The Nothing Phone

Design

Inside the smartphone box of the Nothing Phone (1), you'll receive a SIM ejector tool, a safety information booklet, a pre-applied screen protector, and a warranty card, and a USB Type C cable. When you look at the Nothing Phone (1) from the front, its design and display appears quite traditional. However, the phone rocks a consistently designed bezel, which is a feature reserved for hi-tech mobile phones. The star of the show here is not the front of the phone, but it’s glamorous back!

When you flip over the phone, you'll see a semi-transparent back cover, which makes the Nothing Phone (1) a true showstopper. Underneath the semi-transparent design, you'll see a textured and multi-layered design. The semi-transparent design is able to conceal the phone's circuit quite remarkably. The only thing you see is the central circle denoting the phone's wireless charging coil and certain screws here and there that remind you about the flawless construction of this gadget. Once you get past the semi-transparent design of the rear cover, you will appreciate the encompassing pattern of white LED lights arranged in strips. These LED lights serve several cosmetic and technological functions such as flashing whenever you get a notification and show the charging progress of the mobile. You can even create a makeshift ring light by activating all the LED lights at once using the camera app.

Another interesting feature about these lights is that you can filter non-urgent notifications by setting up a pattern for important contacts and apps. That said, to enjoy this feature you will have to imbibe the habit of placing your mobile phone with its display facing down. To ensure that the screen stays protected at all times, the Nothing Phone (1) comes with a pre-applied screen protector. However, you can always invest in some extra screen protection to secure the phone's display even further.

Display

The brand has fitted the Nothing Phone with a Full HD + OLED panel measuring 6.55-inches diagonally. The display has a mind-boggling refresh rate of 120 Hz, a 10-bit colour support, and HDR10+ compatibility. The bezels have a constant thickness around the entire screen because it features a flexible OLED panel. Had there been a rigid panel in place, you wouldn't be able to enjoy an aesthetic screen.

On the top left corner of the display screen, you'll notice a front-facing camera and an in-display fingerprint sensor at the bottom edge of the panel. Whenever the display goes off, a light ring for the fingerprint sensor lingers on the screen. This phone offers a peak brightness of up to 1200 nits, which is a godsend for streaming videos and scrolling through social media apps.

The OLED display panel ensures that you enjoy seamless colour contrast with the help of two color profiles – Alive and Standard. The Alive colour profile is the default setting whereas the Standard colour profile is a more muted version of the same. The latter setting also shows a better granularity control due to the colour temperature slider.

The Nothing Phone (1) has a dynamic refresh rate which when paired with the 240 Hz touch response rate, makes for an intuitive interface. This feature is a game-changer for streamers and video game enthusiasts looking for a mid-range mobile phone with a snappy display.

Performance

If you desire a budget-friendly phone with a snappy performance, then the Nothing Phone (1) will help you scratch the itch, all thanks to its Snapdragon 778G+ chipset. It offers a sustainable and balanced performance and can truly be an ideal companion to do your daily tasks. The Snapdragon 778G+ chipset helps the phone power through multitasking and intensive gaming.

Even though the software has a few glitches here and there, overall the performance of the device is pretty fluid. The device doesn't have any bloatware and the UI is super smooth. It offers a bloatware-free software experience and doesn't get stalled under pressure. The robust chipset is capable of running exhaustive games such as BGMI, COD, Asphalt 9, etc., with zero compromise on the stability. That said, since it's the company's first ever launch, there's still room for a lot of customization options. It's a great option for running mild to moderate gaming apps.

The fingerprint sensor works like a charm and the screen displays some pretty cool animations when locked and unlocked. If we talk about the speakers, then the sound balance might leave you wanting for more. The front firing speakers are less loud than the back firing ones and the speaker alignment does not change with the change in the phone's positioning.

Battery

The Nothing Phone (1) packs a 4500mAh battery which is quite common to find in mobile phones of such price range. Even though the battery in itself is above average, the battery life of the device is quite disappointing due to poor optimization. Overall, the battery of this device will barely last you a whole day. The Glyph lights chalk up just 0.5% of the battery life every 10 minutes so they aren't to be blamed for the poor battery life. Can you guess who's the main culprit here? Yup, you're right. It is the display.

The phone supports a 33W fast charging and restores the battery life by at least 67% in half an hour. This is faster than most other fan-favorite mobiles offered by Apple, Samsung, and Google. You'd be a little disappointed to find out that Nothing has decided to join in on the trend of selling a mobile phone without a charger. No doubt that this is an environmentally-friendly decision, but it will certainly cost you some extra bucks to buy a brand new USB Type C charger.

To combat this situation, the Nothing Phone (1) offers wireless charging as well as reverse wireless charging to recharge smaller devices such as headphones.

Camera

One of the most exciting features of the Nothing Phone (1) are its dual 50 MP cameras. The 50MP Samsung JN1 camera sensor can be used to click ultra-wide angle pictures and the other 50 MP Sony IMX766 camera can be used as the primary sensor for the phone.

On the front, the Nothing Phone (1) packs a 16 MP Sony IMX471 camera. The mobile phone also features an LED light at the back case but you can also use the Glyph fill lights to shoot videos and click pictures. The lighting adds a warm bluish hue to your photographs when turned on.

The primary camera of the phone i.e the 50 MP Sony IMX766, is made of the Quad-Bayer sensor. It packs an optically stabilized 24mm f/1.88 lens and a phase-detection auto focus feature. Even though the primary sensor has a 50 MP camera, it shoots in the 12.5 MP mode by default.

The secondary ultra-wide 50 MP camera lens has a Tetracell colour filter and the Samsung JN1 sensor sits at the back of a 14 mm f/2.2 lens. Like the primary camera, the secondary camera too has a phase-detection auto focus feature and can focus till a range of 4 cm. It has a dedicated macro and micro mode. Furthermore, the dual back camera supports a night vision mode but you need to click on the moon icon on the viewfinder to activate it. The camera is capable of impressing you with its accurate and crisp clicks. However, slight chromatic aberrations may be noted in the righter areas of an image.

Price

The Nothing Phone (1) has been launched specifically in Europe, the UK, and the Asian tech market. If you're planning to get the phone imported to the US or Canada, then please check the specifications carefully. The phone is not designed to work with the voltage in North America.

The Nothing Phone (1) has been priced moderately, keeping in mind the target audience of the phone. Here's the price range for the three versions of it:

UK Price:

8GB + 128GB : £399

8GB + 256GB: £449

12GB + 256GB : £499

Summary

The biggest differentiator of the Nothing Phone is its spectacular design and its flashy Glyph filler lights. Even though the rest of the features of the phone are slightly above average, it can still be termed a competent mobile phone.

The eye-catching design and price point will definitely appeal to Android users. With no predecessor to compete with, the Nothing Phone has the opportunity to leave a positive impression on the Android market.

Nothing has truly given its competitors a run for their money. As per our review, the battery life, display, design, performance, and camera quality of the device are definitely worth the price. The Glyph UI adds an interesting touch to the phone but there's still room for improvement. One of the best features of this smartphone is that it is gamer-friendly and the cameras can capture crisp pictures even in low-light conditions. The audio quality of the phone left us a bit disappointed but we hope that the company fixes it in their upcoming launches and updates.

Another improvement we hope to see in future Nothing launches is complete water protection. Overall, the Nothing Phone (1) has set a strong benchmark for its successors and it will be interesting to watch how the company plans out its updates.

With an impressive debut in the market, it is safe to say that the Nothing Phone (1) is here to revolutionize the tech market for the better!