Feed aggregator

Act fast! This is your sign! Last chance! If marketing messages like these are making money fly out of your wallet, they're doing their job. These tips can help you guard against artificial offers.'/>

Retailers use marketing techniques to get you to spend more, like creating a false sense of urgency or creating artificial discounts. Outsmart the gimmicks with these tips.

(Image credit: Mininyx Doodle)

Robot vacuums don't always have to be expensive. Sure, you lose out on some more premium features and some build quality, but there are plenty of automated and capable floor cleaners on offer this Black Friday for less than $500.

These are seven pitfalls to avoid if you want to limit your stress this holiday season.

Black Friday Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S deals are here, these are the best I've found.

If you've ever searched for cheap website hosting, then HostPapa is likely one of the brands you'll have come across. Based in Ontario, Canada, the company has been around for close to two decades.

After a series of aggressive acquisitions, HostPapa today has become one of the bigger hosting brands around. It's what I like to call a one-stop shop, offering everything website owners need, from hosting to security and more.

Overall, HostPapa is a brand that is worth a try if you're in the market for cheap hosting. You''ll just need to be careful at checkout not to select add-ons and be patient with the onboarding process.

HostPapa hosting plans and prices

(Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Because of its popularity, several WordPress plans are also available. These are built on different platforms, from shared to VPS. Additionally, you can get email hosting, Microsoft 365, premium SSL certificates, and more.

Shared Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

Shared hosting plans range between $2.95/mo and $9.95/mo. These are the rates for 3-year terms. Following that, renewals cost from $8.99/mo to $27.99/mo, depending on your subscribed plan.

The lowest shared hosting plan (Essentials) offers decent specifications for a single website: 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, and 25GB of NVMe storage. However, remember that this is shared hosting, so hosting resources aren't yours alone.

There's also what HostPapa calls Optimized WordPress hosting, which simply means they pre-install WordPress on your shared hosting account. The prices are identical, as are the specifications.

VPS and Managed WordPress Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. These plans are a step up from shared hosting. You'll find performance on VPS more consistent, since all the specified resources are yours alone.

The unmanaged VPS plans at HostPapa are, honestly, very cheap. Prices range from $5.95/mo to $59.95/mo, depending on resources provided. The cheapest plan (Start) offers 2 vCPUs, 2GB RAM, and 50GB of storage.

Managed VPS plans are meant for those who don't have the skills (or time) to manage a barebones virtual server. For this, you pay premium rates at HostPapa, ranging from $36.95/mo to $86.95/mo.

The last offering in the VPS segment is HostPapa's Managed WordPress plans. Think of this as Managed VPS plans, which are restricted to WordPress only. As such, prices fall between $19.95/mo to $114.95/mo.

Dedicated Servers and Reseller Hosting

(Image credit: Future)

If you're one of those with much higher hosting requirements, then HostPapa's dedicated servers are what you'll need. These plans offer you a custom-configured server, with specifications that would make boyish hearts go "Whopee!"

Prices on these range from $59.95/mo to $219.95/mo for unmanaged servers. If you want a managed dedicated server, be prepared to fork out the big bucks. Prices in this category range between $109.95/mo to $269.95/mo. The most interesting part here is that there is no price hike on renewal for dedicated server plans.

Reseller hosting ranges between $14.95/mo to $57.95/mo. The specifications for these plans are rather modest since the focus is on white-label services and the number of cPanel accounts assigned to you.

Note: HostPapa does not offer a temporary domain name, so you must either have a domain name already registered or buy one from them to get started.

Getting started at HostPapa

Be careful of what add-ons you select when choosing your HostPapa plan. (Image credit: Future)

Once you've decided which hosting plan you want, click the "Buy Now" button below that plan. You'll then head to a screen where you fill in your billing details and finalize the configuration for your hosting plan.

There are two key things you have to note here:

• Only those opting for shared hosting can choose their data center location. There are three locations available: The United States, Canada, and Europe.
• Pay attention to the optional add-ons. PapaCare Lite is selected by default. If you don't unselect that option, you'll find a significant amount getting billed monthly after the first month.

Onboarding process

HostPapa uses cPanel, making it easy for you to manage your hosting account. (Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, things don't start moving quickly once you've made your payment. With most other hosts, I've gotten onboarding emails almost immediately. HostPapa made me wait 5 minutes before emailing me an identity verification request.

