The Nothing Phone 1 — the corporate’s first cellphone — is one which I’ve been eager to get my fingers on for some time. Now that I’ve spent a while with it, that pleasure hasn’t light. It’s a 5G cellphone that will get a number of issues proper, from its stripped-back interface to its usually stable efficiency and, most of all, its quirky clear design with distinctive flashing LEDs on the again. But it is the worth that makes this cellphone so interesting. Starting at solely £399 within the UK (which converts to roughly $480 or AU$700), the Nothing Phone 1 is no less than £100 lower than I anticipated it to be. It’s a low value, however what you get is a cellphone that looks like a premium product.That is, if you should purchase one. While the cellphone is on sale now within the UK and Europe, there are at present no plans for a full launch within the US. Nothing stated that it is “definitely aiming to launch a US-supported mobile in the future,” but it surely appears unlikely to occur any time quickly. It could also be that individuals within the US miss out on this first-gen mannequin altogether. 

LikeAffordable priceUnique, flashy designSolid processor and digicam efficiency

Don’t LikeBattery life might be higherFor some, the again lights could be a gimmick

Should you purchase the Nothing Phone 1?The Nothing Phone 1 definitely is not an iPhone 13 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra rival. But it is not making an attempt to be. It’s a very good cellphone, not as a result of it tries to cram in each function you might probably think about, however as a result of it leaves them out. Both its {hardware} and software program are stripped again, leaving you with a cellphone that is effectively fitted to on a regular basis wants at a value that’ll nonetheless go away some money in your financial institution. It’s uncommon {that a} new firm arrives on the scene with a primary product that feels this polished, however the Nothing Phone 1 manages to get all of the necessities proper, whereas including within the further pizzazz of that flashy design. If you are after a well-performing cellphone for a very good value, it is positively price contemplating.

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Nothing Phone 1 Is a Superb, Affordable Phone

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A flashy design, a giant showThe Phone 1’s design is definitely the factor that units it aside from the competitors. The again panel is solely clear, letting you see the interconnected elements beneath together with the wi-fi charging coil and a number of uncovered screwheads. The solely Nothing branding is a small emblem within the backside nook. That transparency additionally permits for the lightshow; a set of LED strips, which Nothing calls the “glyph,” gentle up throughout the again panel to provide you with a warning to incoming calls or notifications and even to make use of as a fill gentle when recording video. It’s definitely distinctive and it is good to see some completely different concepts on telephones, particularly within the funds sector, which is commonly awash with forgettable grey or black slabs. The Nothing Phone 1 homes its selfie digicam in a cutout on the top-left nook of the display.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
But it is also arguably one thing of a gimmick. Time will inform how helpful it truly is. You would possibly simply not just like the design, which is honest sufficient, however at this value it is honest to say you are not simply paying for its appears to be like. Around the sting is a recycled aluminum body that offers the cellphone a satisfyingly sturdy really feel, whereas its IP53 water-resistance ranking will assist maintain it secure from spilled drinks. The 6.55-inch show is large enough to do justice to Netflix reveals on the transfer, as does its 2,400×1,080-pixel decision and vibrant colours. Its 120Hz refresh charge implies that swiping across the dwelling screens or scrolling by way of webpages appears to be like buttery easy. Good sufficient efficiency for the pricePowering the cellphone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus processor, backed up by 8GB of RAM. Results on benchmark checks for each processing energy and graphics efficiency put it far-off behind high fashions just like the iPhone 13 Pro or S22 Ultra and barely much less behind extra inexpensive handsets just like the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro. Nothing runs a reasonably clear model of Android 12 including minor enhancements all through.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
That needs to be anticipated for a extra inexpensive system, and the truth is that it is nonetheless acquired loads of energy for almost all of duties you’d possible want it to do. Gaming in Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG have been dealt with completely, as was video streaming and picture enhancing in Snapseed. Even simply navigating across the interface was swift and nippy. That’s possible helped by a stripped-back method to the software program. The cellphone runs Android 12, over which Nothing has slapped a minimal beauty pores and skin. Overall, it is a gentle contact and would not embrace bloatware, preinstalled apps or providers. Nothing hasn’t tried to pointlessly develop its personal electronic mail shopper (it is aware of you’d reasonably use Gmail) or create its personal internet browser (since you’ll use Chrome, in fact). In reality, the entire system apps are simply the default Google ones. This minimalist method works effectively, making the cellphone really feel clutter-free and usable. It’s an method I like. For comparability, Samsung notoriously preloaded its telephones for years with its personal software program and providers, making its telephones really feel slowed down. Behind the highest layer of inner elements is a 4,500-mAh battery.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Solid twin camerasNothing saved the digicam setup stripped again too, equipping the cellphone with simply two rear 50-megapixel cameras together with an ordinary wide-angle lens and an ultrawide lens. Nothing has saved the associated fee down by omitting devoted telephoto and macro cameras, which is an efficient choice. Notice the best way the Phone 1’s fundamental digicam captures the sky and clouds on this picture.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The colours are vibrant on this picture from the principle digicam.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The cameras take nice pictures. The fundamental digicam captures vibrant colours, with even publicity and loads of element. Side-by-side, photographs from my iPhone 13 Pro are arguably higher, however they’re definitely not twice nearly as good. It’s price remembering that the iPhone prices twice as a lot because the Nothing Phone 1. Here is a shot of a river boat taken with the principle digicam.Here’s the identical riverboat in a photograph from the ultrawide. There is a few noticeable colour shift.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The ultrawide digicam does a stable job for snaps in good gentle, however there is a noticeable shift within the colour steadiness.The 16-megapixel decision of the selfie digicam offers loads of element whereas the colours are wealthy and vibrant.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Nothing’s cameras are on no account the perfect ones round, but when that is what you are searching for you may must spend greater than twice the money on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. For the cash, the Phone 1’s cameras do an outstanding job and can swimsuit you effectively if you need vibrant photographs of your subsequent household trip. OK battery life with quick chargingProviding the juice is a 4,500-mAh battery, which is capacious sufficient to maintain you going for a full day so long as you are pretty cautious with what you do. In my checks, after an hour of streaming a YouTube video on Wi-Fi with the display at most brightness, it had dropped from full to 93%, and additional to 83% after a second hour. That’s not a terrific efficiency — the OnePlus 10 Pro, Pixel 6 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro and Honor Magic 4 Pro all put in higher efforts right here. But it is a demanding take a look at, and with extra cautious use you should not battle to get a day trip of it. If you are not taking part in graphically intense video games or streaming a lot of movies, you must make it by way of a day. Though you may positively must cost it each evening. 
See the Nothing Phone 1’s Transparent Back, Flashing Glyph

