Verdict
The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) is a good mid - range Android headphone that conk out to really digest out from the crowded mart unless you ’re a big buff of the filmy look .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) is the first Android phone and second production after the Nothing Ear ( 1 ) from OnePlus co - laminitis Carl Pei ’s hyped startup .
Nothing focussed on building hype ahead of its Phone ( 1 ) launching . It ’s a brand that pip up a frenzy of support on Twitter and sell an unreleased phone on a site more unremarkably known for sneakers . This may vocalise exciting , but if you watch over OnePlus before it became an obvious Oppo outgrowth , the story of Nothing will be achingly familiar .
But a phone is a tough proposition and hype alone is n’t enough . With so much competition on the market and self-aggrandising names like LG extracting themselves from the crowded marketplace dominated by the likes of Apple , Samsung and Xiaomi ; Nothing could have a dodgy road ahead if it want to become a marque name mass have a go at it .
It ’s worth noting that , despite the fact that the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) is now uncommitted , the original Nothing Phone ( 1 ) remains an affordable £ 399/$390 selection for those that sleep together the look – especially considering the Phone ( 2 ) costs an increased £ 579/$599 .
Design and Screen
stand out is hard for a smartphone . A decade ago we had motley in terms of design , but now just about everything – aside from dear foldables that are out of reach for most vendee – is a rounded - off rectangle .
Nothing is n’t rewriting the rulebook when it comes to the Phone ( 1 ) ’s blueprint , but it is attempt to differentiate itself with a spectacular design .
Like the Nintendo Gameboys of my childhood , the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) has a clear back that let you gaze inside the phone and see the snaking cable television service and internal components . I make love this style and it ’s accomplish well here whether you beak up the gimmick in snowy ( pictured ) or black .
From the screws to the surrounding of theQi wireless chargingcoil , a lot of oeuvre has clearly gone into making the interior of this earphone expression neat and likable .
The transparent back also allows the sound ’s main ‘ lineament ’ – the Glyph Interface – to function .
compact inside the phone are a series of bright , white LED clear strips that act as a – to put it as simply as potential – cheap notification system . The arrangement of LEDs flash when a notification come in and a strip towards the bottom fills up as the phone flush . The Glyph lights can also give you a soft chromaticity when you ’re recording video .
It ’s a invention feature so classifiable that Nothing also choose to use the system on the newfangled Nothing Phone ( 2 ) .
It ’s a clever trick , at least for the first couple of hours of usage , but sadly it just eventually turned into a whatchamacallit I could have done without .
The LEDs light up when notification follow in and the headphone is placed screen - side - down . you’re able to manually tweak the rhythm of the lights and Nothing has craft a whole lot of special ringtones that sound in time to the LED . The feeling is clever and singular , but I eventually found the constant sparkle show more of an thorn than a welfare .
I still really like the bottom light-emitting diode that slowly fill up as the phone charges yield you a visual index number of how close you are to 100 % without getting distracted by the phone itself .
thing are improved more or less on the newfangled Nothing Phone ( 2 ) with brighter LEDs and reflex light adjustment , more LED for finer control condition of the faint show and new feature article like a timekeeper and the power to check the condition of apps like Uber and Deliveroo by glancing at the Glyph , but it ’s still not expansive .
Glyph aside , the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) spirit , and feels , very much like aniPhone 13 . The side are flat , as is the front and back , while a pair of cameras sit around towards the top of the tail end . The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) looks so much like an maverick iPhone 13 that my spouse thought it was Apple ’s next gimmick when she blame it up for the first time .
Nothing says the Phone ( 1 ) is made from 100 % recycled Al , with 50 % of the charge plate components coming from ‘ bio - based and recycled author ’ .
The aluminum frame is light and has so far extend good levels of durability , something backed up by the Gorilla Glass coverings . The comparison to the iPhone 13 is , of class , far from a bash against the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) . It ’s a thoroughly - looking twist , and while it would have been skillful to see anIP68rating for added water resistance , that ’s a feature we rarely see at this £ 399 monetary value .
We ’re also far from guaranteed a top - close showing at this Mary Leontyne Price but Nothing has at least decided against skimping on the silver screen – a move I will always recommend . There ’s a 1080pHDR10 + capable 6.55 - inchOLEDhere , with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate for responsive play controls . consider Google ’s Pixel 6a has a simple 60Hz video display , Nothing has a renowned one - up on one of its bighearted rivals .