This means you'll have to scan an ID document and scan your face, either on your phone or via webcam. If you wear glasses and can't see without them, things can get problematic since the facial scan requires you to remove them.

When all of this is done, you can finally access your user dashboard. This is where the magic happens. To get started with your website, click "My cPanel." I used it to install WordPress, which completed in a few minutes.

Speed and reliability

When testing web hosts, we typically sign up for the cheapest plan available. For HostPapa, that was the Essential shared hosting plan. We then upload a pre-built WooCommerce website to standardize our tests.

WordPress benchmark testing

CPU & Memory

Operations with large text data

9.07

Random binary data operations

7.3

Recursive mathematical calculations

4.83

Iterative mathematical calculations

7.86

Floating point operations

5.64

Filesystem

Filesystem write ability

0

Local file copy and access speed

0

Small file IO test

0

Database

Importing large amount of data to database

7.75

Simple queries on single table

8.56

Complex database queries on multiple tables

4.52

Object cache

Persistent object cache enabled

0

Wordpress core

Shortcode processing

4.91

Wordpress Hooks

7.69

Wordpress option manipulation

7.9

REGEX string processing

0

Taxonomy benchmark

7.33

Object capability benchmark

6.74

Content filtering

2.09

JSON manipulations

7.92

Network

Network download speed test

0

Overall

Your server score

5.3

Typically, when an entire test category fails, it indicates that the host may have disabled certain operations. In this case, HostPapa seems to disallow filesystem operation and network speed tests. This has somewhat skewed our HostPapa system benchmark.

However, given the other parameters indicate healthy server operations. HostPapa's shared hosting performed well on CPU and memory operations and showcased impressive database times. All in, that's great news for WordPress fans.

Siege test

Concurrent users

5

9

15

Transactions

1542

2562

4210

Availability

100.00

100.00

95.64

Elapsed time

299.01

299.99

299.93

Data transferred

64.77

112.61

181.76

Response time

0.97

1.05

1.07

Transaction rate

5.16

8.64

14.04

Throughput

0.22

0.38

0.61

Concurrency

4.99

8.98

14.97

Successful transactions

1542

2562

4225

Failed transactions

0

0

192

Longest transaction

4.56

8.11

11.05

Shortest transaction

0.72

0.72

0.36

Siege is our benchmark of choice for load testing. It sends multiple requests according to our parameters to test the server's ability to handle simultaneous transactions. Impressively, HostPapa's cheapest shared hosting account performed quite well.

It handled up to 9 concurrent users easily, with 100% successful transactions. However, this came at a small sacrifice in performance as increased loads resulted in some transactions being somewhat delayed beyond the norm.

Once we hit the server with 15 concurrent users, HostPapa began to struggle. There was a slight uptick in failed transactions and longer completion times for some transactions. Still, a 95% success rate for shared hosting is good.

Customer support and knowledge base

You'll find lots of useful info in HostPapa's knowlege base, (Image credit: Future)

HostPapa has one of the most extensive knowledge bases I've come across. Much of the content is helpful, especially the short guides that teach novices simple things like DNS pointing and basic WordPress tutorials. For those more visual, there are also various video tutorials.

It also offers great customer support via live chat, email, phone, or a ticketing system. If you need more assistance, sign up for one of their short one-to-one training sessions (for free!).

Who should consider using HostPapa?

Let me be honest. HostPapa is cheap and offers decent performance. However, once the cheap introductory pricing wears off, you'll be better off elsewhere. Given the cost of their VPS plans, it would be far more cost-effective to sign on with Cloudways.

Or, if you prefer, consider a WordPress-only expert like WP Engine or Kinsta. They might be more expensive, but you'll get the powerful hosting that you'll need to squeeze every bit of performance out of your WordPress website.

I'd recommend HostPapa only if you're:

• Brand new to web hosting.
• Have price as one of your key considerations.
• Require lots of help getting started with hosting.

Final verdict

While writing this review, I had to remind myself that I was on a web hosting plan that costs $2.95/mo. For that price, HostPapa demonstrated performance that, to me, felt good. However, the onboarding process did turn me off because of the email delays, and the emails didn't come in a logical order which may leave some new users slightly confused.