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Getting it charged if you’re in a rush should not be a problem. The Phone 1 helps 33-watt quick charging, which Nothing claims takes it from empty to 50% full in below 30 minutes. Unfortunately, a suitable quick charger would not come within the field and is simply accessible as an add-on accent.

Nothing Phone 1 specs vs. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, Google Pixel 6A, Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Nothing Phone 1

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Google Pixel 6A

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

Display measurement, decision, refresh charge

6.55-inch OLED show, 2,400×1,080 pixels; 120Hz

6.5-inch AMOLED, 2,400×1,080 pixels; 120Hz

6.1-inch OLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels; 60Hz

4.7-inch LCD; 1,334×750 pixels; 60Hz

Pixel density

402ppi

405ppi

429 ppi

326ppi

Dimensions (Inches)

6.27 x 2.98 x 0.33 in

6.28 x 2.94 x 0.32 in

6.0 x 2.8 x 0.35 in

5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in

Dimensions (Millimeters)

159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3 mm

159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm

152.2 x 7.18 x 8.9 mm

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm

Weight (Ounces, Grams)

193.5g

6.67 oz; 189g

6.3 oz; 178g

5.09 oz; 144g

Mobile software program

Android 12

Android 12

Android 12

iOS 15

Camera

50-megapixel (fundamental), 50-megapixel (ultrawide)

64-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 5-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth)

12.2-megapixel (huge), 12-megapixel ultrawide)

12-megapixel (huge)

Front-facing digicam

16-megapixel

32-megapixel

8-megapixel

7-megapixel

Video seize

4K

4K

4K

4K

Processor

Snapdragon 778G Plus

Exynos 1280

Google Tensor

Apple A15 Bionic

Storage

128GB, 256 GB

128GB

128GB

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

RAM

8GB, 12GB

6GB

6GB

NA

Expandable storage

None

Up to 1TB

None

None

Battery

4,500 mAh; 33W wired charging — quick charger not included, 15-watt wi-fi charging, 5-watt reverse charging

5,000 mAh; 25W wired charging — charger not included, doesn’t help wi-fi charging

4,410 mAh; 18W quick charging — adapter bought individually, doesn’t help wi-fi charging

Batttery measurement not disclosed; 20-watt wired charging — charger not included, 7.5W wi-fi charging

Fingerprint sensor

In-display

In-display

In-display

Home button

Connector

USB-C

USB-C

USB C

Lightning

Headphone jack

None

None

None

None

Special options

5G, IP53, 3 years of Android updates, twin SIM

5G; IP67 ranking; Samsung Pay

5G, safety updates for 5 years, Android OS updates for 3 years, twin SIM, IP67 water resistance

5G, waterproof (IP67), twin SIM

Price off-contract (USD)

UK value converts to $480 (128GB + 8GB RAM); $530 (256GB + 8GB RAM); $590 (256GB + 12GB RAM)

$450

$449

$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)

Price (GBP)

£399 (128GB + 8GB RAM); £449 (256GB + 8GB RAM); £499 (256GB + 12GB RAM)

£399

£399

£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)

Price (AUD)

UK value converts to AU$700 (128GB + 8GB RAM); AU$785 (256GB + 8GB RAM); AU$875 (256GB + 12GB RAM)

AU$699

A$749

AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)