The recent hype around low-key AI companions like the Rabbit R1, screen time apps like One Sec, and pop culture warning signs like Netflix’s Adolescence prove that we, as a society, fully recognize the dangers of excessive smartphone use. But are we really ready to leave our pocket computers at the door?
The answer, for most of us, is still ‘no’, yet this tension between person and product is something that big-name smartphone brands are beginning to recognize and respond to.
Nothing, for its part, knows that you want to spend less time on your phone, so how can it convince you to buy its “first true flagship,” the Nothing Phone 3? After getting hands-on with the new device at its London-based launch event, I spoke with Nothing’s AI lead, Sélim Benayat, who explained how the Phone 3 will help you “regain focus” and “be more human.”
“As for why we’re calling Phone 3 a ‘flagship’, I think it has a lot to do with it being a representation of everything we believe in as a company: clarity, calmness – this more human experience,” Sélim says. “And the feature that speaks most to [those values] is the new Glyph Matrix on the back.”
“This is a feature that, quite literally, [forces you] to put the phone face down onto a table to experience it. That helps you, as a human, gain more control again, right? You’re not constantly looking at your screen. You’re not constantly getting the notifications. It puts you more in the present moment.”
A reimagining of the Glyph Interface from previous Nothing phones, Glyph Matrix is a small dot-matrix display that sits in the top-right corner of the Phone 3’s rear panel. It’s capable of displaying several different types of content – from person-specific notifications to monochromatic ‘Glyph Toys’ (read: party games) like Spin the Bottle.
“Then, when you look at the more software-driven innovation,” Sélim continues, “the Phone 3 has Essential Search, which helps you get to whatever’s important to you quicker, with more intention, which obviously helps you regain focus.
“And there’s also Essential Space [introduced on the Phone 3a Pro], which for us is a big one, because it helps you remember what matters to you – again, so you can be present in a conversation with your friends, or get back into the flow [of whatever you were doing].”
In other words, Nothing is actively focusing on delivering features that limit the amount of time its users spend on its phones. Is this a strange situation to be in as a developer? I put the question to Sélim.
“I think it’s really [about] reimagining what the interface [of a smartphone] should look like,” he explains. “At Nothing, our philosophy is to, yes, on the one side, make tech fun again and inspire that innate creativity that we all have. But on the other side, I think we’re also keenly aware that our relationship with phones has grown unhealthy.
If you create an experience where people feel more themselves, it’s actually healthy, and people like it.
Sélim Benayat
“Your phone doesn’t help you be more human. It’s not a ‘bicycle for the mind’ anymore, right? There’s almost a slight resentment [towards our phones]. And so we believe that if you create an experience where people feel more themselves, it’s actually healthy, and people like it. Hopefully, that will drive higher retention as well.”
It remains to be seen whether the Phone 3’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, triple-lens 50MP camera setup, and 5,150mAh silicon-carbon battery will tempt buyers to fork out for its $799 / £799 / AU$1,509 price tag. But it’s certainly refreshing to hear a brand talk about smartphones in such wellbeing-conscious terms.
The Nothing Phone 3 is available to pre-order now from Nothing directly, with open sales set to begin globally on July 15. We’re currently putting the new device through its paces, so stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks.
