When I installed the Nothing OS V3.5-250801-1847 update on my Nothing Phone 3, I expected it to be a smooth experience. But the reality turned out to be different. Here is my detailed experience on this latest update which is not available in the official Nothing OS changelog:
Glyph Interface: The hidden truth
The first test I did after the update was with Glyph Mirror. The changelog says that Matrix style photos will now be saved, but:
- I took 15 selfies in a row, but the new photo did not show up in the gallery
- After 2 hours, I found a separate folder named ‘Glyph Mirror’
- It had a pixelated version saved, but the quality was very poor
- In the Nothing community, I found out that Afroaries and deepakpaid also faced the same problem
Analysis: This feature seems incomplete. Why are photos not automatically saved in the gallery? Is this a software bug or was it designed this way intentionally?
Camera upgrade: Improvement or confusion?
On testing AI SuperRes at 20x to 30x zoom:
- Artificial details were clearly visible in photos at zooms above 25x
- But after taking 7-8 photos in a row, the phone’s temperature reached 42°C
- The camera app crashed twice
- Noise has reduced in low-light photography, but colours now look more saturated
In-depth examination: Nothing has definitely changed the camera algorithm, but has not paid attention to thermal management. Is this a hardware limitation? They haven’t mentioned anything about heat issue in the changelong while using camera, however they have mentioned about the device… it may temporarily heat up and increase power consumption during the update.
Wi-Fi problem: An unsolved mystery
This is a long standing problem that Nothing again failed to solve it and it still a big problem for many users:
- My phone disconnects from Wi-Fi every 47 minutes
- Problem is more severe on 5GHz band
- Changing router, resetting network settings did not make any difference
- A user named GeraltRivia1993 has reported regarding the same problem on Nothing forum
Technical analysis: The new modem firmware seems to have brought a bug in WiFi 6 support. Will Nothing fix it in the next patch?
Battery life: Unexpected results
Conclusions after 3 days of usage:
- Screen on time decreased from 6 hours to 5 hours 20 minutes
- Battery drain in standby 2.8% per hour (was 1.5%)
- Google Play Services is using 23% of battery (unusual behavior)
Why is this happening? Probably new background optimization services are consuming more power.
Subtle changes to the user interface
Some small but noticeable improvements:
- New gradient effect in notification shades
- Animation speed of Quick Settings panel made 0.2 seconds faster
- New pattern of glyph lights when phone is unlocked
Overlooked issues
Not mentioned in the changelog:
- Sometimes crackling sound in Bluetooth audio
- Google Assistant voice match responds 3 seconds late
- Text of some apps (like X) not visible in dark mode
Conclusion: Is this update really ‘stable’?
After my 72-80 hours of testing on Nothing Phone 3, it seems that Nothing has:
✔️ added some new features
✔️ fixed some bugs
❌ but created new problems
❌ overlooked performance issues
Recommendation: If your phone is running stable right now, wait 2 more weeks before installing this update. Nothing should address these issues in the next patch and will fix it at ground level!
Have you encountered any such issues with your Nothing Phone 3? Share your experience in the comments!
 Promised in the Changelog Turns Out to Be More Hype Than Real Improvement - Check This Now!){kind=link}