Category: Technology

The Nothing Phone 3, the latest “flagship” smartphone from the startup Nothing (headed by Carl Pei, founder of OnePlus), has faced a fair share of criticism from the Reddit community and tech YouTubers around the world. Most of this backlash stems from its high “flagship” price, which many feel isn’t justified. The unique rear design and the Glyph interface—once the brand’s biggest differentiators—have also drawn mixed reactions online.

However, if you can set aside the price tag for a moment and look at the phone as a whole, there’s a lot to like. While online images might make the rear design look gimmicky or polarizing, using the device in person for over three weeks has changed my perspective. It actually looks striking in hand and regularly turns heads in public. People will ask you, “Hey, what phone is that?” when you pull it out.

Among its many features, one particular aspect stands out: the 3× telephoto macro lens, which can focus much closer than the telephoto lenses on Google Pixels and Apple iPhones.

This post focuses on that camera and its macro capabilities.

A Quick Note on Software Versions

For context, I’ve tested the Nothing Phone 3 on both Android 15 and Android 16 Beta. Before the Android 16 beta release, Nothing rolled out a camera update that promised improvements, and they also released another update for Android 15 users after the Android 16 Beta, which also addressed some camera issues.

Macro Photography: General Pain Points

Before diving into the Nothing Phone 3’s macro telephoto performance, it’s worth understanding the common challenges of macro photography, regardless of the device or camera brand:

• Extremely shallow depth of field → Even a light breeze can shift your subject out of focus. For example, if you focus on a fly’s eye and the plant moves slightly, your focus point is lost.
• Limited working distance → You often have to shoot from just a few centimeters away, which blocks light, raises ISO, and risks scaring away live subjects.
• Manual focus is often essential → Autofocus tends to hunt or miss at macro distances. Professional macro shooters usually rely on manual focus, often combined with focus peaking or magnified live view, and sometimes stack multiple shots for sharpness.
• Camera shake is amplified → Even the smallest movement can cause blur, making handheld shots challenging without stabilization and fast shutter speeds.
• Time and patience → Getting a crisp, well-lit macro shot often takes multiple attempts, fine adjustments, and good light.

These challenges apply to all macro setups—including the Nothing Phone 3.

Telephoto Macro Hardware & Capabilities

The Nothing Phone 3’s telephoto camera features a 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor (1/2.75″ size) with an f/2.68 aperture. It supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) for video. The telephoto lens has a 3× native optical zoom, equivalent to a 70mm full-frame focal length, and supports up to 60× digital zoom (though not in all camera modes). It can also shoot 4K 60fps video.

A few key points:

• 3× is the true optical zoom — anything beyond that is digitally/AI enhanced.
• There’s a dedicated Macro Mode with 3× and 6× zoom toggles. Other zoom levels aren’t supported in this mode.
• You don’t have to use Macro Mode for close-ups — the regular Photo Mode and Expert Mode (RAW shooting) also allow for close focusing.

Initially, you’ll likely switch to Macro Mode for close-ups, as I did. But if you want to push closer using digital/AI-enhanced zoom, you’ll get better flexibility using the regular Photo Mode.

Here is an example of a macro shot zoomed way in ( no edits – 534mm equivalent ).

and the same shot from a regular viewpoint at 3x ( 70mm ).

What Works Well

Here’s what I genuinely like about the telephoto macro lens on the Nothing Phone 3:

• Closer focusing than Pixel and iPhone telephotos → It can lock focus at shorter distances, enabling dramatic macro compositions.
• Macro close focusing works in video too, letting you capture some unique close-up footage.
• The AI-enhanced zoom is surprisingly effective for casual shooting and creative framing—just don’t pixel-peep, because at the end of the day, this is still a smartphone sensor.

With time and patience, you can get stunning macro shots. The results can be rewarding.

The Issues I Faced

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. While shooting macros on Android 15 (Stable) and Android 16 (Beta), I ran into a few issues:

• Autofocus struggles at very close range → It often fails to lock focus on very near subjects. Sometimes, refocusing on a nearby area and then returning works; other times, you’ll need to switch to Expert Mode and use manual focus.
• Lack of macro assist tools → There’s no focus peaking or focus magnification in manual mode, which makes precise focusing tricky compared to dedicated cameras or pro apps.
• Touch focus quirks → It often overexposes scenes and doesn’t always focus exactly where you tap—like the tiny head of an insect, for eg.
• Macro Mode’s zoom limitation → You’re locked to 3× and 6× in Macro Mode, while regular Photo Mode supports other zoom levels. This limitation doesn’t make much sense.

Features I Hope to See in Future Updates

If Nothing wants to make the telephoto macro experience truly shine, here’s what would help:

• Macro assist tools like focus peaking or focus magnification in Expert Mode
• Better touch focus control and accuracy
• AI-enhanced zoom ( beyond 6x ) support in the dedicated Macro Mode
• Improved autofocus for extremely close subjects

Some Sample Images

While many Android phones utilize an ultra-wide-angle lens for macro, the Nothing Phone 3 employs the telephoto lens, which offers excellent background compression and bokeh, resulting in more striking, DSLR-like images.

Final Thoughts

The Nothing Phone 3’s telephoto macro lens is genuinely impressive for a smartphone from a startup like Nothing. It can achieve closer focusing than many flagship competitors, and with some patience, the results can be spectacular. It has allowed me to take photos that would be impossible to take on my other smartphones. However, software limitations and focusing quirks hold it back from its full potential.

A few thoughtful camera updates – which I really expect Nothing to push to these devices in the future – can make the Macro Photography on this more enjoyable.