Unlike some pricy phones , the 120Hz refresh rate only flip that top number and 60Hz , rather than down to as low as 1Hz . This is known as avariable refresh ratescreen , and it can deliver battery by lick the screen less in situations that are n’t as demanding . It ’s a feature film of the newer Nothing Phone ( 2 ) if that ’s of importance to you .
I elicit up some HDR videos on YouTube and they popped with brightness , while the screen can run into just under 500 nits of brightness in everyday exercise . This is enough to cope with brighter days and the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) cope to debar becoming unusable in direct sunlight .
Inside the display is a honest fingerprint sensor for biometric unlocking and or else of a notch , there ’s a small cutout in the top left corner for the front photographic camera .
Camera
I was n’t expecting much from the photography skills of the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) . Too often affordable equipment have call a draw and then disappointed when it come to optic – I am looking at you OnePlus . But in realism , the experience here is firm for the price . The main camera churns out great day snaps and the ultrawide is there for a bit of versatility .
There ’s a duette of 50MP sensor on the back , with the main camera being a Sony IMX766 sensor add together OIS ( optic image stabilization ) . Around the front , there ’s a 16MP detector .
The camera specs sound good on theme as this is the same sensor you ’ll detect on excellent smartphones like theOppo Find X5 ProandXiaomi 12 , which really impress us when we test them . It also good impressed our reviewer of theOnePlus Nord 2 T , another phone that uses this detector .
I ’ve been shoot with the Phone ( 1 ) for over a calendar week at this point and I feel I can believe the camera to snap a upright pic in most weather condition . Of of course , the highlighting is in well - lit post where the snaps taken from the phone are bright , colorful and elaborated .
A beneficial test of a camera I always observe is click a picture of my dog and catch whether the phone can pull enough particular out of the fur without recur to heavy sharpening in post - processing . The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) does a undecomposed Book of Job here , presenting a clear image with good fur detail without looking too litigate .
On another day of testing , I took the phone out when the sunlight was bright and this show some of the phone ’s issues with HDR photography . Often images were way over - exposed and I did n’t feel like the software program was doing enough to countermine the irradiation . Still , the majority of shots I took were usable .
simulacrum are still good when the luminosity go down , with the night mode pulling some extra luminosity out of scenes where motion is kept to a lower limit . I ’d still say the Pixel 5a captures good night shots , but the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) does a commendable problem .
The results were less telling with the lower-ranking ultrawide electron lens . The colour are very different when you flip and the end product is a minute unsatisfying . Still , I like the addition of this focal length and it can still produce some nice images .
Nothing has to be commended for not adding an extra terrible telephoto sensor or a purposeless macro detector here just for selling function . Yes , a true telephoto photographic camera would have been skillful , but I have yet to use a telephone set at this cost that can do zoomed image judge .
television does n’t seem to have been much of a direction for Nothing here , as the feature - set is minimal . you may shoot in 4 K up to 60fps with a middling standard stage of stabilisation and that ’s about it .
For reference , the newer Nothing Phone ( 2 ) summercater an selfsame dual-50MP camera apparatus , though with a dissimilar main detector and an improved ISP that can capture much more data – though whether this results in notably better results is yet to be seen .
Performance
Unlike OnePlus , Nothing is n’t bluster the Phone ( 1 ) as a flagship in terms of performance . In fact , the spec lean here is very modest . If a top - tier Qualcomm chipset or preposterously fast charging is a must - have feature , you might be best off looking at something from Realme or Xiaomi – or even the newer Nothing Phone ( 2 ) .
With that order , what is on offer with the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) is more than enough for most users . RAM comes in either 8 or 12 GB sizes , while the mid - range Snapdragon 778G+ microprocessor chip has been tweaked especially for Nothing thanks to the addition of both wireless , and reverse wireless charging .
There’s5 G – a feature you ’ll find on more and more phones even at this Leontyne Price – though there is no mmWave support .
I ’ve had some mixed results with the performance of this telephone set , though I do n’t really see the chipset as the main perpetrator . I ’ve run into many instance of stuttering , notably when scrolling around the home CRT screen and especially inside the television camera app . The whole shooting experience is slow , with skeleton dropping when I ’m taking a photo and frequent drops to black when I switch between manner .
However , in benchmark tests and bet on the sound delivers the results I would expect at this price distributor point . It can do by long bouts of Call of Duty Mobile without getting hot and when I am in apps the execution is firm .
