Your new Nothing Phone 3 won't ship with Android 16, but a swift Nothing OS 4 upgrade is coming

02 Jul 2025, 14:19 by Karandeep Singh Oberoi · Android Police

London-based Nothing unveiled its latest flagship, the Nothing Phone 3, yesterday. It's safe to say that the device is receiving mixed early reviews, with some praising its unique design, and others unhappy with the device's price hike and asymmetrical rear camera layout.

Regardless of its preliminary reception, we'll only be able to certify its true performance and the experience it offers once we have it in our hands and have used it for a while. The device is expected to be available for pre-order from July 4. It will subsequently be released on July 15.

Nothing Phone 3 hands-on: The ultimate expression of Nothingness

Nothing calls the Phone 3 its first true flagship phone, and it's right, but this is no spec-heavy super phone. It's something better

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If you're ready to be an early Nothing Phone 3 buyer, you should know that the device ships with Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.5 out of the box. This doesn't necessarily make or break the experience, though we'd have preferred the device released with Android 16.

However, unlike the release of Android 15-based Nothing OS 3, which began late in December 2024, Nothing users can expect the new major OS upgrade to land much quicker this time around.

Expect the update within the next three months

8:03

This Android 16 update is HUGE [Video]

Android 16 Material 3 Expressive is here!

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The London-based smartphone maker confirmed (via 9to5Google) that its Android 16-based Nothing OS 4 update will begin landing within the third-quarter of 2025. That means Nothing users, specifically new Phone 3 owners, can expect the update to begin rolling out sometime during or before September this year.

The major OS update will subsequently make its way to older Nothing devices, though that'll likely happen at a later date. Whether the accelerated timeline is primarily to appease new Phone 3 owners or a direct result of Android 16 being released earlier this year isn't entirely clear.

Regardless, this should mark a significant improvement in the company's software rollout strategy. The new Nothing Phone 3, for reference, is guaranteed to receive up to 5 major Android upgrades. Counting Android 16 as one of them, the device is primed to receive updates up until 2029's Android 20.