It’s hard to imagine that any company releasing its first smartphone could generate the hype that Nothing has for the Phone (1), but hype can be a double-edged sword. The trickle of teasers certainly built excitement and anticipation, and the 100,000+ people who signed up to the waitlist to buy the phone prove it converted into sales, but has it put impossible pressure on a device that is, ultimately, just a phone?
Perhaps, but it helps that Nothing has nailed the phone part. The Phone (1) may not be life-changing, or the radical break from industry norms that founder Carl Pei would like you to think it is, but this is a well-specified, affordable phone that offers excellent value for money.
But from a company that promised to up-end the smartphone as we know it, is being ‘very good’ enough?
Design & build
- Unique ‘Glyph Interface’ lights
- Semi-transparent design
- IP53 rating
Let’s start with what is special about the Nothing Phone (1). While this might look like a traditional enough phone from the front – aside from a meticulously symmetrical bezel – once you flip it around you see something a little different. For one, there’s the semi-transparent design. Whether you opt for a white or black version, the phone is coated in glass (so is, regrettably, a magnet for smudges and fingerprints) but underneath that has a multi-layered and textured design intended to hint at the components underneath.
Despite the promise of transparency you can’t see any chips or circuitry here, but instead there’s a central circle marking the phone’s wireless charging coil, a winding strip for a connector, and visible screws that hint at the phone’s construction.
Once you get over the transparency, the phone hits you all over again with the Glyph Interface. That’s the (admittedly silly) name for Nothing’s unique pattern of white LED strips that form part of the rear design.
Display & audio
- 6.55in 120Hz OLED display
- Thick but symmetrical front bezel
- Loud stereo speakers
The Nothing Phone (1) is equipped with a 6.55in screen – essentially bang on average for an Android phone in terms of size.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
With 120Hz OLED tech it’s a little above average in terms of display quality, though you can certainly find similarly priced rivals with similar screens. It’s bright and punchy, with attractive colours and HDR10+ support.
The 120Hz refresh rate adds to the smoothness of animations across the experience, though only jumps to full speed when needed. You can also lock it to 60Hz if you’d prefer to save battery.
Looking at the phone head-on, the black bezel around the edges is just a touch thicker than you might be used to these days, but the flipside is that Nothing has worked to make it entirely symmetrical, with the same width on every side. It’s a subtle touch, but one that speaks to the obsessiveness of the phone’s design.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
To temper the enthusiasm, I have had one persistent technical problem with the screen. At random intervals the phone has been cutting out blue light, resulting in sudden and jarring shifts in the white balance of the screen, at times switching between the two every few minutes. I’ve spoken to Nothing about the issue, and the company says it’s not aware of the problem elsewhere, so this may be a fault limited to this particular unit.
Still, you can see the impact in my photos, which were taken while the phone insisted on an orange hue, which is why the display looks so washed out and flat.
As for audio, there’s no headphone jack I’m afraid – it’s wireless or USB-C headphones only. The stereo speakers are decent, though. They’re loud and fairly crisp. Phone speakers are phone speakers at the end of the day, but these are certainly better than most other mid-range phones.
Specs & performance
- Mid-range Snapdragon 778G+ chipset
- Various RAM and storage options
- Limited connectivity in the US
The Nothing Phone (1) is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ – a mid-market chipset launched in October last year.
It’s this chip more than anything else that gives away the Phone (1)’s mid-range price, as it’s both a tier below the flagship Snapdragon 8-series and also getting a little old. It’s since been supplanted by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
Battery & charging
- Disappointing battery life
- No charger included
- Wireless and reverse wireless charging
The Phone (1) is equipped with a 4500mAh battery, which is another of the features that’s basically average. I suspect it’s been poorly optimised though, because battery life is definitely below average. This is just about a full day phone, but I wouldn’t want to push it too far, and I’ve had it run out early on me once. As always with phones, that will only get worse over time too.
It’s possible the limited battery is down to the Glyph lights, but I suspect not – the phone itself chalks up most of its power drain to the display, which is typical. For its part, Nothing says that even blasting every light on full for 10 minutes – a pretty extreme use case – only consumes 0.5% of the battery capacity, so the Glyph impact seems to be negligible.
The good news is that if the extra lights aren’t to blame, it’s possible that Nothing can fine tune the phone to reduce battery consumption with software tweaks and patches.
Camera & video
- Two capable rear cameras
- Decent selfie shooter
- Video recording LED
The camera is arguably the core spec that Nothing has pushed the furthest, and in a way that’s out of step with many rivals.