Nothing Phone 1 Review: A New Take on Smartphones

Android Phone, Technology & AI

Nothing Phone 1 review – smartphone lovers will love to buy this latest phone. We rarely see the same or even greater level of excitement for the release of a mid-range phone – Nothing Phone 1. Nothing, a technology company founded by Carl Pei, a former co-founder of OnePlus, has just released its first smartphone, Nothing Phone 1.

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This has been a highly anticipated smartphone for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is that Carl Pei, the company’s CEO, has helped shape OnePlus from a fledgling enthusiast-only brand to one of the most popular smartphone brands today. Nothing’s first smartphone has sky-high expectations. The Phone 1 has finally arrived after a seismic build-up over the past few months with multiple leaks and teasers.

The Phone 1’s goal is to provide a clean and simple Android experience with a unique hardware twist via its quirky notification lights. I’ve spent some time with the Phone 1 and here are my initial thoughts on it.

The Nothing Phone 1 is packaged in a slim box with a cropped image of the phone’s back printed on it. The phone comes in color-matched boxes in white and black. The Phone 1, a safety guide, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and one of the coolest looking SIM ejector tools I’ve seen are all included. According to this Nothing Phone 1 review, the phone does not come with a charger, as expected. Nothing also sent me a clear case for the Phone 1, which is available for purchase separately.

Features

Let’s talk about the Phone 1’s most distinguishing feature: the back panel. You’ve probably seen this phone angle the most because it’s what Nothing has used in all of its marketing materials. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the entire transparent design, but I do like how neatly all the components have been hidden away. The black variant, in my opinion, looks much better than the white because the transparent effect is more subtle, and I also prefer the darker shade of the aluminum frame.

This transparent back, however, isn’t just for show; it serves a purpose. Nothing refers to the Glyph Interface as the series of light strips beneath the glass back panel. There’s a dedicated menu in the software for it where you can set different light patterns for ringtones and notifications, as well as monitor the battery level while the phone is charging. The Glyph Interface can even be used as a fill light for the rear cameras, which is cool.

The Glyph Interface appears to be useful if you have the habit of placing your phone face-down on a surface, which I don’t. The lights are extremely bright, though the intensity can be adjusted, and some of the flashing patterns can be distracting. We’ll see how useful this is after I’ve used the phone for a longer period of time in Nothing Phone 1 review. Another thing to keep in mind is that in order to see the lights, you’ll most likely need to use this phone with a transparent or translucent case, or without one.

Power and volume buttons provide good feedback

The Nothing Phone 1 does a lot of things well for a premium mid-range smartphone. The flattened aluminum frame feels smooth to the touch, and the rounded edges make it easy to hold. It’s quite thin at 8.3mm, but it’s quite heavy at 193.5g. The power and volume buttons provide good feedback and are on opposite sides of the frame, making them easier to use with one hand. The dual-SIM tray, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker are all located at the bottom. The earpiece functions as a second speaker to provide stereo sound. The Nothing Phone 1 is IP53 rated, which means it can withstand light splashes of water and dust. An IP rating is becoming more common in mid-range phones, and while it isn’t as comprehensive as an IP67 or IP68 rating, it’s still something, and I’m glad Nothing skimped on this.

Display of Nothing Phone 1

The Nothing Phone 1 features a bright and crisp 6.55-inch display with excellent color reproduction thanks to the OLED panel. The display has a 10-bit color depth, a full-HD+ resolution, and a refresh rate of 120Hz. This phone also has a capacitive in-display fingerprint sensor, which has so far performed admirably. The display is HDR10+ compatible and has a typical brightness of 500 nits (1,200 nits peak). The front and back of the Phone 1 are made of Corning Gorilla Glass.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which is found in phones such as the Motorola Edge 30, powers the Nothing Phone 1. (Review). The Phone 1 is available in three configurations: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage for Rs. 32,999, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage for Rs. 35,999, and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage for Rs. 38,999. LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage are used. Nothing also provides discounts to customers who pre-order the phone.

The Phone 1 features a 4,500mAh battery and up to 33W USB PD fast wired charging. There is 15W fast wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging support. Wireless charging is a feature that is still relatively uncommon in the mid-range space, so the Phone 1 should benefit from this.

Nothing OS powers the Nothing Phone 1, which is essentially stock Android 12 with a few tweaks like a custom icon pack, additional wallpapers and widgets, and, of course, custom ringtones and notification sounds for the Glyph Interface. Nothing also guarantees three years of Android updates and four years of security updates, which is encouraging.

Nothing Phone 1 camera

Nothing has gone crazy with the cameras, and there are only two on the back of the Phone 1, but they are of high quality. The primary camera employs a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 optically stabilized sensor. We’ve seen positive results from this sensor in a number of flagship phones, so I’m expecting the same from the Phone 1. The second camera is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide sensor that uses the same Samsung JN1 sensor as the OnePlus 10 Pro (Review). This sensor also has autofocus, allowing it to function as a macro camera. The selfie camera features a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor, which has appeared in numerous OnePlus flagships over the years.

Nothing Phone 1 Review and Verdict

Based on Nothing Phone 1 specs alone, this phone appears to be a solid mid-range offering. Wireless charging should give it a competitive advantage, and the Glyph notification system, while a little gimmicky in my opinion, sets it apart from any other phone on the market. Apart from having good hardware, Nothing must also provide good after-sales service if it is to compete with other established players. According to the company, it has service centers in over 220 cities throughout India, which is a good start.

NETWORK	Technology	GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G

LAUNCH	Announced	2022, July 12
LAUNCH	Status	Available. Released 2022, July 16

BODY	Dimensions	159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3 mm (6.27 x 2.98 x 0.33 in)
	Weight	193.5 g (6.84 oz)
	Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
	SIM	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
		Multiple LED lights on the back (notifications, charging progress, camera fill light) Blinking red light on the back (video recording indicator) IP53 – splash, water and dust resistant

DISPLAY	Type	OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak)
	Size	6.55 inches, 103.6 cm² (~85.8% screen-to-body ratio)
	Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~402 ppi density)
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5

PLATFORM	OS	Android 12, Nothing OS
	Chipset	Qualcomm SM7325-AE Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (6 nm)
	CPU	Octa-core (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
	GPU	Adreno 642L

MEMORY	Card slot	No
	Internal	128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
		UFS 3.1

MAIN CAMERA	Dual	50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS 50 MP, f/2.2, 114˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, AF
	Features	LED flash, panorama, HDR
	Video	4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, live HDR

SELFIE CAMERA	Single	16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm
	Video	1080p@30fps

SOUND	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	No

COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
	Bluetooth	5.2, A2DP, LE
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS. Up to dual-band: GLONASS (1), BDS (2), GALILEO (1), QZSS (1)
	NFC	Yes
	Radio	No
	USB	USB Type-C 2.0, USB On-The-Go

FEATURES	Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, proximity, gyro, compass

BATTERY	Type	Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
	Charging	Fast charging 33W, 50% in 30 min, 100% in 70 min (advertised) Wireless charging 15W Reverse wireless charging 5W Power Delivery 3.0 Quick Charge 4.0