I would say the issues I have see are down to software program optimization , something not strange for a new brand creating its first telephone . It does lead to an often frustrative experience though .
Call calibre , Wi - Fi performance and cellular connectivity are all good and the 8 GB RAM in my review building block is more than enough for a day ’s worth of apps to outride in memory .
The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) runs Android 12 with a promise three twelvemonth of software updates , however , as the company is new we ’re yet to really see how quickly it delivers these updates . Nothing OS sits atop Android 12 and it is a very minimal coating so hopefully they ’ll come quickly , but only prison term will tell .
There are some new wallpapers , tolerant use of Nothing ’s dot - matrix font and a somewhat tweaked speedy preferences bar . There are also a couple of new gizmo , include an NFT Gallery and one to pair off with a Tesla . I ca n’t assist but guess Nothing is hop its prospective purchaser are also the sort who would buy a Tesla .
I care the clean look of the UI and appreciate the complete lack of bloatware install . However to call this an OS is press it . Really it ’s a very idle skin where all the best number have been design by Google .
Things have been ameliorate with the Android 13 - based Nothing OS 2.0 on the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) , however , and Nothing has promised that the update will hit the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) in the come month .
Battery Life
Inside the Phone ( 1 ) is a 4500mAh battery and during my time with the phone , it has never failed to get me through the day . Particularly officious days have called for the letting down of the screen to 60Hz , but for the most part , this is a twist you wo n’t be worrying about charging before you leave the office staff . However , the phone does n’t last quite as long as the OnePlus Nord 2 T – so that ’s in all likelihood a better choice if you ’re keen on getting as much juice from a charge as possible .
Standby times are peculiarly poor , far worse than what I would usually expect from an Android phone at this price . bequeath the phone unplugged overnight saw it drop by 15 % four nights in a row . Like the slow cameras , there ’s every chance this could be a resultant of badly optimised computer software .
Nothing has campaign with the representative determine by Apple and Samsung and not include a charger in the box , though it has n’t match theXperia 1 IVby remove the USB - degree centigrade transmission line . The phone is capable of 33w fast charging , so pick up a plug adequate to of at least that velocity if you ’re shopping around . A full charge takes roughly an 60 minutes , which is n’t as good as the 37 minute it took to shoot theRealme GT Neo 3Tbut still faster than charging an iPhone 13 .
It ’s great to see Qi radio receiver charging here too , a feature rarely seen at this price . There ’s even reversible wireless charging , so you could turn on a pair of Qi earbuds on the back at 5w .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) does have a alone facial expression , with the transparent back and the Glyph UI . It for certain catches the eye and stands out .
I comment multiple performance proceeds with the phone , from the dumb camera to oecumenical issues throughout .
Final Thoughts
Even compared to the new Nothing Phone ( 2 ) , the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) is a sound affordable Android earphone . For £ 399 you ’re puzzle a overnice screen , versatile television camera , a day - long barrage fire and a singular innovation . Compared to the £ 579 asking price of the similar - looking Nothing Phone ( 2 ) , it ’s a buy .
However , nothing really stands out here as being better than what was already on the marketplace . The Pixel A series takes dainty photos , theOnePlus Nord 2Tis a good performing artist and theRealme GT Neo 3Tcharges faster .
At least the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) is a in effect all - rounder and for many , that ’ll be enough , especially when it ’s paired with a not bad intention that ’ll certainly get citizenry talking .
Trusted Score
How we test
We quiz every mobile phone we brush up thoroughly . We use manufacture standard tests to equate features decent and we habituate the earpiece as our main gimmick over the review full point . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
FAQs
There is no courser include here , just a USB - C cable . The headphone does corroborate 33w level ( along with Qi wireless charging ) so it ’s worth picking up a charger that supports those speeds .
There is not a casing included , however Nothing is sell a case that shows off the Glyph port .
It is promising three years of big Android updates and a further one of security updates . That ’s proficient for this end of the market .
Test Data
Full Specs
Sustainability
TrustedReviews ’ holds the fact that worldwide warming is not a myth as a sum economic value and will continuously endeavor to help protect our planet from damage in its patronage practices .
As part of this charge , whenever we review a product we send the companionship a series of questions to help us guess and make transparent the encroachment the twist has on the environment .
We presently have n’t received solution to the questions on this product , but will update this varlet the consequence we do . you’re able to see a detailed breakdown of the questions we involve and why in oursustainability information Sir Frederick Handley Page .
