We got a chance to use the 8GB/256GB variant of the Nothing Phone (1) and here’s what we think of the smartphone.
Nothing Phone (1) is undoubtedly one of the most talked about smartphones of 2022 and since its launch, the device has been part of the news due to numerous reasons. For those who are unaware, the Phone (1) is the first smartphone from Carl Pei’s UK-based tech firm Nothing that made its debut last year with the ear (1) TWS earbuds. The company is quite popular among tech enthusiasts for its design aesthetics and attention to detail. Launched early last month, the Nothing Phone (1) has received a great response from buyers during the initial sales. The company offers the Phone (1) in three RAM and storage configurations - 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB. We got a chance to use the 8GB/256GB variant of the Nothing Phone (1) and here’s what we think of the smartphone.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Design
The first unique thing one can notice about the Nothing Phone (1) is the packaging. The Phone (1) is shipped in an unconventional pizza box style box. Along with the smartphone, the box includes type-C cable, safety guide and a quite distinct SIM ejector tool.
Coming to the smartphone, one can not help but notice the transparent rear panel. Just like the Nothing ear (1), the Phone (1) also features a ‘see-through’ design that can surely make some heads turn. The rear doesn’t actually let you peek into the smartphone but the ‘Glyph Interface’ under the transparent panel gives you that raw but elegant look. Now, you may be wondering what a Glyph Interface is.
Nothing Phone (1) comes with unique LED strips that are made of 900 LEDs. A user can use the Phone (1)’s Glyph Interface as a notification LED and charging indicator. You can also change how the LEDs light up and flicker based on the ringtone. Nothing also allows the users to customise the Glyph Interface as per their choice. This design feature is the USP of the Phone (1) and it can make you the centre of attention wherever you go.
The Glyph Interface does look attractive but some find it gimmicky. The ringtones that the Nothing offers sync really well with the Glyph Interface, however the ringtones start to feel tacky after that rush runs out. At the rear, the smartphone also features a minimalist badging, a vertically aligned dual camera setup and a small red LED that blinks when you are recording a video.
The Northing Phone (1) features an aluminium frame that makes the smartphone comfortable to hold and it also gives a premium look to it. The USB-C port and SIM tray are placed at the bottom edge of the smartphone. The left side sports the volume rockers while the right side gets the power button. The positioning of buttons make the Phone (1) secure to use with a single hand.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Display
The front of the Nothing Phone (1) is occupied by a 6.55-inch OLED display with a punch-hole cutout at the top left corner that houses the selfie camera. The device gets very thin bezels and flat edges which gives it a premium look. The smartphone gets Corning Gorilla Glass protection at both front and back sides. The Phone (1) also comes with 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR10+ playback. The overall display experience on the Nothing Phone (1) turned out to be quite enjoyable due to rich colour production.
Streaming videos on the Phone (1) is quite fun due to the thin bezels and vibrant output. The Nothing OS based on Android 12 allows you to tweak the settings to get the best out of Phone (1)’s display. With around 700 nits of peak brightness, the display is quite easy on the eyes even in harsh sunlight. We did not face any issues with the viewing angles either. The Nothing Phone (1) also features an in-display fingerprint sensor that is quite responsive and we rarely faced any difficulty while unlocking the smartphone.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Camera
When it comes to camera, the Nothing Phone (1) features a dual-camera setup at the rear that consists of a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor with OIS and 50MP ultra wide sensor. The images that we clicked from the Nothing Phone (1) turned out to be pretty decent. The best thing about the Phone (1) camera is that it does not add unnecessary filters or enhance colours in the photo while processing. The camera provides good output under well-lit conditions however, the low-light photography of Phone (1) is at just at par.
Another thing worth appreciating about the Nothing Phone (1)’s camera is the user interface. The UI of Phone (1)’s camera app is simple and feels quite similar to the one offered in iPhones. It does not have needless modes that one rarely uses. We were also impressed with stabilisation and output of the video recording on the Phone (1).
We also tried our hand on the portrait mode in the camera. The mode was quite neat and the customisable effect strength feature worked fine. The Phone (1) was facing a bit of difficulty in distinguishing foreground and background properly under low-light conditions.
(Image clicked from Nothing Phone (1))
At the front, the Nothing Phone (1) gets a 16MP camera with Sony IMX471 sensor. The punch-hole selfie camera is quite clear and produces decent photos to share on social media platforms.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Performance
Under the hood, the Nothing Phone (1) is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset. The SoC is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The smartphone offers smooth day-to-day performance but we were surprised to see some lag while moving from one app to another. The issue remained even after installing the latest update. To be clear, the lag was quite rare and one won’t even notice it during regular usage.
The smartphone runs Android 12-based Nothing OS out of the box making it quite customisable. Just like its name, the Phone (1) literally gets ‘Nothing’ when it comes to bloatware, making the device really easy to use and set up. The OS experience is quite similar to the stock Android, which in our opinion is the only for the better.
Gaming on the smartphone is pretty decent. The smartphone comes with a Game Mode feature that tracks gaming patterns to optimise device's battery life, memory, while blocking background activities and notifications. The device didn’t heat up while charging or while recording long videos but it did start to warm up after a couple of matches in Call of Duty. The wide viewing angles and responsive touch adds to the overall gaming experience.
For daily usage, this device will easily cater to your needs without much hassle.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Battery
The Nothing Phone (1) is backed by a 4,500 mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. Although the Phone (1) can easily last more than a day with mixed usage that includes light gaming, video streaming, social media and video calls, it still feels a bit incomplete. That is due to the fast charging offered by its rival in the price point it is placed in.
Nothing Phone (1) review: Verdict
The Nothing Phone (1) is surely a first of its kind smartphone with a unique design that must have forced smartphone manufacturers to go back to the drawing board and think of something creative.
Nothing recently hiked the price of the Phone (1) in India due to fluctuating currency exchange rates and rising component costs. The Phone (1) 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB variants are now priced at Rs 33,999, Rs 36,999, and Rs 39,999 respectively. Before the price hike, the Nothing Phone (1) variants were priced at Rs Rs 32,999, Rs 35,999, and Rs 38,999 respectively.
At a starting price of Rs 33,999, the Nothing Phone (1) does offer a lot more than the competition when it comes to design and apart from it, everything is at par with the rivals. The Nothing Phone (1) is a sound choice for anyone who is looking for a mid-range smartphone apart from the crowd.
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