There are many more pros than cons to this web host, and unless you're playing in the big leagues, the plans here are worth a go. Give it a shot for yourself and see what I mean.

HostPapa FAQsWho owns HostPapa?

HostPapa is owned by Jamie Opalchuk, the guy who started the company back in 2006. He's the CEO of the company and has overseen all stages of its growth, from initial teething to several mergers and acquisitions.

What is HostPapa used for?

HostPapa is a web hosting company. It offers a full range of hosting plans, from cheap web hosting to powerful dedicated servers. The company also offers several associated services, such as Google Workspace, AI-based marketing, and more.

Is HostPapa a good company?

HostPapa is one of the best cheap web hosting providers around. It offers users a wide range of web hosting solutions. It's great for new users, since it still provides cPanel on shared hosting, despite increased licensing costs.

Where is HostPapa located?

HostPapa is a Canada-based company. However, its products and services are available worldwide. The company has several overseas addresses as well, including in Australia, Germany, and the UK.

Is HostPapa good for beginners?

HostPapa products are very GUI-driven, making it easy for beginners to use. You can set up a website in a few clicks, even on shared hosting, thanks to cPanel. If you sign up for WordPress hosting, things are even simpler.

• We've also highlighted the best web hosting

Leica has just sold a unique M-A camera belonging to the late Pope Francis to raise millions for charity –here's what it looks like.

Medicare announced 15 lower drugs after a second round of negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. The drugs include Ozempic and also drugs to treat asthma, breast cancer and leukemia.

(Image credit: Eric Thayer)

Our best compact camera for 2025 guide will help you find the right pocket camera for you, whatever your budget.

The latest marketing scheme from EVA AI is an AI Dating Cafe, and it's obviously a terrible idea

The Poco F8 Ultra might be able to replace your portable speaker, and it has got high-end specs too.

Check out these Black Friday deals that make some of the more affordable OLED TVs a bit cheaper.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro costs less than a typical flagship this Black Friday thanks to this record-low deal

I'm rounding up the 85 best Walmart Black Friday deals worth buying, from Apple, Lego, Ninja, and more, plus information on when stores open on Black Friday.

One of the best data removal services, DeleteMe, has a super 30% discount code that works on all plans.

The Nothing Phone 3 matches Samsung and Apple flagships in price, but has its own novel appeal.

Nothing Phone 3 two-minute review

After several years of standing at the edge of the pool and occasionally dipping its toes in, British phone maker Nothing has finally decided to jump into the cold lido that is the premium smartphone market. Perhaps it took those “no running” signs too literally, because while the Nothing Phone 3 is one of the best Android phones I've tested recently, it hasn’t made enough of a splash to truly threaten its big-name rivals.

The Nothing Phone (3), as it’s officially called – excuse the odd bracketing, but if you're new to the brand, the company is a grammatical law unto itself – marks an ascension from the mid-range Phone 1 and Phone 2. It's now priced akin to the Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17, and shall be judged accordingly.

In many ways, this is a phone that meets or even exceeds any expectations that such comparisons may evoke. Its quartet of 50MP cameras gives the big-name phones some needed pointers in hardware, especially with its far-reaching periscope lens. The battery is bigger than what Apple or Samsung use in their similarly priced mobiles, and the Phone 3's charging speed likewise outstrips the competition (as long as you don't treat mid-range Android phones from non-Samsung companies as 'the competition', because you can spend less and get more from certain lesser-known devices).

I also like some of the software touches Nothing has brought to its fork of Android. The icons of apps you download will automatically be converted into Nothing's house style, which, on my sample, worked more often than it didn't and maintained a consistency to the Phone 3's design that's rare among smartphones these days.

What I'm about to write next will upset Nothing fans, but it's something that struck me repeatedly through weeks of testing the Phone 3: it's the most novel and ‘Nothing’ touches to the phone's software that might put people off.

Take, for example, the design. Nothing likes a unique, blocky design for its phones, but ‘unique’ isn't the same as ‘good’. The Phone 3 is also a fair bit heavier than the average handset and feels ungainly to hold.

The extra side button that Nothing has added to the edge of the mobile is useful in certain situations, as it lets you take a screenshot with one tap. However, it's poorly placed – I kept mistaking it for the power button – and doesn't do as much as I would've liked. I was longing for it to double as a camera app shutter button, like on the Sony Xperia 1 VII, but no cigar.

