The Nothing Phone (1) is undoubtedly the smartphone with the most hype in its wake. But is it overhyped? It will be necessary to wait for a complete test before answering it. But in the meantime, I was able to take it in hand before its release and I give you my first impressions of the Nothing Phone (1).
Nothing Phone 1 Review:
The Nothing Phone (1) is available in France in three configurations of 8/128 GB, 8/256 GB and 12/256 GB respectively sold for 469, 499, and 549 dollars. You can buy it from the official Nothing store and on Amazon.
The Nothing Phone (1) is not a flagship despite all the hype that surrounds it. It is a mid-range smartphone, premium certainly, but mid-range neither more nor less. But does it really offer anything different besides LEDs and a transparent back?
Nothing Phone 1: Design
The Nothing Phone (1) clearly stands out for its design with its transparent glass back which reveals certain components as well as the LEDs which light up and which Nothing calls the “Glyph interface.”
I loved:
- The transparent design makes a big impression
- Glyph interface is a bit of a gimmick but it also spices up the experience a bit
- IP53 rating, dual stereo speakers
I did not like:
- Form factor very inspired by that of an iPhone 13 (not a defect in itself, but relative to the avant-garde side of the design)
Well, I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, everyone and their grandmother has seen it… the Nothing Phone (1) has a transparent glass back. It comes in a single white colorway for now, but a black version is expected to arrive later.
And this design uses the same codes as the Nothing Ear headphones (1). The idea is to show, a little, but not too much, the interior of the smartphone and its components, all with work on aesthetics and presentation to make the design harmonious. It’s not just about fucking a translucent glass plate and that’s enough.
There are different textures, some close to the coating of a golf ball with small bumps as for the plate to the right of the photo module. The oblong rectangle in the middle has a ridged surface in a circular fashion like vinyl. And the plates at the bottom are arranged to evoke the shape of a small elephant.
But hey, I have to say that overall, I feel like I have an iPhone 13 Pro in my hands with its aluminum frame with straight edges and rounded corners. The dimensions of 159.2 x75.8 x 8.3 mm and the weight of 193.5 g make it a fairly compact smartphone, at least not too bulky. But the most interesting remains this famous Glyph interface. Basically, it is a system of visual signals (but also sound) that act as notifications. And these notifications are contextual.
That is, you can customize the Glyph interface to associate different types of light signals with different types of notifications. When your boyfriend or girlfriend calls you, the LEDs can light up in different places and according to a particular rhythm, for example. Or when you charge the smartphone, a small LED activates to act as a charging progress bar. You can thus lay the smartphone flat and know what this or that notification corresponds to without having to look at your screen.
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Nothing Phone (1) Display: 120 Hz Oled panel
The Nothing Phone (1) features a 6.55-inch OLED screen, with a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080p, HDR10+ compatible with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a touch sampling rate of 240 Hz, and a brightness maximum of 1200 nits.
I loved:
- 120Hz refresh rate
- HDR10+ ready
- Without edges or chin
I did not like:
- The touch sampling rate of 240 Hz is a bit low
On paper, the Nothing Phone’s Oled screen (1) is fully in line with what you would expect from a smartphone in this price range. I find the colorimetry a bit too saturated with the Alive color mode activated by default. But it will be necessary to wait for complete tests so that I can definitively decide on the fidelity of the colors.
The refresh rate is not very adaptive, it can automatically go from 60 to 120 Hz in certain conditions, without any other interval. Again, I’ll have to test the responsiveness of the Nothing Phone (1) in my full test. However, I find the 240 Hz touch sampling rate a bit weak, especially for gaming use.
But otherwise, the flat, borderless screen is pleasant to look at, and above all, it doesn’t have a big chin as is still often the case in the mid-range segment. It is also pierced with a small punch at the top left to accommodate the selfie camera. The fingerprint reader under the screen is very responsive. And the haptic engine produces very crisp, very clean feedback. It’s silly to say, but it reinforces the premium feeling that the smartphone provides.
Nothing Phone (1) Interface: Nothing OS, a very lightweight Android 12 interface
The Nothing Phone (1) runs on Nothing OS, the manufacturer’s interface based on Android 12. Nothing promises up to three versions of Android and four years of fortnightly security updates.
I loved:
- A lightweight interface
- Android 12 features are here
- 3 versions of Android and 4 years of security updates
I did not like:
- I want more Nothing widgets
Nothing OS is an Android overlay that I found very light. There is no bloatware and, thankfully, no ads in the interface. And Nothing has implemented Android 12 ‘s new features like Dynamic Themes, Power Menu, Privacy Dashboard, and even new widgets pretty well.
The manufacturer has obviously added its own widgets to its launcher and I find it very nice visually, although I would have liked to have a little more choice. The ability to enlarge the icon of a single application, which you use frequently, for example, is also quite cool.
