Nothing Phone (3): The brand confirms a technical detail that could make teeth cringe
On July 1, Nothing will lift the veil on its highly anticipated Phone (3). Several details are already known: visuals, prices on certain markets, and above all, a central technical element has just been revealed. Unlike the expectations of certain fans, the smartphone will not use the most powerful chip of the moment. A strategic choice that speaks volumes about the brand’s real ambition.
The information unveiled by Yogesh BRAR on X/Twitter has since been confirmed by the manufacturer on the same social network.
A chip jump
The Nothing Phone (3) will therefore be equipped with the Snapdragon 8S Gen 4, a Qualcomm chip, which is certainly efficient, but which remains slightly behind compared to the most powerful processors of the moment, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite of the American founder.
This chipset Based on an eight-hearted architecture, composed of a main cortex-x4 heart clocked at 3.2 GHz, accompanied by three cores Cortex-A720 to 3 GHz, two others at 2.8 GHz, and finally two to 2 GHz. Unlike the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it does not benefit from new Oryon cores, exclusive to the high-end Soc of Qualcomm.
On the graphics side, the Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 incorporates a latest generation Adreno GPU, based on the same architecture as that of the 8 Elite, but in a slightly less efficient version. For artificial intelligence, he claims an NPU 44 % faster than that of Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, which promises great advances for photo processing and uses related to AI.
Connectivity is not to be outdone, with the support of the most recent standards (WiFi 7, Bluetooth 6), and video in 4K to 30 frames per second (I/S). Finally, this processor manages XPAN technology, which allows compatible headphones to connect to WiFi rather than Bluetooth, thus offering better scope and improved sound quality.
Notable absences in the face of competition
This choice implies depriving the phone (3) of certain premium features found on competing models equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite:
- No 8K video
- No slowdown in 4K at 120 I/S
- No 5g mmwave
These absences could weigh in the scale in the face of competing models, such as the Poco F7 Ultra From Xiaomi, which incorporates the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for a launch price similar to that of the phone (3) – and which is now offered at a much lower price.
An assumed strategy
Carl Pei, the founder of Nothing, explained this choice in A recent interview. For him, the objective is not to beat power records, but to offer a global, fluid and intuitive user experience.
Clearly, the London company does not seek to enter the race for figures, but prefers to optimize comfort of use, thermal management, autonomy and manufacturing costs. An approach that contrasts with that of many rival manufacturers.
A launch to be monitored closely
The Nothing Phone (3) will be officially unveiled on July 1 in London. Its positioning is now clear: a high-end smartphone, without excess of power, focusing on consistency, mastery of user experience and good value for money … At least, that’s what we hope.
