The Nothing Phone (1) has been unveiled at a launch event in London, hoping to stand out from an ever-growing crowd of Android smartphones.
The most striking thing about this Android-powered device is its design. Instead of the usual glossy glass finish or colourful styling, the Phone (1) comes with a completely clear rear panel.
This not only lets users peer inside the device but also allows them to see the unique glowing lights that Nothing has packed inside.
This idea, which is called the Glyph Interface, is made up of 900 LEDs which can light up to indicate that a call is coming through or someone has just sent a text.
Individual Glyph patterns can even be set for different contacts so owners will know who is calling without looking at the screen.
Another useful advantage of this system is that it can be used as light when shooting video with Nothing promising that it can illuminate close-up subjects with a gentle glow rather than the harshness of a standard flash.
Also tucked inside this rear panel, which is made from Gorilla Glass, is a dual-lens camera which is powered by an impressive Sony sensor.
There are two cameras, which isn’t unusual of course, but these are both 50MP sensors, and the Glyph lights can help with studio lighting, though there’s a regular flash, too
This cameras includes image stabilisation, a Night Mode and Scene Detection which adjusts the setting automatically depending on where you are.
The Nothing brand is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Carl Pei who originally co-founded the hugely successful OnePlus brand.
“We designed Phone (1) as a product we’d be proud to share with friends and family,” said Pei.
“This simple principle helped us wander off the beaten path, tune into our instincts, and create an experience that hopefully marks the start of change in a stagnant industry.”
When it comes to the front of the Nothing Phone (1), there’s a 6.55-inch OLED display that gets a 120Hz refresh rate for silky smooth scrolling. Nothing is also boasting that users will be treated to 1 billion colours when bingeing on boxsets.
Under the hood there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ processor which is fully compatible with the latest 5G data speeds.
The Nothing Phone 1 is powered by a 4,500mAh battery that can be charged at up to 33W with a cable or 15W wirelessly.
The Nothing Phone (1) can refill other accessories, such as earbuds, simply by placing them on the rear case.
The final thing that Android fans might enjoy is the new Nothing OS. This operating system comes free of any bloatware and also offers bespoke widgets, fonts, sounds and wallpapers which have all been designed by Nothing.
There’s a smart software feature that learns which apps are the users’ favourite with the most-used apps then loading super-fast, whilst the rest are frozen to save battery.
The Nothing Phone 1 comes in three variants:
- 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage- £399
- 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage – £449
- 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage – £499 (available late summer)
The Nothing Phone (1) will be on sale soon. Fans can buy it from the pop-up Nothing Kiosk between July 16 and 20 in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, London.
From July 21, the Nothing Phone 1 will be available SIM-free from Amazon UK and Selfridges in the UK, while O2 has confirmed that it will be exclusively stocking this device with fans able to buy it on contract.
Nothing Phone 1 Specs
- Display: 6.55 OLED display (2,400 x 1,080 resolution at 402 ppi) / 500 nits brightness and 1,200 nits peak brightness / 240Hz touch sampling rate
- Refresh rate: Adaptive refresh rate (60-120Hz)
- Chipset: 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chip
- RAM + storage: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage / 8GB RAM + 256GB storage / 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
- Battery: 4,500 mAh
- Charging: 33W PD3.0 wired, 15W Qi wireless with dual charging support, 5W reverse charging
- Biometrics: In-display fingerprint sensor / face unlock
- SIM slots: 2
- Wireless: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- IP rating: IP53 water and dust-resistance
- Android version: Android 12 with Nothing OS 1.0.2
- Dimensions: 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm
- Weight: 193.5g
- Colours: White or black
- Selfie camera: 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor with f/2.45 aperture / 1080p at 30 fps
- Wide camera: 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with f/1.88 aperture
- Ultrawide camera: 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 114-degree FOV / 4cm macro mode
