Non-Upgradable to 2032: The Nothing Phone 3 Lacks a Key Flagship Specification
Nothing Phone 3: The Unstoppable Beast
Buckle up, folks! The Nothing Phone 3, an absolute game-changer, is promising an astounding seven-year lifespan, ensuring this badass smartphonecarries on reigning supreme until at least 2030.
With the launch imminent on July 1, needle-nosed Carl Pei and his team of geeks at Nothing have been generously dishin' the deets about their badass, upcoming flagship phone. Recently, they dropped two juicy tidbits that we certainly didn't see coming.
First up, it's official, the Phone 3 will be roaring to life with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 beastly chipset. While the Phone 3 is being touted as Nothing's "first true flagship", this jaw-dropper is slightly below the top-dog Snapdragon 8 Elite standard, found in luxury devices like the Galaxy S25 series and OnePlus 13.
But don't fret, homies, Carl Pei has previously spilled the beans that the Phone 3 will cost around £800 ($799 USD). This buckaroo pricing is flagship-level and begs the question, why not go all-out with the pricier Snapdragon 8 Elite? It's all about the bread, butter, and savings.
Nothing co-founder, Akis Evangelidis, has frankly addressed this reasoning, explaining that they didn't opt for last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 flagship chip 'cause it ain't got the horsepower for the long haul. Evangelidis noted that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 gives Nothing the ability to whip up '5 & 7' support for their customers.
Ride the Waves of Time
Evangelidis' tweet explains that the first number refers to the years of software updates a device will receive, while the second number refers to the years of security updates.
In other words, the Phone 3 is gonna deliver five years of Android software updates and seven years of security updates, keeping the device updated until 2030. Talk about longevity, y'all!
Statista suggests the average replacement cycle length of smartphones in the States is a measly 2.67 years. If the Phone 3 graces the second-hand market within its lifespan, it'll still have legs to offer that sweet, sweet software glory.
The '5 & 7' support is a solid offering from Nothing, but it ain't snatching the top spot just yet. Apple's new iOS 26 has brought its A-game to the six-year-old iPhone 11 series, while Samsung's Galaxy S25 series and Google's Pixel 9 range are offering seven years of both Android OS and security updates.
While the Phone 3 may not crack the code on software updates and chipset, catching up to these behemoths in the market, we're curious to see just how close it gets at its July 1 launch. As the wise man once said, "Only time will tell."
The Nothing Phone 3, with its impressive seven-year lifespan, is poised to keep smartphones and technology afloat into 2030. Despite using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 instead of the pricier Snapdragon 8 Elite, the Phone 3 still promises five years of software updates and seven years of security updates, competing with flagship devices like the iPhone 11 series, Galaxy S25, and Pixel 9 in terms of longevity.
