Carl Pei’s startup is officially retiring the iconic Glyph Interface, teasing a fresh, dot-matrix-style Glyph Matrix in its place. Positioned on the top right of the rear panel, this mini LED grid feels like something borrowed from a gaming phone, ready to display intricate animations for notifications, calls, and battery prompts. From what we’ve seen in teasers, it’s not just cosmetic — Nothing wants the back of your phone to be interactive, functional, and a bit playful too.
When light becomes language.
— Nothing (@nothing) June 19, 2025
Introducing the Glyph Matrix.
Phone (3). 1 July. pic.twitter.com/YtlPDIlMO6
Under the hood, the Phone 3 is packing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, promising smooth multitasking, gaming, and daily performance. Rumors hint at a 50MP OIS main sensor, a possible periscope zoom lens, and a beefy 5,000mAh battery. Add in five years of Android updates and seven years of security patches, and you’ve got one of the longest-supported Android phones on the horizon.
My take? Nothing’s always danced to its own beat, but this is a gutsy move. Scrapping a fan-favorite signature feature for a new iteration just before launch is bold. Still, a customizable dot-matrix display could push smartphone UX in interesting directions. The real question is: will it feel fresh or gimmicky six months down the line?
