Quick Summary
- The Phone (3) launched July 2025 at $799 with Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a 489-LED Glyph Matrix, triple 50MP cameras and IP68. In Kenya it sells grey-market at roughly KES 92,000 to 108,000.
- The Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro (March 2025) run Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 with 6.77-inch 120Hz AMOLEDs; the Pro adds a genuine 3x periscope zoom. Kenyan prices run ~KES 38,200 to 73,000.
- The CMF Phone 2 Pro (April 2025) brings a 50MP 2x telephoto, microSD and modular accessories for KES 34,000 to 45,000.
- All Nothing phones run clean, bloat-free Nothing OS with 3 to 5 years of Android upgrades depending on the model.
- Nothing has no official Kenyan distributor — every unit is an import, so the shop's own warranty is your only cover. Buy from established retailers and get warranty terms in writing.
Kenya prices and where to buy
Nothing does not officially distribute in Kenya, but the entire 2025 lineup is stocked by Nairobi's established grey-market retailers — mostly on Moi Avenue, Kimathi Street and online. Prices below were checked across Avechi, Smartphones Planet, KedavTech, Gadget World, Phones Store Kenya, Price Point and Rondamo at the end of September 2026, and move with the dollar and stock cycles.
| Model | Variant | Kenya price (KES) | Seen at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing Phone (3) | 12GB + 256GB | KES 92,000 – 98,500 | KedavTech, Smartphones Planet, Gadget World |
| Nothing Phone (3) | 16GB + 512GB | KES 102,000 – 108,000 | Smartphones Planet, Gadget World |
| Nothing Phone (3a) | 8GB + 128GB | KES 38,199 – 40,999 | Avechi, Phones & Tablets Kenya |
| Nothing Phone (3a) | 12GB + 256GB | KES 46,500 – 49,700 | Avechi, Rondamo Technologies |
| Nothing Phone (3a) Pro | 12GB + 256GB | KES 60,000 – 73,000 (estimated) | Phones Store Kenya; grey-import listings vary |
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | 8GB + 128GB / 256GB | KES 34,000 – 45,000 | Phones Store Kenya, Price Point Electronics |
For context: the Phone (3) launched globally at $799 (about KES 103,000 at import parity), the Phone (3a) at $379, the (3a) Pro at $459 and the CMF Phone 2 Pro at EUR 249 / INR 18,999. Kenyan grey-market prices track these closely once shipping and margin are added — if a listing is dramatically cheaper, treat it with suspicion.
What makes a Nothing phone different?
Carl Pei's Nothing built its name on transparent design and clean software, but the 2025 generation added real hardware differentiation: a dot-matrix LED display on the flagship, a genuine periscope zoom in the mid-range, and the Essential Key AI workflow across the board.
Glyph Matrix on the Phone (3)
The Phone (3) replaces the old Glyph light strips with a circular 489-micro-LED dot-matrix display on the back. It shows caller ID, app-specific alerts, timers, battery and volume levels, and even hosts Glyph Toys — mini-games like spin-the-bottle — plus a selfie mirror for framing shots with the rear cameras.
Essential Key and Essential Space
A dedicated hardware button captures screenshots, voice notes and photos into Essential Space, where AI organises them into searchable collections. On the Phone (3), Flip to Record transcribes face-down conversations straight into Essential Space — genuinely useful for meetings and interviews.
Nothing OS: clean Android with character
Nothing OS stays close to stock Android but adds the dot-matrix visual identity, monochrome icon packs, widgets and deep customisation without bloatware. The Phone (3) gets up to five major Android upgrades; the 3a series and CMF Phone 2 Pro get three OS upgrades plus six years of security patches.
A periscope zoom for under $500
The Phone (3a) Pro packs a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto (70mm) with OIS — hardware usually reserved for phones costing twice as much — making it one of the cheapest phones anywhere with a true periscope. Even the base 3a gets a real 2x telephoto instead of a token macro lens.
