There isn’t much buzz surrounding the Phone 3, and this is understandable; it represents a significant upgrade from the Phone 2, which launched two years prior. I appreciate what Nothing is achieving with its software, and features like Essential Space provide its devices with a noteworthy edge.
Leading up to the July 1 reveal, Nothing is generating excitement around the device by gradually unveiling information, including its internal components and aesthetics. The Phone 3 will be powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a 4nm chip employing the Cortex X4 and A720 cores. While it stands as a commendable platform on its own — Nothing is highlighting substantial improvements over the 8+ Gen 1 in the Phone 2 — it doesn’t represent the pinnacle of Qualcomm’s offerings.
The accolade of top tier still goes to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. After having used multiple devices equipped with this chipset, I can assert with confidence that it outperforms nearly everything else on Android, even stacking up against the A18. Notably, Qualcomm introduced an entirely fresh custom core architecture this year, and transitioning to the 3nm process provides enhanced efficiency. Both enhancements are absent in the 8s Gen 4; it relies on standard Cortex cores and is made on a 4nm process.