Combat me! $799 is a good worth for the Nothing Telephone 3

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

At $799, it’s removed from low-cost, placing it proper up towards heavyweights just like the Pixel 9, iPhone 16, and Galaxy S25. Nonetheless, I’d argue Nothing has really priced the cellphone precisely proper.

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

At $799, last-gen efficiency (or near it) is greater than serviceable — in actual fact, 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 dearer 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 buy a cellphone with the 8 Elite for $799 — the Galaxy S25 is correct there, and there are much more decisions should 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 Telephone 3 scores loads of wins in areas that matter way more: battery capability, charging speeds, a triple digicam 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 bucks.

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 the perfect round, and the show can’t go as little as 1Hz, however these are minor trade-offs. Our hands-on with the Nothing Telephone 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 digicam 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 may preserve this cellphone simply so long as any competitor.

Might Nothing have priced the Telephone 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 comfortable to lose Gorilla Glass safety, skip IP68 certification, drop the telephoto digicam, shave off some help 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 Telephone 3a Professional.

My level is that this: $799 may not be an outright discount, however it’s aggressive on the very least, and could possibly be nice worth should you prioritize the specs that Nothing has centered 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 actually inbuilt the identical spirit as these golden years — turning heads with daring design decisions whereas pulling few punches on the basics.

Mockingly, if there’s one cellphone that stops the Nothing Telephone 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 digicam sensors, a fair greater 6,000mAh battery, and a extra subtle, mainstream design? Effectively, for my part, it completely is; the OnePlus 13 is the perfect cellphone from the model in years and arguably the perfect smartphone you should buy with out spending a grand.

In fact, the battle is far harder exterior the US, with Xiaomi, vivo, and others throwing way more {hardware} on the wall for comparable and even cheaper costs than Apple, Google, and Samsung. International patrons have a more durable job deciding whether or not Nothing’s further options justify the price, and I believe that’ll boil down as to whether you purchase into the novelty.

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

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

If it ever drops to $699 or equal regional pricing, the Nothing Telephone 3 will probably be an absolute steal. However that doesn’t imply you need to sleep on it at $799.