The Phone 3 is priced at ₹79,999 (approximately $933) in India, which is outrageous.
The Phone 3 represents Nothing’s most ambitious offering to date, continuing the brand’s legacy of unique design paired with compelling software features. There is undoubtedly much to appreciate about the device, and I look forward to experiencing it. However, one element was particularly striking during the launch: the price point.
In the U.S., the Phone 3 begins at $799, climbing to $899 for the 16GB/512GB variant. This will be a challenging proposition, especially since Nothing lacks any carrier collaborations in the U.S. The brand encounters a tougher struggle in its largest market, India. The 12GB/256GB version of the Phone 3 is priced at ₹79,999 ($933) in India, while the 16GB/512GB variant is available for ₹89,999 ($1,050).
This pricing is unreasonable in a market that is notably sensitive to costs, and I am unclear about what led Nothing to adopt such a high price point. The brand typically sells the vast majority of its products—whether budget devices, earbuds, or CMF-branded items—in India, indicating a solid grasp of the pricing landscape. Nevertheless, the Phone 3 is more expensive in India than in the U.S., which is puzzling.
The difficulty in justifying the price lies in the fact that the Phone 3 is assembled locally in India. Nothing proudly states that the Phone 3 is “Designed in London. Made in India,” yet the pricing does not support this assertion. The entire premise of producing a device within the country is to decrease costs, a strategy effectively employed by Chinese brands that offer their flagship devices at significantly lower prices compared to other markets.
For example, take the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. The device is priced at ₹109,999 ($1,284) in India for the 16GB/512GB variant, and while that is a considerable amount, the same phone is available for £1,199 ($1,642) in the U.K. Similar trends are observed with the OnePlus 13; in India, the device starts at ₹69,999 ($816), while it is priced at $899 in the U.S.
Every other brand comprehends the necessity to adopt a competitive approach in India to establish a presence, which makes the Phone 3’s pricing in India difficult to comprehend. No need to reference other brands; Nothing’s Headphone 1—which was launched alongside the Phone 3—is expected to retail for ₹21,999 ($256) in India, demonstrating a significant difference compared to the $299 pricing in the U.S.
This pricing trend is consistent across all of Nothing’s products launched over the past three years; items such as the Phone 2a, Phone 3a Pro, CMF Phone 2 Pro, CMF Buds 2, and Buds 2 Plus, among other earbuds, are priced lower in India than in almost any other region, yet with the Phone 3, the scenario is reversed.
Furthermore, there is the hardware consideration; the Phone 3 does not feature Qualcomm’s premium silicon, opting instead for the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. While it is an adequate chipset, it is found in devices that are priced at less than half that of the Phone 3, such as the iQOO Neo 10 and the POCO F7.
Nothing insists that the quality lies in how the hardware is optimized, not just in the components used; the brand has previously demonstrated proficiency in this area, but it does not change the fact that you’re spending more for a device that falls short compared to the OnePlus 13 and Vivo X200.
As someone who has experience with every Nothing phone and accessory, I am disappointed by the Phone 3’s pricing in India. The device undoubtedly has the potential to excel, and it merely needed Nothing to adopt a more aggressive pricing strategy to help this emerging manufacturer secure a position in the premium market. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and Nothing’s myopic decision is making the Phone 3 a tougher sell than necessary.
