Nothing has finally taken the wraps off its “true flagship”, the Nothing Phone (3). It marks the return of the brand to the US shores after a period of two years. However, the Phone (3) wasn’t what most fans expected, with downgrades in several key areas except design. But one compromise that will hit fans outside India the most is the smaller 5,150mAh battery compared to India which gets a 5,500mAh one. But what’s the reason behind the smaller battery? Let’s find out.
Nothing Phone (3)’s Smaller Battery – Blame it on the USA’s Regulatory Hurdles
When Nothing unveiled the Phone (3), fans were hoping for a massive Silicon Carbon battery. While the company did switch to Silicon Carbon but the battery size didn’t see any noticeable bump.
The Phone (3) packs a 5,150mAh battery, which is a decent upgrade over the 4,700mAh battery on the Phone (2). This is a 350mAh jump over its predecessor.
However, what would perhaps baffle many buyers is the battery capacity of the Phone (3). Consumers outside of India are getting a 5,150mAh battery instead of a 5,500mAh one. But why?
Also Read:
- 5 Things We Want To See In Nothing Headphone (1)
- Nothing Phone (3) Wishlist: 6 Things We Wish To See
So is Nothing making two variants of the same smartphone? Well, not really, since the same Phone (3) will be sold globally with a smaller battery.
Nothing has limited the battery capacity via software on the global variant, including the USA. This is due to the stringent regulatory hurdles that India doesn’t yet have.
If the battery capacity goes over a certain amount, then the phone is classified as “dangerous goods”. While this doesn’t prohibit Nothing from adding a bigger battery, it does increase the shipping cost of the Phone (3), leading to a higher price tag, which is already eye-watering considering what it packs inside.
Since the Phone (3) is made in India and exported to other countries, Nothing has to pay for the shipping fees. This would increase the overall cost of the Phone (3) while requiring the company to go through some red tape for packing a bigger battery.
While there shouldn’t be any battery woes, this is just another addition to the long list of disappointments with the Nothing Phone (3). Even if the company manages to optimize the software to deliver similar battery life on both variants, you will need to deal with the lack of a charger in the box.
Thankfully, there’s no disparity in the charging speeds. You get 65W wired and 15W wireless in both variants. However, you will need to buy a 65W GaN charger from CMF if you wish to fast charge your device.