As I've already alluded to, I can also see many people finding the software as divisive as the phone’s design, although with Nothing OS, you get out as much as you put in (i.e, if you don’t like its look, you can change a lot about it), which can't be said for every Android fork.

Going into this review, with knowledge of the price in mind, I imagined that the Phone 3 would be a Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 17 rival that would pale in comparison to two of the most popular devices out there. And having used the handset for four weeks, I don’t imagine it’ll challenge those heavyweights in terms of sales.

But at the same time, I do understand the appeal of the Nothing Phone 3. It’s slick, but unafraid of its rough edges; not attempting to be the ‘everyone phone’ but trying to do something different. And you've got to respect that.

Nothing Phone 3 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Released in July 2025
• 12GB / 256GB: $799 / £799 / AU$1,509
• 16GB / 512GB: $899 / £899 / AU$1,689

The Nothing Phone 3 was released in July 2025 in two variations. You can pick up the Phone 3 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and that’ll cost you $799 / £799 / AU$1,509, or there’s a model with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and that sells for $899 / £899 / AU$1,689.

That’s a fairly premium price, and a marked step up from the $599 / £579 / AU$1,049 asking price of the Nothing Phone 2, but the brand is pushing this as its first "true flagship", and so the bump makes sense.

For context, the 256GB model of the iPhone 17 costs $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, and the Samsung Galaxy S25’s lowest-storage variant starts at the same price everywhere except Australia (where it isn’t on sale). Admittedly, for the latter, that’s a 128GB model, but you get the picture – this is the ‘premium’ price to aim for.

If that price increase is too much for you to stomach, you should consider all of the Phone 3's budget siblings, which are already out: there's the Phone 3a, Phone 3a Pro, and Phone 3a Lite.

Nothing Phone 3 review: specsNothing Phone 3 specs

Dimensions:

160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm

Weight:

218g

Screen:

6.67-inch FHD (1260 x 2800) 120Hz AMOLED

Chipset:

Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

RAM:

12/16GB

Storage:

256/512GB

OS:

Android 15, Nothing OS 4

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.7

Ultra-wide camera:

50MP f/2.2 114-degree

Periscope camera:

50MP, f/2.7, 3x zoom

Front camera:

50MP, f/2.2

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

5,150mAh

Charging:

65W wired, 15W wireless, 7.5W reverse

Colors:

White, black

Nothing Phone 3 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

• Chunky (9mm) and heavy (218g)
• Unique twists: Glyph Matrix and Essential Key
• Blocky design

It’s been a while since I’ve used a phone that felt quite as chunky as the Nothing Phone 3. Partly, this is down to the 218g heft, putting it in a weight class above many of its premium rivals (it matches the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, despite being smaller in most regards), but partly it’s the sheer blocky design of the thing.

I’m no thin-phone evangelist, but at 9mm thick, the Phone 3 is at the other end of the spectrum from the likes of the iPhone Air. It’s 160.6mm tall and 75.6mm wide, so it’s big, but it’s not Ultra or Pro Max big. But in some ineffable way, it still feels chunkier than its bigger rivals. This is clearly a phone that’s been designed meticulously, yet in a lot of ways it feels poorly thought-out.

Like its predecessors, the Nothing Phone 3 has a robot-like, mechanical-looking back, which is ostensibly see-through so you can see some screws, but not any of the real internals. The two horizontal camera lenses stick out quite far, though the higher, periscope one doesn’t; the orderly part of me hated how slightly offset this camera was. I see the whole aesthetic of the Phone 3 being quite divisive, but if you know enough about the brand to be reading this review, you’ve already decided whether you like it or not.

A new feature for the Phone 3 is the Glyph Matrix, which is an upgrade on the Glyph interface that past Nothing phones had (which were basically just light strips). The Matrix lets you display information like a stopwatch or the battery level, and there are a few games too, like Spin the Bottle and Rock, Paper, Scissors. You can scroll through the options or select them by pressing or holding the white circle midway down the body below it. Many of the Matrix functions that Nothing touts on its website, like photo previews or a torch mode, were not readily available on the phone I tested (at least via the Glyph menu, or anywhere else I checked).