Transparent industrial design
Every Nothing and CMF phone exposes its internals under the rear glass with exposed screws, ribbon cables and the wireless charging coil on show. In a sea of identical glass slabs, a Nothing phone is instantly recognisable — a real part of the appeal for style-conscious buyers.
CMF modularity
The CMF Phone 2 Pro keeps the removable back cover and accessory ecosystem: attachable macro and fisheye lenses, a wallet-stand, and a lanyard, all screwing into the back panel. It is the most playful phone under KES 40,000 you can buy in Kenya right now.
The lineup gallery
Official product renders of all four phones covered in this guide.
Full spec comparison
| Spec | Phone (3) | Phone (3a) | Phone (3a) Pro | CMF Phone 2 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (4nm), Adreno 825 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4nm), Adreno 810 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (4nm), Adreno 810 | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro (4nm), Mali-G615 |
| Display | 6.67" OLED, 1260 x 2800, 120Hz, 4500 nits peak, Gorilla Glass 7i | 6.77" LTPS AMOLED, 1080 x 2392, 120Hz, 3000 nits peak, Panda Glass | 6.77" LTPS AMOLED, 1080 x 2392, 120Hz, 3000 nits peak, Panda Glass | 6.77" AMOLED, 1080 x 2392, 120Hz, 3000 nits peak, Panda Glass |
| Main camera | 50MP, f/1.68, 1/1.3", OIS | 50MP, f/1.9, 1/1.57", OIS | 50MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56", OIS | 50MP, f/1.88, 1/1.57" |
| Zoom camera | 50MP periscope, 3x optical / 6x lossless / 60x digital, OIS | 50MP 2x telephoto (50mm) | 50MP periscope, 3x optical (70mm), OIS | 50MP 2x telephoto, 20x digital |
| Ultra-wide | 50MP, 114-degree FoV | 8MP, 120-degree FoV | 8MP, 120-degree FoV | 8MP, 119.5-degree FoV |
| Selfie camera | 50MP | 32MP | 50MP | 16MP |
| Battery | 5,150mAh Si/C (5,500mAh India model) | 5,000mAh | 5,000mAh | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 65W wired + 15W wireless + reverse | 50W wired (no charger in box) | 50W wired (no charger in box) | 33W wired + 5W reverse |
| Durability | IP68 | IP64 | IP64 | IP54 |
| Software | Nothing OS 3.5 (Android 15), up to 5 OS upgrades | Nothing OS 3.1 (Android 15), 3 OS upgrades + 6 yrs security | Nothing OS 3.1 (Android 15), 3 OS upgrades + 6 yrs security | Nothing OS 3.2 (Android 15), 3 OS upgrades + 6 yrs security |
| Signature extras | Glyph Matrix (489 LEDs), Essential Key, eSIM, UFS 4.0 | Glyph Interface LEDs, Essential Key, NFC | Glyph Interface LEDs, Essential Key, eSIM, NFC | microSD slot, modular accessories, NFC, removable back cover |
Glyph Matrix and Nothing OS: the software story
The Phone (3)'s Glyph Matrix is a circular panel of 489 individually addressable micro-LEDs embedded in the rear glass. Beyond notification icons and caller ID, it shows real-time progress bars for timers, Uber trips and battery level, acts as a framing mirror for rear-camera selfies, and runs Glyph Toys — tiny interactive widgets like Magic 8 Ball and spin-the-bottle. It is gimmicky, yes, but it is the most distinctive notification system on any phone right now, and it can be switched off entirely.
The Phone (3a) series keeps the older Glyph Interface — white LED strips that pulse in patterns for ringtones, notifications and charging status. Less information-rich than the Matrix but arguably more elegant, and it doubles as a fill light for close-up shots.
Nothing OS itself is the real reason to buy in. It is close to stock Android with Nothing's dot-matrix typography, monochrome icon theming, useful widgets and zero third-party bloatware — a stark contrast to the ad-heavy skins on most phones sold at these prices in Kenya. Update commitments are strong too: five major OS upgrades on the Phone (3), and three OS upgrades plus six years of security patches on the 3a series and CMF Phone 2 Pro.
