What you need to know
- Following an assumed Nothing Phone 3 database listing, it seems the device could arrive with a midrange-level SoC.
- From the listed chip details, it seems Nothing could pack Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 into the Phone 3 instead of the 8s Gen 3.
- Nothing's CEO Carl Pei stated that the Phone 3 will have AI at its core when it arrives in 2025 following a purposeful delay this year.
Nothing is developing a Phone 3, but a recent discovery suggests its internal SoC isn't so "flagship."
The folks at GSMArena found a new listing via the Geekbench database from Nothing. The device in question, with model number "A059," is rumored to be the next Phone 3 flagship. The listing is a little vague, stating this device in development could debut with 8GB of RAM and Android 15.
However, the more pressing matter is its supposed chip architecture of one processor and eight cores.
Per the database listing, it seems the assumed Phone 3 will have one "main" core at 2.50GHz. The rest of the setup includes four cores at 1.80GHz and three cores at 2.40GHz. These are likely to arrive as "efficiency" and "performance" cores, respectively.
The publication notes that this particular core, though the listing lacks its name, points toward Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC. Elsewhere, the post claims the rumored Phone 3 could debut with a 6.5-inch OLED display. Early speculation throws a $600 starting price on the table, as well.
Take such rumors with a grain of salt as the publication adds a "Phone 3 Pro" could join the lineup.
Rumors about the Nothing Phone 3 have been extremely scarce with the "latest" detailing a chance for a Qualcomm variant. It was rumored this past summer that the device could debut with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The chip is a slightly toned-down version of the 2023 SD 8 Gen 3 flagship. It reached 3.0GHz speeds, which was 0.3GHz slower than the higher-tier chip.
Qualcomm stated the chip was designed for more on-device AI. However, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is now rumored for the Phone 3, is aimed at "budget-friendly smartphones." It's based on the midrange SD 7 Plus Gen 3 from March.
With that, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is a bit slower than the flagship 8 or 8s chips. Still, it focuses heavily on AI as it boasts support for several models like Baichuan-7B and Llama 2.
AI is a phone aspect that Nothing's CEO, Carl Pei, stated he wanted to focus heavily on with the next device. In June, Pei stated that the company had been "prototyping AI interactions." Moreover, it seemed evident that Nothing purposefully delayed the Phone 3's launch to better flesh out its AI software. The company confirmed that it wouldn't arrive in 2024, pushing us into 2025 for an eventual debut.