So, the Glyph Matrix is an interesting feature with a few neat use cases, but there weren’t enough useful features to make it a core part of my user experience, and due to the nature of pressing the touch button, I found it easier just to flip over my phone to see the time or battery percentage.

Another feature worth flagging is the Essential Key button, which Nothing has spitefully put exactly where a power button would be on any other handset. Due to this placement, I was constantly accidentally pressing it when I wanted the phone to power up or down; hopefully, experience would eventually teach me not to do this, but it was endlessly frustrating.

The button’s actual function is fine: press it for a screenshot or hold it for a video, both of which you can caption with a written or voice memo, before they’re sent over to the Essential Space. More on that later.

Above the Essential Key is the power button, with the two positioned close enough to each other that, at first glance, you could think they were both part of the volume rocker. The latter is on the left edge of the phone, positioned high enough that I couldn’t reach volume up with my fingers, but could get to volume down.

Due to it being 2025, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so the USB-C port on the bottom edge serves instead. The other important thing to note is the phone's IP68 protection, meaning it’s sealed up from dust and water resistant up to depths of 1.5 meters for up to half an hour.

• Design score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

• 6.67 inches, 2800 x 1260 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 4500 nits max brightness
• Protected with Gorilla Glass 7i

Nothing’s apparently still not decided on the perfect screen size. After bumping up the inch count from Phone 1 to 2, it’s now dropped it ever so slightly on the 3; you’re now looking at a 6.67-inch panel, though one with a higher pixel count. That’s 1260 x 2800, for an FHD display.

The screen supports a billion colors with a 10-bit color depth, and it’s noticeable when you’re watching supported content on streaming services or online.

Some more specs: like many premium phones, the refresh rate is 120Hz, with a lower touch sampling rate than previous models at 1,000Hz, but that’s not a spec most people notice. The peak brightness is a glorious 4500 nits, and if the sun had come out once during my testing period, I’m sure I would’ve reaped the benefits of this particular spec.

The screen’s made from Corning Gorilla Glass 7I, which is designed to offer mid-range and budget phones added toughness. Bearing in mind the aforementioned IP68 rating, the handset seems very hardy.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: software

Here are the apps pre-installed on the Edge 70 (although I can excuse Ecosia, since that's the one I picked as my browser on load-up). (Image credit: Future)

• Android 15 with Nothing OS 4 atop
• Five guaranteed updates; one already here
• Unique look and many bespoke features

When the Nothing Phone 3 launched, it ran Android 15, but by the time I tested it, the rollout to Android 16 had commenced. That's the first of the five major software updates promised to the phone, taking it to Android 20 if Google keeps its numbering system consistent.

Of course, you've seen pictures of the phone, so you know it doesn't run stock Android. Layered atop Google’s software is the company's fork: Nothing OS 4. This is quite a dramatic change versus Android proper, bringing a new look and extra features.

Design-wise, there's obviously the retro-inspired blocky look, which isn't mandatory but which I opted for. I was impressed by how the system converted app icons for all my downloads into the house style, which kept a consistency across the board that I haven't seen before in forks like this. Admittedly, it stumbled a few times – the NYT Puzzles app lost basically its entire logo, and several of Nothing’s own apps have near-identical logos to one another – but it shows admirable commitment to a look.

There are also a few novel features that are unique to Nothing OS, or are at least rare among other brands. Essential Space is a repository of your screenshots, notes, and memos, with organization tools to create collections. The Recorder app has extra features to focus on voices or environmental sounds, and the Essential Key has a shortcut to quickly begin recording. And, of course, there’s the Glyph Matrix and everything that comes with it.

Nothing OS has some AI tools, like integration with ChatGPT and a wallpaper generation tool, but thankfully, these are optional and turned off by default.

There’s some degree of customization in Nothing OS, as you can change the color scheme, add widgets, and create shortcuts, but you’re not getting as much versatility as in most other Android forks. You can change the icon shapes between Nothing’s versions and the standard Android model, and there’s also a storefront to buy alternatives, although, for the most part, these cost money.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

• 50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP periscope lenses
• 50MP front-facing
• Testing is a work in progress; more samples to come

Nothing has decked the Phone 3 out with a camera array that's easy to remember: 50MP, 50MP, and 50MP. One of those is the main snapper, another has an ultra-wide lens with a 114-degree field of view, and the other has a periscope lens for 3x optical zoom.

