Flagship smartphones usually tend to get a lot of hype and fanfare ahead of their launch, but it’s not often that we see the same level of excitement or even more for a mid-range phone launch. Nothing, the technology company founded by Carl Pei, who previously co-founded OnePlus, has just launched its first smartphone called the Phone 1.
It was a highly anticipated smartphone for a bunch of reasons, but I think the main one is that Carl Pei, the man behind the company, helped transform OnePlus from a fledgling enthusiast-only brand to one of the most popular smartphone brands today. Expectations for Nothing’s first smartphone are sky-high. After a seismic buildup over the past few months with multiple leaks and teasers, the Phone 1 is finally here.
The Phone 1’s aim is not to offer a clean and simple Android experience, but with a unique hardware touch thanks to its quirky notification lights. I spent some time with the Phone 1 and here are my first impressions.
The Nothing Phone 1 comes in a slim box that has a cropped image of the back of the phone printed on it. The white and black versions of the phone come in color-matched boxes. Inside you’ll find Phone 1, a safety guide, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and one of the coolest SIM eject tools I’ve come across. As expected, no charger comes with the phone. Nothing also sent me a transparent case for the Phone 1, which is sold separately.
The Nothing Phone 1 doesn’t come with a bundled charger, but the SIM eject tool looks pretty cool
Before diving into the specs, we must first talk about the most unique feature of Phone 1 and that is its rear panel. You’ve probably seen this angle of the phone the most since it’s what Nothing has used in all of its marketing material. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the whole see-through design, but I do appreciate how neatly all the components have been hidden away. In my opinion, the black variant is much better than the white one because the transparent effect is more subtle and I also prefer the darker shade of the aluminum frame.
However, that transparent back isn’t just for show, it serves a purpose. Beneath the glass back panel are a series of light strips that Nothing calls the Glyph interface. There’s a dedicated menu in the software for this from which you can set different light patterns for ringtones and notifications, or even keep a tab on the battery level while the phone is charging. You can even use the Glyph interface as a fill light for the rear cameras, which is nice.
The Nothing Phone 1’s transparent back is its most striking feature, for better or worse.
The Glyph interface seems useful provided you’re used to keeping your phone face down on a surface, which I personally don’t. The lights are really bright, although you can adjust the intensity, and some of the flashing patterns can be distracting. We will find out in the full review how useful it ends up being after using the phone for a longer period of time. Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll probably need to use this phone with a clear or translucent case, or without a case to see the lights.
As a premium mid-range smartphone, the Nothing Phone 1 is a bit tight. The flattened aluminum frame is smooth to the touch and the rounded edges make it comfortable to hold. It’s quite thin at 8.3mm but it packs a little weight at 193.5g. The power and volume buttons have good feedback and are placed on opposite sides of the frame, making them easier to use with one hand. At the bottom we have the dual SIM tray, a USB Type-C port and a speaker. The earpiece doubles as a second speaker for stereo sound.
The Nothing Phone 1 is IP53 rated for resistance to light splashes of water and dust. An IP rating is becoming more and more common in mid range phones and while not as comprehensive as an IP67 or IP68 rating it’s still something and I’m glad nothing has skimped on that.
The Nothing Phone 1 has a crisp OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate
On the front of the Nothing Phone 1, you get a bright and crisp 6.55-inch screen that produces really good colors thanks to the OLED panel. The screen has 10-bit color depth, Full HD+ resolution, and 120Hz refresh rate. This phone also has an in-screen capacitive fingerprint sensor, which worked well so far. now. The display supports HDR10+ playback and has a typical brightness of 500 nits (1200 nits peak). There is Corning Gorilla Glass on the front and back of Phone 1.
The Nothing Phone 1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which is a powerful 5G chip seen in phones such as the Motorola Edge 30 (Review). Phone 1 is available in three configurations which are as follows: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage priced at Rs. 32,999, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage priced at Rs. 35,999 and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage for $38,999. This is LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. Nothing also offers discounts to customers who have pre-ordered the phone.
Phone 1 has a 4500mAh battery and supports USB PD fast wired charging up to 33W. 15W fast wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging are supported. Wireless charging is a feature that’s still relatively rare in the mid-range space, so that should help Phone 1 get a good footing.
The Nothing Phone 1 runs on Nothing OS which is pretty much stock Android 12 with some tweaks such as a custom icon pack, additional wallpapers and widgets, and of course the custom ringtones and sounds of notification for the Glyph interface. There’s also no promise of three years of Android updates and four years of security updates, which is good to see.
There are only two cameras on the back of the Nothing Phone 1
Nothing has gone crazy with the cameras and there are only two on the rear of the Phone 1, but with high quality sensors. The main camera uses a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor which is optically stabilized. We’ve seen good things from this sensor in many flagships, so I’m expecting the same from Phone 1. The second camera is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide and uses the Samsung JN1 sensor, much like the OnePlus 10 Pro (Review). This sensor also has autofocus, which allows it to act as a macro camera. The selfie camera features a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor that we’ve seen in many OnePlus flagships over the years.
The Nothing Phone 1 looks like a solid mid-range offering based on specs alone. The inclusion of wireless charging should give it an edge over the competition, and the Glyph notification system, while a little gimmicky in my opinion, certainly sets it apart from any other phone on the market. Along with having good hardware, it’s equally important for Nothing to provide good after-sales service if it hopes to compete with other established players. The company claims to have service centers in over 220 cities across India, which is a good start.
Should you believe the hype and buy the Nothing Phone 1? Find out in our full review ahead.
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