We Finally Know When To Expect The Nothing Phone (3) — And It’s Not Anytime Soon
Summary
- Nothing has focused on mid-range phones since its launch in 2020, with its most recent launch being the Nothing Phone 3a series at MWC 2025.
- Nothing’s CEO confirmed the launch of the Nothing Phone 3 in Q3 of this year.
- In an AMA session, Carl Pei discussed plans for the Phone 3 launch, India imports, and AI on smartphones.
Nothing launched in 2020, and since then, it’s focused on releasing mid-range phones. The company followed suit this year as well, showing off its Nothing Phone 3a series at MWC 2025 and introducing two models: the Nothing Phone 3a and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro. The company’s mid-range smartphones have so far been well-received and have gained a reputation for delivering excellent performance, especially considering the price point. Nothing’s last high-end phone was launched in 2023, the Nothing Phone (2). After two years of being released, it’s certainly due for a refresh.
Although the company has been teasing a new smartphone launch for a while now, it isn’t the Nothing Phone 3. Instead, Nothing has plans up its sleeve (along with its sub-brand, CMF) to release the CMF Phone 2 Pro on April 28. This device is shaping up to be a successor to the CMF Phone 1 and will also be accompanied by a trio of new audio accessories — the Buds 2, Buds 2a, and Buds 2 Plus.
If the CMF Phone 2 Pro or Nothing’s current lineup doesn’t appeal to you, and you’ve got your eyes on the Phone 3, we’ve got some good news. Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, finally confirmed when we can expect the Phone 3 to arrive.
Unfortunately, Nothing’s first flagship is still a couple of months away
Carl Pei held an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning, where someone asked when the Nothing Phone (3) is coming out. He confirmed that the device will launch in “Q3.”
Since Q3 runs from July 1 to September 30, that means we can expect the Phone (3) to arrive sometime during the summer or early fall, assuming there are no hiccups. The Nothing Phone (2) also launched in mid-July 2023, which further supports the possibility of a similar launch window for the Phone (3) this year.
The AMA session lasted ten minutes, and, of course, this wasn’t the only question Pei answered. The session ranged from playful questions, like what Pei had for breakfast (he had an egg, a black coffee, and “vitamin D,” in case you’re interested), to whether Nothing plans on staying niche or becoming bigger than Apple one day.
Pei also mentioned that Nothing is looking into increasing imports from India amidst all the tariff chaos going on, and that “slow and steady improvements every year” are the company’s next big thing in 2025.
Apparently, Pei also isn’t the biggest fan of AI on smartphones, and while he does believe that will change with time, it might take longer than expected. I do find that slightly ironic, though, since the Phone (3) was initially set to launch in 2024, and Pei pushed the release to 2025 as Nothing needed more time to develop its AI capabilities.
A previous leak we reported on also mentions that the device will “take our first step toward our AI-powered platform,” which suggests that, despite Pei’s skepticism, AI will still play a central role in the Phone (3)’s experience.