I'm particularly glad to see the periscope camera, as lenses like this add a certain 'oomph' to a camera array. Not only is it useful for long-range shots, but it also improves the natural bokeh of Portrait photos and the close-up detail of Macro mode.

The selfie camera is – you guessed it – another 50MP snapper, f/2.2. That marks a megapixel increase over the Phone 2, although both use pixel-binning. I found selfies a little washed-out, and in Portrait mode, the artificial bokeh kept fuzzing out parts of my hair.

(Image credit: Future)

My initial impressions of the Nothing Phone 3's camera are rather positive. Its trio of cameras gives you versatility in your shooting, and the Night Mode detail was great. Autofocus was quick, and some of the extra tweaks, like modifiable bokeh, added nice touches.

Nothing's focus seems to be on fine-tuning the standard camera modes rather than adding brand-new ones, though, which seems at odds with its mode of operations in other areas of the device. But I don't mind if I have access to a periscope camera.

You can see some initial camera samples from my time with the Nothing Phone 3 below, but I'm still playing around with it. In the coming days, I'll add more camera samples as well as some fleshed-out thoughts on the phone's photographic performance. I just need to get around to using the three cameras that aren't the zoom one...

• Camera score: 4 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 camera samplesImage 1 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 6

(Image credit: Future)Nothing Phone 3 review: performance and audio

(Image credit: Future)

• Top-end Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset
• 12GB or 16GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB Storage
• Stereo speakers or Bluetooth 6.0

Nothing hasn’t given the Phone 3 the very best chipset available, but one so close that you’d only know the difference by looking at its specs sheet. This is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 from Qualcomm, with that little ‘s’ denoting that this is a step behind the top option (which was the Snapdragon 8 Elite at the time of release, though the Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 has since debuted in newer Android phones like the OnePlus 15).

At the top end of chipsets, though, the performance differences are so minuscule that this really doesn’t matter. When I put the Phone 3 through the Geekbench 6 benchmark tests, the average multi-core score was 6847, and as of the 2025 generation of flagships, any score around 6,500 is the realm of the giants.

I tested the phone on a number of popular mobile titles, and I could always crank the game’s graphics to the max and still enjoy a cracking time. At certain times, including during benchmarking and in certain games, I did notice the phone heat up a fair amount, so be warned if you’re planning on gaming all day.

Depending on which phone you opt for, you’ll get 12GB or 16GB RAM, and I tested a model with the latter. For most people, 12GB is enough, though power users or people buying phones for specific high-intensity use cases might prefer 16GB. The same goes for the storage capacity, which is 256GB or 512GB – I know the former would be enough for me, but if you’re using the handset for work or photography, maybe you’ll want to stretch.

Audio-wise, Nothing has never released a phone with a headphone jack to my knowledge. Instead, you can use a USB-C adaptor, connect headphones through Bluetooth 6.0 or, if you’re home alone and not bothering anyone by using them, the stereo loudspeakers which sound just the same as on every other smartphone.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: battery life

(Image credit: Future)

• 5,150mAh battery
• 65W wired charging
• 15W wireless powering, 7.5W reverse

The Nothing Phone 3 has a 5,150mAh battery – I’m told the Indian model has an extra 350mAh on top of that, but the rest of us get slightly less – which is slightly smaller than many of its contemporary flagships but does beat Samsung and Apple’s price-for-price alternatives.

That’s a solid battery capacity, and it facilitates full-day phone use; I don’t imagine many people will need to charge the Phone 3 mid-way through the working day.

I wouldn’t rely on the phone for a second day of use, though, with the big screen, powerful processor, and Glyph lights all demanding juice.

You’ve got the full hat-trick of charging options here. There’s 65W wired, 15W wireless, and 7.5W reverse wireless (that’s when you use your phone as a wireless charging mat for other devices). None of those speeds is the best in the biz, but – in what’s becoming a refrain for this section – they trump the respective charging speeds of the Galaxy 25 and iPhone 17.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Nothing Phone 3 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

The problem with Nothing’s jump into the big leagues is that the brand’s existing fans, who know the company for mid-range mobiles, might feel a little left in the lurch.

Specifically, fans who are used to the usual Nothing value proposition might not feel that the increased price demanded by the Phone 3 is matched by its spec improvements. Case in point, you can get faster charging, a more premium design, and a bigger battery on much cheaper Android phones.

