Introduction
The release of Nothing Phone 1 was officially announced during a live stream, where the company’s CEO, Carl Pei, spoke about his plans for a smartphone.
Design and Display
Another interesting feature of the transparent case is that the company has embedded several LEDs in different corners of the back panel.
Phone 1 is also available in black. While the main marketing focus of the device was on the white version, the black one looks no less elegant. However, the design compared to the iPhone becomes even clearer when comparing the black Phone 1 to the many generations of black iPhones that came before it.
Nothing Phone 1 features a 6.55-inch Gorilla Glass 5 OLED screen with resolutions up to 2400 x 1080p. A recent post on the official Nothing account revealed that the Phone 1 will have two different refresh rate options: 60Hz for normal use, and a Smooth Display setting that boosts the refresh rate to 120Hz for some apps. It won’t be a game changer in 2022, but it’s still nice to see a 120Hz option on the Nothing Phone 1.
The Nothing Phone 1 also has an under-display fingerprint sensor. There have been rumors that it might have a sensor on the side, but it has now been confirmed to use a sensor similar to those found on other Android devices.
The transparent phone is made from recycled aluminum and weighs only about 193 grams. The screen is a 6.55-inch 1080p OLED panel with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It has Gorilla Glass 5 protection, 1200 nits peak brightness, and 240Hz call sampling rate. The fingerprint sensor is situated beneath the screen.
Turning the Nothing Phone 1 forward, its unique design has a large screen with thin bezels, rounded corners, a camera cutout in the top left corner, a screen lock button on one side, and two volume buttons on the other. It’s not a bad design by any means, but it’s very similar to most other modern flagships.
The LED indicator configuration on the back is called “UI Glyph” and is placed around the functional areas of the phone to display related information. For example, a light behind the USB C port shows charging progress, the camera light turns on while shooting, and the lights also sync with built-in taps.
Cameras
The company has already taken a look at the phone (1). It has a transparent case on the back, and the bezel around the edges is made from durable recycled aluminum. The display panel is flat, with flat edges and curved corners. Judging by the teaser, the dual camera module does not stand out much compared to other phones on the market.
The device has two main cameras: a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 and a 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 ultra-wide-angle camera. The Sony IMX766 has optical image stabilization, electronic image stabilization, and f/1.88 aperture. The ultra wide-angle lens has only electronic image stabilization and f/2.2 aperture. As for the front camera, it’s a pretty standard 16-megapixel lens.
The indicators serve a number of purposes, such as alerting the indicators when the phone is face down and displaying charging information. The backlight is programmable and gives device owners plenty of options when it comes to how the phone lights up for each type of notification. However, as many have noted, the practicality of the backlight immediately disappears when a case is put on the Nothing Phone 1.
Specifications
Nothing Phone 1 Specifications
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+
CPU: Octa-core (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU: Adreno 642L
Display: 6.55″ OLED with 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution, 120Hz, 1B colors, HDR10+
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System: Android 12, Nothing OS 1
Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G
Memory:
RAM: 8GB, 12GB
Internal: 128GB, 256GB
Card slot: No
Camera:
Rear (Dual): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS
50 MP, f/2.2, 114˚ (ultra wide), 1/2.76″, 0.64µm
Rear Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, live HDR
Front: 16MP
Front Video: 1080p@30fps
Colors: White, Black
Fingerprint sensor: Under Display
Battery: 4,500 mAh
Price: About €470
The device is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778+ octa-core processor, while the 6.5-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display will support refresh rates up to 120Hz. The device will support up to 45W fast wired charging as well as wireless charging.
Qualcomm reportedly added these two features at Nothing’s request, and later gave the Snapdragon 778G a “+” badge to distinguish it. Nothing has ever showcased the prowess of reverse wireless charging your mobile phone with an ad, enhancing the Ear 1 once the headphone case is placed on its transparent back.
Internal and Storage
Nothing Phone 1 has 8GB to 12GB of RAM and 128GB to 256GB of internal storage, depending on which version you buy. It has a 4500mAh battery and supports 33W bottom port charging and 15W wireless charging.
Software
On the software side, Android 12 is covered by the Nothing OS 1 operating system, which is not heavily modified and does not contain any malware. Nothing promised 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches, putting it ahead of several Android competitors.
Nothing has been confirmed that the Phone 1 will get three years of OS support and four years of two-month security patches.
The advantage of Nothing OS software for Android-based phones is that it is designed for better integration with third-party products. You can control other devices like a Tesla vehicle from the quick settings menu, including unlocking the doors and turning on the car’s air conditioning. The software also shows clear signs of being evolved during the recent NFT boom and includes additions like the ability to display expensive images on your phone’s home screen or monitor prices. Nothing Phone promises 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates (released every 2 months).
Interesting Entrants
Nothing Phone 1 is one of the hottest new products on the smartphone market in recent years. But instead of trying to match the specs of other established brands, Nothing focuses on new features like the Phone 1’s light bars to make it stand out. But with the smartphone market increasingly dominated by Apple, Samsung, and big Chinese tech companies, Nothing could be out of business if it wants to compete at scale.
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