Nothing Phone 3 is here — but what’s up with that price?
The latest from Nothing comes with flagship ambition, but not quite flagship value
Nothing has officially launched its most ambitious smartphone yet — the Nothing Phone 3 — priced at ₹79,999 for the base variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. That would typically be par for the course in the flagship segment, except for one crucial detail: the phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a chip that, while capable, doesn’t quite sit at the top of the performance hierarchy.
In contrast, phones at this price point — think Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 with the A18 chip, or Samsung’s Galaxy S25 running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Elite — pack the very best silicon on offer. With that in mind, Nothing’s pricing strategy has triggered an online backlash, raising concerns over what users are actually paying for.
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From affordable cool to premium confusion
Nothing built its early reputation on delivering quirky, well-designed smartphones at competitive prices. The Phone 3a and 3a Pro were praised for offering excellent value, clean software, and a unique design language. They embodied the brand’s ethos: minimalism, style, and just enough power.
The Phone 3, however, seems to diverge from that formula. For a company that manufactures its devices in India, the fact that the Indian retail price exceeds the US launch price is raising eyebrows. The 16GB RAM variant, priced at ₹89,999, nudges the phone into luxury territory — a category where performance expectations are uncompromising.
Alternative phones with the same chip — at half the cost
Here’s where the real dissonance lies: the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 — while newer — isn’t the best Qualcomm offers. And it’s the same chipset found in two other Android phones that cost under ₹35,000.
The Poco F7, launched in June at ₹31,999, features the same chip along with 12GB RAM, UFS 4.1 storage, a 7,550mAh battery, and a premium glass-metal build. It does come with Xiaomi’s bloat-heavy HyperOS, but most preinstalled apps can be removed — a small compromise considering the price difference.
Similarly, the iQOO Neo 10, priced at ₹31,999 for the base variant and ₹35,999 for the 12/256GB model, brings the same Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, a 144Hz display, and a 7,000mAh battery with improved thermal management. While it may lack the design flair of the Nothing Phone 3, it’s performance-first at a fraction of the cost.
There’s also the Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro, not yet available in India, which features the same processor along with Leica-tuned cameras and a 6,000mAh battery. If it arrives as the Xiaomi 15 Civi, the mid-range flagship space could become even more crowded — and more competitive.
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So, what does “flagship” mean in 2025?
Design and software are where Nothing shines, and the Phone 3 continues that legacy. The glyph interface remains a visual standout, and Nothing OS is polished and intuitive. But at ₹80,000, the conversation shifts.
A flagship phone, by most definitions, is more than just aesthetic appeal and smooth UI — it’s about performance, camera capability, and cutting-edge hardware. Right now, the Phone 3 feels like a mid-premium phone dressed in flagship clothing, and the market has noticed.
For Nothing, the challenge now is to justify the premium — because at this price, style alone isn’t enough.