Nothing also explains working on pairing Bluetooth devices from third-party manufacturers. The idea is to allow you to connect wearables or connected objects from other brands more easily, a kind of Google Fast Pair+. The manufacturer already explains that it is working with Apple for AirPods but also Tesla. It’s well known that when you’re cool, you drive a Tesla.
The Nothing Phone (1) also benefits from a very thorough update policy for a mid-range smartphone. Nothing guarantees three major versions of Android as well as four years of security updates with fortnightly patches. It’s still too rare in this price range.
Nothing Phone 1 Performance:
The Nothing Phone (1) features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC engraved in 6 nm with its Adreno 642L GPU, all coupled with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage.
I loved:
- waiting for the full test
I did not like:
- waiting for the full test
I have nothing to say on this part for the moment since the conditions of the embargo imposed on the media prevent me from doing so. We will therefore have to wait for my full test which is coming very, very soon.
But the Snapdragon 778G+ is a decidedly mid-range chipset. It is moreover this point in particular that caused a little disappointment among certain hypes who hoped that the Nothing Phone (1) would be an ultra-premium flagship.
However, it is a platform that Qualcomm has had the time to optimize and which is much less energy intensive than its higher-end equivalents and above all, which overheats less. I quickly launched Apex Legends Mobile and the game automatically set the graphics to Normal (notch 2 of 6) and the framerate to High (notch 2 of 4). But as explained, I will tell you more about the performance when the time comes.
Nothing Phone 1 Photo Review: Two goals, zero fuss
The Nothing Phone (1) has a dual photo module carried by a 50 MP wide-angle lens and the Sony IMX766 sensor as well as a 50 MP ultra wide-angle lens. The selfie camera offers a resolution of 16 MP.
I loved:
- waiting for the full test
I did not like:
- waiting for the full test
Again, I can’t tell you much before I can publish my complete Nothing Phone test (1). But already, we can salute the fact that Nothing has integrated useless 2 MP depth or macro sensors. THANK YOU! Then, we can expect very good results at a wide angle with the excellent Sony IMX766 sensor which has already proven itself on many other smartphones.
On the other hand, I am a little less hyped by the ultra wide-angle lens and its Samsung Isocell JN1 sensor whose FOV is limited to 114°. We should also see what Nothing has been done on the software part because the photo application looks rather generic. The video is limited to 4K definition at 30 FPS with the main lens.
Nothing Phone 1 Autonomy: Wireless and reverse wireless charging
The Nothing Phone (1) has a 4500 mAh battery that accepts fast wired charging at 33 watts, Qi wireless charging at 15 watts, and reverses wireless charging at 5 watts.
I loved:
- Rare wireless charging in this price range
I did not like:
- Charger not included
- Quick recharge in 33 watts is a little weak
Well, I know I’m repeating myself, but I’m also going to have to ask you to wait for my full test which is not yet allowed to come out to have concrete information on the autonomy of the Nothing Phone (1).
But here too, Nothing repeats what had worked well with its Ear (1). It offers wireless and reverses wireless charging at a price range that almost always ignores these features.
On paper, the 4500 mAh battery seems sufficient to me. On the other hand, note that Nothing sells its USB-C charger separately. But the manufacturer does not offer proprietary charging technology either. To benefit from fast 33-watt wired charging, any charger compatible with the USB PD 3. 0 standards will do.
Nothing Phone (1): Verdict
Has the Nothing Phone (1) been overhyped or oversold? Personally, I’m not interested. No, the Nothing Phone (1) is not a 1000$ flagship with the latest Snapdragon SoC. So what?
Seriously, you really wanted a flagship, did you? I find that Nothing plays it smart from the start and manages, for now, to always offer products that are good enough to be relevant, cheap enough to be manageable in terms of production, and cool or original enough to appeal to less obsessed users. by specs than a big geek like me.
I think Nothing makes a conscious choice not to target an ultra-tech market. They don’t want to replicate OnePlus’ mistake of promising hordes of nerds the Moon while slashing prices like crazy. Yes, they do crates on their design. But behind these swaying marketers, we end up with a very balanced product, on paper anyway.
But to be sure, I’ll see you very, very, very, very soon for my complete test of the Nothing Phone (1).
The Review
Nothing Phone (1) Review
I find that Nothing plays it smart from the start and manages, for now, to always offer products that are good enough to be relevant, cheap enough to be manageable in terms of production, and cool or original enough to appeal to less obsessed users. by specs than a big geek like me. I think Nothing makes a conscious choice not to target an ultra-tech market. They don't want to replicate OnePlus' mistake of promising hordes of nerds the Moon while slashing prices like crazy. Yes, they do crates on their design. But behind these swaying marketers, we end up with a very balanced product, on paper anyway.
