Nothing's upcoming Phone 3 doesn't have the upgrade I actually want

Nothing is making a big deal out of the Phone 3, and for good reason; it will be a considerable upgrade over the Phone 2 that debuted two years ago. I like what Nothing is doing with the software, and utilities like Essential Space give its phones a distinct advantage.

Ahead of the July 1 unveil, Nothing is building interest in the device by slowly teasing details, such as the internals and design. The Phone 3 is confirmed to run the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a 4nm chipset that utilizes the Cortex X4 and A720 cores. While it is a good platform in its own right — Nothing is touting heady gains over the 8+ Gen 1 in the Phone 2 — it isn't the best that Qualcomm has to offer.

That honor still belongs to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Having used two dozen phones that feature the chipset, I can say with some confidence that it is faster than just about anything else on Android, and it even holds its own against the A18. Interestingly, Qualcomm went with an all-new custom core design this year, and the switch to the 3nm node means it has better efficiency. You miss out on both upgrades on the 8s Gen 4; it uses regular Cortex cores and is manufactured on a 4nm node.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 debuted on the iQOO Neo 10 last month, and having used it, I came away with the impression that it is a solid choice — for a mid-range device. That's why Nothing's decision to use it on the Phone 3 is puzzling; the manufacturer is clearly positioning the upcoming phone as a flagship, but it isn't including a flagship chipset.

Nothing is likely going to sell the Phone 3 in the vicinity of $800, and not including the best possible silicon puts the Phone 3 at a disadvantage against all the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered devices of 2025, including the Vivo X200 Ultra, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, OnePlus 13, POCO F7 Ultra, Magic 7 Pro, and iQOO 13. Both the iQOO 13 and POCO F7 Ultra cost significantly less than $800, and with either device available in regions Nothing is targeting (India and the U.K.), I don't see how the Phone 3 can stand out.

With such intense rivalry in the high-end segment, any vulnerabilities are going to be magnified, and Nothing's choice to go with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 could potentially affect the device even before its launch. It isn't just about the cores either; the ISP makes a big difference these days, and with the Phone 3 touted to deliver better cameras, going with Qualcomm's best ISP would have made the device that much stronger.

And as much as I dislike generative AI features, that's clearly a key point of differentiation with most manufacturers these days, and having the best NPU would've made the Phone 3 stand out. Nothing counts enthusiasts as a key portion of its user base, and it is this audience that cares about the spec sheet more than most.

Of course, a phone is much more than its specs, and Nothing has shown in the past that it is able to deliver devices with good optimization even without using the best hardware. But I can't help but feel that the brand is being a bit disingenuous by calling the Phone 3 a true flagship — that clearly isn't the case.

I enjoyed using the Phone 2 when it came out, and the budget Phone 3a and 3a Pro this year. I'm intrigued by what the Phone 3 has to offer; I'll reserve judgement until I use the phone, but I wanted Nothing to deliver a device that's on the same lines as other flagships, and it's annoying that we aren't getting that.