TL; DR
- Nothing Phone 3 will feature the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, not the flagship 8 Elite.
- Carl Pei claims it’s 36% faster CPU, 88% better GPU, and 60% stronger NPU than Phone 2.
- Launching July 1 in London; expected price around £800 (~₹88,000), but India pricing is unclear.
Nothing has finally dropped the big reveal for the Phone 3 and it’s official: the device will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. This is the same chip seen on upper-midrange phones like the iQOO Neo 10 and the upcoming POCO F7, both priced under ₹35,000. While those are clearly not flagships, Nothing is positioning the Phone 3 as its first “true flagship”, despite using an upper mid-range SoC.
In an official YouTube video, Carl Pei stated the Phone 3 is going to be 36% faster in CPU, 88% better in GPU, and 60% stronger in NPU compared to the Phone 2 (which used the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1). The focus, he said, is on delivering a snappier, more holistic experience, especially as the rest of the device gets upgraded with premium materials like a metal frame, glass back, and potentially better cameras too.
Also Read: Nothing Phone (3) teased with dot-matrix display, launch set for July 2025
That said, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 does have limitations. It lacks support for many flagship features and the ISP isn’t remotely close to as strong as the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It also doesn’t use Qualcomm’s new Oryon cores, found on the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and comes with a cut-down GPU.
Pei previously mentioned a £800 price tag, which would put it head-to-head with phones like the Galaxy S25 Plus in Europe. That number feels quite high, especially when the same chip is being used in phones nearly half that price.
ALSO READ: Nothing CEO Carl Pei Confirms “Headphone (1)” Launch Alongside Phone (3)
The expectation in India is that Nothing may undercut that pricing slightly, ₹50,000 would be ideal, but the final price is expected to be much higher at around ₹65,000. In India, it will be competing with the OnePlus 13, OPPO Find X8, vivo X200, and iQOO 13, which are much more powerful devices. We have to see if Nothing can make up for the performance with something else.
The Nothing Phone 3, alongside the company’s first over-ear headphones (Headphone 1), will be launching on July 1 in London. What are your thoughts on the Phone 3 using an upper mid-range SoC? Is it truly a “true” flagship? Let me know in the comments section below.
ALSO READ: Nothing Phone (3) Teaser Signals Glyph’s Demise, Dot Matrix Display Could Make Debut
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