Cameras: where each model sits
The Phone (3) carries three 50MP sensors: a large 1/1.3-inch main with f/1.68 aperture and OIS that takes in 44% more light than the Phone (2)'s sensor, a 114-degree ultra-wide, and a 50MP periscope telephoto with 3x optical, 6x lossless and up to 60x digital zoom. The 50MP selfie camera autofocuses and shoots 4K. It is the most complete camera system Nothing has shipped, and it finally competes on hardware with the Galaxy S-class phones it is priced against.
The surprise of the year was the (3a) Pro: a 50MP 3x periscope with OIS and a large 1/1.95-inch sensor — the same class of zoom hardware as many flagships — in a $459 phone. The plain (3a) still gets a real 50MP 2x telephoto rather than a filler lens, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro keeps a 50MP 2x tele of its own, which is unheard of under KES 40,000. Ultra-wides across the cheaper models are a modest 8MP, and processing on the CMF is a step behind the Nothing-branded phones.
For Kenyan buyers the practical takeaway: if camera is your priority but budget is capped around KES 60,000, the (3a) Pro's periscope is the best zoom money can buy at that price. If you mostly shoot wide and value daylight snaps, even the CMF Phone 2 Pro's main sensor will not embarrass you.
Performance and battery in daily Kenyan use
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 in the Phone (3) is a sub-flagship chip — a step below the Snapdragon 8 Elite — but with a Cortex-X4 prime core and Adreno 825 GPU it chews through eFootball, CODM and Genshin at high settings, and UFS 4.0 storage keeps everything snappy. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 in the 3a series is a competent mid-ranger for social apps, M-Pesa, YouTube and moderate gaming; the Dimensity 7300 Pro in the CMF is similar tier. None of these phones will feel slow in normal use.
Battery life is a strength across the board. The Phone (3)'s 5,150mAh silicon-carbon cell (5,500mAh on Indian units) comfortably lasts a heavy day, and 65W wired charging plus 15W wireless covers top-ups during load-shedding windows. The 3a models do a full day plus on 5,000mAh with 50W charging — but no charger ships in the box, so factor in a USB-PD charger (KES 1,500-3,000 locally). The CMF Phone 2 Pro is the only one with a microSD slot, handy for offline media on long commutes.
Which Nothing phone should you buy?
Nothing Phone (3)
Strength: Flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, triple 50MP cameras with 3x periscope, Glyph Matrix, wireless charging, IP68
Trade-off: ~KES 100K grey-market pricing, 8s Gen 4 is a tier below Snapdragon 8 Elite, no official Kenya warranty
Best for: Buyers who want a distinctive flagship and value design and software over raw benchmark numbers
Nothing Phone (3a)
Strength: Clean software, real 2x telephoto, big 120Hz AMOLED and 5,000mAh battery for under KES 40,000
Trade-off: IP64 only, Panda Glass instead of Gorilla, no wireless charging, charger not included
Best for: Everyday users who want the Nothing look and camera basics on a sensible budget
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
Strength: The cheapest route to a 3x periscope zoom with OIS; 50MP selfie camera; same 120Hz AMOLED
Trade-off: Heavier 211g body, IP64, same Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 as the cheaper 3a
Best for: Portrait and zoom shooters who cannot stretch to flagship money
CMF Phone 2 Pro
Strength: 50MP 2x telephoto, microSD expansion, modular accessories and NFC at KES 34,000-45,000
Trade-off: IP54, 33W charging, single bottom-firing feel vs stereo rivals, camera processing is a step below
Best for: Students and first-time Nothing buyers who want the design language for the least money
If your budget sits under KES 35,000, also look at the older CMF Phone 1 and Phone (2a) — both are discounted locally and still get Nothing OS updates — or cross-shop the Pixel 9a and Galaxy A56 for official-warranty alternatives at similar prices.
