Battle me! $799 is a good worth for the Nothing Cellphone 3

I don’t like spending cash any greater than anybody else, and I want top-tier smartphones didn’t price a small fortune. That’s why the Nothing Cellphone 3 caught my consideration — it breaks from the model’s finances previous with a worth that places it proper alongside flagship heavyweights. Nonetheless, flagship competitors means compelling alternate options to think about and loads of arguments to be made about whether or not the Cellphone 3 actually delivers the worth that Nothing is thought for.

At $799, it’s removed from low cost, placing it proper up in opposition to heavyweights just like the Pixel 9, iPhone 16, and Galaxy S25. Nonetheless, I’d argue Nothing has truly priced the telephone precisely proper.

When you adopted the telephone’s launch, you’ll know the Nothing Cellphone 3’s selection of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 processor over the costlier 8 Elite mannequin seen in different flagships has been a little bit of a sticking level. We benchmarked the 8S in a rival telephone and located it’s only a smidgen behind final 12 months’s top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3; it’s not cutting-edge however is loads highly effective for each day wants, reasonable gaming, and no matter else.

At $799, last-gen efficiency (or near it) is greater than serviceable — the truth is, it’s more and more the norm. Google’s Pixel line has by no means topped the charts, but the Pixel 9 (and the far costlier Professional XL) nonetheless maintain their very own. Likewise, the $649 Galaxy S25 FE makes use of a tweaked model of 2024’s Exynos 2400. Even the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus ship with slower variations of Apple’s flagship silicon. The reason being easy sufficient: older chips nonetheless carry out brilliantly.

Positive, you should purchase a telephone with the 8 Elite for $799 — the Galaxy S25 is correct there, and there are much more decisions in case you’re prepared to buy exterior the massive US manufacturers. However exterior of hardcore gaming, I’d argue that few individuals will discover the distinction day-to-day.

Extra importantly, the Nothing Cellphone 3 scores loads of wins in areas that matter much more: battery capability, charging speeds, a triple digital camera setup, and beneficiant base storage for all of your media. Beginning at 256GB is a transfer different manufacturers ought to’ve made years in the past, however they refuse simply to avoid wasting a couple of dollars.

There’s strong parity with these rivals in different areas, too, together with an IP68 score, Gorilla Glass safety, and a slick aluminum chassis. The optical fingerprint scanner gained’t be one of the best round, and the show can’t go as little as 1Hz, however these are minor trade-offs. Our hands-on with the Nothing Cellphone 3 additionally revealed loads of intelligent touches and design decisions that assist it stand out.

I’m nonetheless on the fence in regards to the new Glyph Matrix system, and I’ll have to attend and see if the digital camera array actually competes. Nonetheless, Nothing OS 3.5 is polished and streamlined, and with 5 years of OS updates plus seven years of safety patches, you’ll be able to preserve this telephone simply so long as any competitor.

May Nothing have priced the Cellphone 3 at $699 as a substitute? Maybe — however that will imply extra compromises, pushing it farther from the flagship promote it’s aiming for.

Would you be joyful to lose Gorilla Glass safety, skip IP68 certification, drop the telephoto digital camera, shave off some assist years, or accept a mid-range chip simply to avoid wasting a bit? In that case, you may as properly already seize the very reasonably priced Cellphone 3a Professional.

My level is that this: $799 may not be an outright cut price, but it surely’s aggressive on the very least, and may very well be nice worth in case you prioritize the specs that Nothing has targeted on.

If undercutting the massive gamers sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of Carl Pei has been right here earlier than, again in his OnePlus days. Nothing’s first flagship is definitely inbuilt the identical spirit as these golden years — turning heads with daring design decisions whereas pulling few punches on the basics.

Sarcastically, if there’s one telephone that stops the Nothing Cellphone 3 from working away with the US worth crown it’s the OnePlus 13. Sure, it’s $899, however that further money buys some severe upgrades.

Is $100 further value leaping to a Snapdragon 8 Elite, bigger and superior digital camera sensors, a good larger 6,000mAh battery, and a extra subtle, mainstream design? Effectively, in my view, it completely is; the OnePlus 13 is one of the best telephone from the model in years and arguably one of the best smartphone you should purchase with out spending a grand.

In fact, the battle is way more durable exterior the US, with Xiaomi, vivo, and others throwing much more {hardware} on the wall for related and even cheaper costs than Apple, Google, and Samsung. World consumers have a more durable job deciding whether or not Nothing’s further options justify the associated fee, and I feel that’ll boil down as to if you purchase into the novelty.

Nonetheless, simply because the OnePlus 13 edges it out on pure specs doesn’t imply the Nothing Cellphone 3 lacks benefit or is overpriced. Not not like Google’s Pixel sequence and its software-first method, the Cellphone 3 is priced pretty for what it presents — even when that supply is a bit more unconventional.

As we’ve coated, it has the {hardware} to face toe-to-toe with the massive three whereas offering extra storage proper out of the field and a much bigger battery. A comparable 256GB Galaxy S25 runs $860, which seems to be steep by comparability. Throw within the Glyph, Important Key, and OS touches, and you’ve got a novel expertise that doesn’t look overpriced to me.

If it ever drops to $699 or equal regional pricing, the Nothing Cellphone 3 shall be an absolute steal. However that doesn’t imply it is best to sleep on it at $799.