Nothing, the new consumer electronics brand, has just launched its first smartphone– Nothing Phone (1) and co-founder Carl Pei has aced tech marketing. The Phone (1) has literally taken over social media with everyone flaunting the device with the new LED pattern. On paper, it’s just another mid-range Android smartphone that starts at Rs 32,999. But the way the device is packaged with the transparent-looking rear panel and LED lights that dance to ringtones, Nothing has managed to create a fanbase for Phone (1).
While a lot has been talked about the transparent back of the Phone (1), there’s actually a case inside the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 rear panel that mimics the look of a transparent phone. Talking about the transparent back, also remember that you will have to buy a clear case separately to protect the device as any type of scratch or dirt will make the Phone (1) look bad.
It’s a 5G-enabled smartphone and there’s a USB Type-C port for charging along with dual-SIM card slots and support for 5G. There’s no headphone jack and the Phone (1) offers IP53 splash and dust resistance which may ensure that dust doesn’t accumulate under the transparent rear panel.
There’a a 6.55-inch flexible OLED display with 2400×1080-pixel resolution at 402 ppi. Other display features include HDR10+ support along with 60Hz – 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
The biggest highlight is the back panel of the phone that flaunts an LED light strp pattern powered by the Glyph Interface. The unique light patterns made up of 900 LEDs indicate who’s calling and signals app notifications, charging status and more. You can also use the light as a soft light instead of the harsh Flash LED while taking pictures.
As far as the camera is concerned, there’s a dual-camera setup at the back with a 50 MP Sony IMX766 sensor, ƒ/1.88 aperture, OIS and EIS image stabilisation, HDR and Slo-Mo (120 fps) along with a 50 MP ultra wide Samsung JN1 sensor with ƒ/2.2 aperture, EIS image stabilisation, Macro (4 cm) and HDR. The camera supports 4K recording at 30 fps, 1080p recording at 30 or 60 fps, Live HDR at 30 fps with OIS and EIS image stabilisation.
On the front, 16 MP Sony IMX471 sensor with ƒ/2.45 aperture and support for 1080p video recording at 30 fps.
Powered by a Qualcomm SnapdragonTM 778G+ (6nm TSMC process) chipset clocked at 1.8GHz with Adreno 642L GPU, LDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.
The device comes with three variants– 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB. There are two colour options- Black and White. Note that there’s no microSD card slot in the phone to expand the storage. Also, you will not get any charging adapter or protection case inside the box.
On the software front, the Nothing Phone (1) offers a clean experience with Android 12-based Nothing OS. The smartphone comes with Face and Finger Unlock. There’s a 4500 mAh battery with 33W PD3.0 wired charging, 15W Qi wireless charging with dual charging support and 5W reverse charging.
Nothing Phone (1) review verdict
The Nothing Phone (1) does offer a fresh choice in the otherwise crowded mid-range smartphone market. It’s definitely a device you would want to flaunt. But as it’s the first smartphone from a brand that is less than two-years old, there’s a lot to work on the software front. The device does get heated a bit and there’s occasional lags as well. The good part is that Nothing is quickly releasing software updates to fix issues and it is advisable to consider buying this smartphone after the initial rush subsided. Wait for a couple of months to get an overall pleasing experience of the Nothing Phone (1).
