All you need to know about Nothing Phone (1)
Iconic design, pure Android, and friendly price
Nothing has officially unveiled the brand's first smartphone with the laconic name Phone (1). The relaxed presentation also gave us a glimpse into the process of creating the smartphone and the challenges they faced.
Challenges like you've never seen before
If there's something truly unique about the Nothing Phone (1), it's the set of LEDs on the back that can blink and light up according to different situations. The company's founder sees the LEDs as a visualization of the ringtone, as you can tell exactly who is calling you through the blinking patterns and whether you need to pick up the phone. In addition, of course, it will alert you to notifications, but also the charging level with LEDs located near the USB-C or (reverse) wireless charging with LEDs in the area of the wireless charging coil.
Carl Pei also said during the presentation that the phone is very light. However, the weight of 193.5 grams doesn't quite match it. The front and back are covered by Gorilla Glass 5, and the bezels are made of 100% recycled aluminum, so the user will not come into contact with plastic. The increased resistance, according to IP53 certification, is also practical.
Finally, an Android without bloatware
The Nothing Phone (1) advantage should be the pure Android operating system supplemented only by a few widgets and minor adjustments from the manufacturer. Likewise, it has been promised that there will be no bloatware on the phone, which we praise.
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Three years of operating system updates (so the phone gets Android 15) and four years of security patches with a bi-monthly frequency also sounds great. Great care is also taken in Nothing's quality control. According to the founder, this means more employees focus on fixing bugs and tweaking the system than developing new features.
Emphasis has also been placed on easy connectivity with Nothing's other products, which are only wireless headsets now. However, Nothing is also working with Tesla. The phone should be able to adjust the car's air conditioning remotely or turn on the lights very easily.
Only two cameras
Unlike many manufacturers, the photo equipment on the back counts only two cameras, namely the Sony IMX 766 sensor and the Samsung JN1. Both have 50Mpx resolution and should convey very decent image quality. By the way, Nothing boasted about it before the official unveiling. A red light flashes on the back while shooting video (up to 4K).
Recycled materials
Nothing Phone (1) is made with nature in mind, so many recycled materials are used. The frame is made of 100% recycled aluminum, just like Apple has for its products. But it certainly doesn't stop there — Carl Pei said that 50% of all the plastic inside the device uses bioplastic and recycled plastic. Lastly, it uses 100% recycled tin, for example. It should be mentioned that the Nothing Phone (1) is also waterproof, with an IP53 certification.
Mid-range chipset
At the heart of the Nothing Phone (1) is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset. This upper mid-range model has enough power for gaming, low power consumption, and support for 5G networks. The chipset can be paired with 8 or 12 GB of RAM, and storage will be offered in 128 or 256 GB capacities. Memory card support is sadly missing, nor will you find a 3.5mm headphone port on the phone.
Symmetrical front side
The phone is also attractive from the front — the manufacturer has managed to surround the display with symmetrical bezels. The AMOLED display is flat and has a diagonal of 6.55″ on which the Full HD+ resolution is spread. The display's refresh rate can be either 60 or 120 Hz — depending on whether you prefer smoother animations or more battery life per charge.
Unfortunately, the Nothing Phone (1) doesn't have an adaptive refresh rate. A fingerprint reader is integrated into the display, and there's a cutout for a 16MP selfie camera in the top left corner of the display. The sides are flat and aluminum — the left side houses the volume buttons, and the right the lock button. It's a pity that there's no profile slider, which we've become accustomed to on OnePlus smartphones. The phone weighs 193.5 grams and has an 8.3 mm waist. The manufacturer doesn't talk about increased durability.
Semi-transparent luminous back
It's not easy to develop an original look for your phone today. All of today's smartphones look the same from the front, and practically the only way to differentiate yourself is to come up with an extraordinary back. And it's the back that makes Nothing Phone (1) a safe eye-catcher, even in total darkness. As with its headphones, Nothing relies on transparency.
The back of the phone is clear glass, but underneath you won't find a bare battery, circuit boards, and other typical phone components. The company has covered them all up, but you can still see where the antennas, cameras, or wireless charging coil are. But that's not the end of the show. Under the glass, there are also five LED strips made up of 900 individual diodes.
These can glow white and, in addition to notifying you of various events, can light up when taking photos and videos, indicate the battery charging status (classic, wireless, reverse) or flash to the rhythm of a set tune. If you have different melodies associated with specific contacts, you will know who is calling by the flashing LEDs on the back, even in silent mode.
If you miss the notification LED on today's phones, Nothing Phone (1) will satisfy you to the maximum. In addition, you'll find another tiny red LED on the back to indicate that the camera is in use.
120Hz OLED and 4 500mAh battery
No expense has been spared on the display of Nothing's first phone. Specifically, the Nothing Phone (1) uses an OLED panel that has a diagonal of 6.55″ and a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, giving a fineness of 402 PPI. It also boasts a roughly 86% screen-to-display ratio, 1 billion color support, and HDR10+. It's important to mention that the display has a refresh rate of 120Hz and achieves a typical luminance of 500 nits and a peak luminance of 1200 nits, respectively.
Gorilla Glass 5 protects the front of the display, as does the back. During development, which reportedly started only a year ago, they also thought about removing the bottom bezel completely. However, the cost of the panel, which would have to be flexible, would have been double, so they decided to stick with a conventional non-flexible but more affordable display.
In terms of other features, the Snapdragon 778G+ was mentioned, which will offer plenty of power and a 4,500mAh battery that should ensure at least one day of use without any problems. There's also support for 33W wired charging or 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless recharge.
The phone will be available in white and black color options for a price starting at 399 pounds. For a complete list of where the Nothing Phone (1) will be available for physical (and online) purchase, visit nothing.tech.
- 8/128 GB for £399
- 8/256 GB for £449
- 12/256 GB for £499
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