Grey imports, warranty and what to check
Because Nothing has no Kenyan operation, warranty is entirely the retailer's responsibility — typically a 1-year shop warranty at established stores like Avechi, Smartphones Planet and Phones Store Kenya, covering hardware faults but not accidental damage. There is no Nothing service centre in Nairobi, so a motherboard fault means the shop repairs or replaces the unit, not the manufacturer. Keep your receipt and get the warranty duration and coverage in writing.
Before paying: dial *#06# and match the IMEI to the box; check the model number (A024 for Phone 3, A059P for the 3a Pro, A001 for the CMF Phone 2 Pro) in Settings > About phone; verify RAM and storage match what was advertised; test the Glyph lights or Matrix by triggering a notification; and confirm the unit is not a carrier- locked or demo model. Nothing phones bought in Kenya are usually UK, Indian or UAE retail stock — all work fine on Safaricom, Airtel and Faiba, including VoLTE and 5G where supported.
One more practical note: Nothing uses USB-C 2.0 on the 3a and CMF models (slower file transfers but identical charging), and the 3a series lacks a headphone jack — standard for the segment, but worth knowing if you rely on wired earphones for matatu rides.
FAQs
How much is the Nothing Phone (3) in Kenya?
As of October 2026, the Nothing Phone (3) sells for roughly KES 92,000 to 98,500 for the 12GB + 256GB variant and KES 102,000 to 108,000 for the 16GB + 512GB variant at Kenyan grey-market retailers such as KedavTech, Smartphones Planet and Gadget World. Nothing has no official Kenyan distributor, so all units are imports.
Is Nothing Phone officially available in Kenya?
No. Nothing has no official presence in Kenya, so every unit on sale is a grey import brought in by independent retailers. You still get the full hardware and software experience, but warranty is covered by the shop you buy from — typically a 1-year dealer warranty — rather than a manufacturer service network like Carlcare or Xiaomi's authorised centres.
What is the difference between Glyph Interface and Glyph Matrix?
Glyph Interface is the LED light-strip system on the Phone (1), (2), (2a) and (3a) series — segmented white LEDs that pulse for notifications, calls and charging progress. Glyph Matrix, exclusive to the Phone (3), is a circular panel of 489 individually addressable micro-LEDs that can render icons, caller avatars, progress bars and even mini-games, making it far more versatile.
Does the Nothing Phone (3) support Safaricom 5G and eSIM?
Yes. The Phone (3) is a global 5G model with the sub-6GHz bands used by Safaricom and Airtel Kenya, and it supports eSIM, which Safaricom offers at its shops and via the app. The Phone (3a) Pro and CMF Phone 2 Pro also support 5G; the base Phone (3a) uses dual nano-SIM only in most variants. Always confirm the model number (A024 for the Phone 3) with the seller.
Which is better value: Phone (3a) Pro or Phone (3)?
For most Kenyans the Phone (3a) Pro is the smarter buy: a 3x periscope zoom, the same-size display and clean Nothing OS for roughly KES 30,000 to 40,000 less than the Phone (3). Choose the Phone (3) only if you want flagship-tier performance from the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, wireless charging, IP68 and the Glyph Matrix, or if you specifically want the smaller 6.67-inch body.
What should I check before buying a Nothing phone in Kenya?
Confirm the model number and RAM/storage variant in Settings, check that the IMEI on the box matches what *#06# shows, verify the unit is a genuine global or Indian retail model (not a demo unit), test the Glyph lights or Matrix, and confirm the seller's warranty terms in writing. Note that the 3a series ships without a charger, so budget for a 50W+ USB-PD charger if you do not own one.
Sources
- GSMArena: Nothing Phone (3) full specifications
- GSMArena: Nothing Phone (3a) Pro full specifications
- Android Authority: Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro launch, specs and pricing
- GSMArena: CMF Phone 2 Pro announcement coverage
- Trusted Reviews: Nothing Phone (3) launch, Glyph Matrix and pricing
- Tom's Guide: Nothing Phone (3) review
- Avechi Kenya: Nothing Phone (3a) Kenyan pricing
- Smartphones Planet Kenya: Nothing Phone (3) Kenyan pricing
