slow charging speeds. Now we know these are both asks that may kick Nothing out of the “cool brands that charge slowly and give no chargers” club containing Samsung, Apple and Google, who cares about being cool when you can be popular?
We would ideally like a bigger battery on the phone, but are ready to compromise there if you bundle in speedy charging, both wired and wireless. By speedy, we mean at least 70W wired charging and a charger in the box. You know what would be REALLY cool? Bundling a wireless charger in the box. Or are we asking for too much?
We know our list is already getting a little long, but we cannot end it before asking you for more colours. Yes, we get how black and white are great; however, it is time Nothing’s flagships moved beyond that and added an element of fun (something you keep mentioning) by doing something as simple as adding more colour options to the flagship palette. Imagine a Nothing Phone (3) in maybe lilac or rose gold! We are already crushing over it.
Carl, you have managed to build a very contemporary brand here. The Phone (1) got the attention, the Phone (2) retained it, and the Phone (3) now has the chance to turn its audience into loyalists, even while rattling the cages of those complacently occupying the premium segment and serving up piecemeal updates. Here’s hoping it does just that. All the very best.
Sincerely,
Excitement-hungry tech journos (yet again)