In short, you’re getting what you pay for, but that’s not the Nothing way – you usually get a little more.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Nothing Phone 3?Nothing Phone 3 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Fans of the brand will be disappointed, but you're getting what you pay for.

3.5 / 5

Design

It'll be divisive in the same way that past Nothing phones have been, but there are some unique touches.

3.5 / 5

Display

It's a good-looking panel that's well-protected and very bright.

4 / 5

Software

Whether you love or hate the look, you've got to admit Nothing has created the most consistent piece of phone software since stock Android.

4 / 5

Camera

Solid hardware with a focus on refining the basics of the smartphone camera experience.

4 / 5

Performance

A powerful chipset is accompanied by lots of RAM and storage.

4 / 5

Battery

It's a decently-sized battery, with a fine charging speed, but there's nothing to write home about.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You like the Nothing aesthetic
If the design of the Phone 3 and its software speaks to you, then you should pick it up right away. Outside of other Nothing phones, no other handsets compare, visually speaking.

You need lots of processing power
The combination of the Qualcomm chipset and loads of RAM makes the Phone 3 a surprisingly capable gaming phone.

You take frequent screenshots
If you're always snapping your phone screen and sharing it with people, the Essential Key is going to prove incredibly handy.

Don't buy it if...

You want a slender smartphone
The Nothing Phone 3 is not a light phone. You really feel it when it's in your hand.

You don't want to spend too much
As the most expensive phone from the brand, this isn't the Nothing phone for people who don't want to spend too much.

Nothing Phone 3 review: Also consider

I keep comparing the Nothing Phone 3 to two particular rivals, so let's take a proper look at them as well as the Phone 3's predecessor.

Nothing Phone 2
The Phone 2 has some scaled-back specs versus the Phone 3, and it misses a few of its unique features. But it's cheaper.

Read our full Nothing Phone 2 review

Samsung Galaxy S25
This handset starts for the same price, but that gets you less storage. Samsung's premium mobile may be a bit boring, but it's powerful and has decent cameras.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 review

iPhone 17
Another same-priced phone, this is the option for people who want to use iOS. It's a powerful and long-lasting handset, but with no zoom camera.

Read our full iPhone 17 review

Nothing Phone 3

Nothing Phone 2

Samsung Galaxy S25

iPhone 17

Starting price (at launch):

$799 / £799 / AU$1,509

$599 / £579 / AU$1,049

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

$799 / £799 / AU$1,399

Dimensions:

160.6 x 75.6 x 9mm

161.2 x 76.4 x 8.6mm

146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2mm

149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm

Weight:

218g

201.2

162g

177g

OS (at launch):

Nothing OS 4, Android 15

Nothing OS 2, Android 13

OneUI 7, Android 15

iOS 26

Screen Size:

6.67-inch

6.7-inch

6.2-inch

6.3-inch

Resolution:

2800 x 1260

2412 x 1080

2340 x 1080

2622 x 1206

CPU:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

A19 Bionic

RAM:

12GB / 16GB

8GB / 12GB

12GB

Unconfirmed

Storage (from):

256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

Battery:

5,150mAh

4,700mAh

4,000mAh

Unconfirmed

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP periscope

50MP main, 50MP ultrawide

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto

48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

50MP

32MP

12MP

18MP

How I tested the Nothing Phone 3

(Image credit: Future)

• Review test period = 3 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

I used the Nothing Phone 3 for four weeks before writing this review, and continued additional testing during the writing process.

During said process, I used the Nothing Phone 3 as my main smartphone. This meant it was my tool for taking photos, scrolling social media, gaming, and working. Before and after this testing, I also conducted benchmarks, as well as standardized battery and charging tests.

I've been testing smartphones for TechRadar for nearly seven years now, so I have copious amounts of experience in experimenting with gadgets and assessing whether they're right for the general consumer.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

Huge Black Friday electric toothbrush deals – save up to 69% on Suri, Oral-B, Philips and more.

There are plenty of big Dyson discounts around, but some are better than others.

Get a huge 95% off IDrive - exclusive for TechRadar readers this Black Friday.

We'll show you all the ways you can watch Atletico Madrid vs Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League from anywhere in the world this Wednesday.