Ain't Nothing like the real thing?

Call it distinctive or discordant, Nothing's first non-budget phone has got people talking. Time to find out if there's a true flagship beneath the standout styling...

- Tom Morgan-Freelander

There's no mistaking the Phone 3 for anything but a Nothing creation. The firm with a fondness for transparent tech might have ditched its signature Glyph lighting array for a simpler dot-matrix version tucked away in one corner, but the semi-seethrough rear panel remains. The underlying patterns are more angular and grid-like this time around... and only two of the three rear snappers are aligned to it.

Could something as basic as an asymmetric lens layout be enough to put some potential buyers off? It's certainly provocative, for a handset that otherwise follows the smartphone norms of flat mid-frame, flat display and flat rear panel. At least the styling helps Nothing avoid accusations of merely copying Apple's design beats.

The Phone 3 is also a big leap into premium territory for Nothing, which until now has majored on affordability. At £799, it's going up against the heavyweights.