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If you haven't heard of Nothing before, it's a newcomer to the smartphone industry behind which is OnePlus’ co-founder Carl Pei who decided to move on and offer something different to the rest of smartphones on the market. After a year of teasers and significant amount of details revealed, the first Nothing Phone 1 was launched in a 30 minutes long livestream without much pizzaz, but rather straight to the point.
Pre-launch strategy and invite only pre-orders followed in the footsteps of the OnePlus 1. Just like how OnePlus started, the Nothing Phone 1 concept is to bring a great alternative for less. Let’s jump straight into it and see whether Nothing Phone 1 is special or rather something OnePlus used to be.
If you want to glance over the specifications sheet of the Nothing Phone 1, we’ve put it together below.
| Nothing Phone 1 | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.55-inch HDR10+ OLED 2,400 x 1,080 resolution, 402ppi 60Hz-120Hz adaptive refresh rate |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus |
| Storage & RAM | 128GB & 8GB 256GB & 8GB 256GB & 12GB |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh 33W wired charging 15W wireless charging 5W reverse wireless charging |
| Rear camera | 50MP Sony IMX766 wide-angle 50MP Samsung JN1 ultrawide |
| Front camera | 16MP Sony IMX471 wide-angle |
| Video recording | 4K at 30fps 1080p at 30 or 60fps Live HDR at 30fps Slo-mo at 120fps |
| Durability | IP53 rated: protected against dust, not waterproof Gorilla Glass 5 front and rear |
| Security | In-display fingerprint scanner |
| Software & Support | Android 12 with Nothing OS 3 years of Android upgrades 4 years of security updates |
| Colours | Black, white |
| Price (UK) | from £399 |
| What’s in the box | Nothing Phone 1 with screen protector applied USB-C cable SIM tray tool Manuals |
It’s clear that Nothing Phone 1 has cut a few corners and takes its rightful place among the mid-rangers of this world. It lacks a higher IP certification and processing power, but offers wireless charging and a decent amount of RAM.
Image: nothing.tech
The most unique design feature of the Nothing Phone 1 is its see-through back panel which offers a glimpse at the components hidden inside powering the phone. The transparent back has been somewhat of a trend among smartphone enthusiasts with several protective skin brands releasing wraps that depict the structure of a phone’s innards. Moreover, Nothing’s first ever released product was earbuds that had the same see-through design, so the phone is a thoughtful continuation of this design choice.
The back panel also has a few strips of LED lights fitted mirroring the contour of the rear camera and the wireless charging coil. The settings of these lights can be configured to go on when a notification is received, the phone is charging or you have an incoming call.
On the front, the Nothing Phone 1 resembles Galaxy S10e which was Samsung’s attempt to capture the interest of flagship buyers on a budget. The display is surrounded by relatively thick symmetric bezels and the front camera cutout is housed in the top left corner.
If you like the look of the Nothing Phone 1 and you’re not really fussed about what it has under the hood, you will be able to buy it on the official website starting from July 21st. Select networks will be selling the phone as well.
The price for the Nothing Phone 1 will depend on what storage and RAM combination you go for:
You can save more on your purchase by trading in your old phone.
Let’s be honest, the Nothing Phone 1 does have the look that helps it to stand out from the crowd. However, to enjoy such design on a daily basis, no phone case policy is your only option which leaves you quite vulnerable to damaging drops and premature wear and tear.
When OnePlus released its first smartphone, it was like a gasp of fresh air in a crowded space of extremely expensive flagships and cheap plastic knock-offs that didn’t have anything decent in between. With OnePlus having paved its way into the upper echelon of smartphones now and having forgotten its true identity, it feels like the Nothing Phone 1, although coming from a completely different brand, stands for the same principles and might be another attempt to shake things up. Following the same mid-range recipe, compromising on specs and featuring a few gimmicks, the Nothing Phone 1 does break the monotony of today's smartphones. However, in essence, the Nothing Phone 1 really is nothing we haven't seen before. It’s simply served with a twist. Mind you, it will be curious to see where it takes the Nothing Phone portfolio.
Cover image: Nothing / Twitter
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