The hype of Nothing Phone 1 in the past few weeks that it is difficult to say or write anything new. But I have use the Nothing Phone 1 for just over 5 days and I have much to say. So Lets Start.
The Nothing Phone 1 is available in two colours, white and black.
Nothing Phone 1 comes with different combinations of RAM/storage, 8-128, 8-256, 12-256.
I am reviewing a white phone with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
The Nothing Phone 1 feels really solid in the hand as it is well-built, there is no flex anywhere and yet, despite its physical footprint, it feels light and is comfortable to use one-handed.
That it looks damn cool, feels premium, is an adds style for a Nothing Phone 1 that plays in the mid-range tier, the screen and the back are protect by Gorilla Glass 5, and the frame is made of aluminium.
The glass makes it very grippy.
The screen, being a Full HD+ display.
It’s an OLED display and delivers sharp colours, deep blacks and renders sharp videos.
But the real feature is the 120 Hz display, which makes the user experience snappy and makes the Nothing Phone 1 feel very responsive.
The Nothing Phone 1 also boasts stereo speakers, wireless charging, reverse charging that allows you to use the phone itself as a wireless charger.
Screen
The Nothing Phone 1 comes with an OLED display with uniform bezels all around, which is unusual for a phone in this price range, most other phones have a ‘chin’ at the bottom.
During the keynote while unveiling the Nothing Phone 1, Carl Pei, the founder of Nothing explain that they use a flexible OLED panel that allow them to fold it at the bottom to be able to give the phone uniform bezels.
The display itself is great to look at as the colours are vibrant, videos look great and content is render well.
Nothing Phone 1 display is not an LTPO display, which would have allow the phone’s screen refresh rate to drop as low as 1 Hz, but the Nothing Phone 1 does have variable refresh rate depending on the content, the device drops the refresh rate to 60 Hz and ramps it up to 120 Hz if you’re scrolling.
The Nothing Phone 1, after all, is a first-generation device from a company that is just about two years old and there were some software hiccups here and there.
Processor
Nothing has said it work with Qualcomm for a customise Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, and during my use, I didn’t feel like I need the extra power of a flagship chipset.
The processor was more than up to the task, be it gaming, browsing, or video streaming.
There was the many time while using the Nothing Phone 1 lag or instances of apps freezing, but nothing, a software update cannot fix.
Also, Nothing had to cut corners to ensure the Nothing Phone 1 came at an affordable price, but I doubt many regular users will need any more power than the 778G+ offers.
Due to software optimisation, the Nothing Phone 1 hasn’t heat up.
Battery life
This is are where I felt let down.
The 4,500 mAh battery in the Nothing Phone 1 is just okay.
As I’m a heavy user and I would end my day with about 20% left, but I will admit I expect a little more out of the phone.
If you expect more than 24 hours of battery life with about 5-6 hours of screen time, then you might feel disappoint.
Cameras
The Nothing Phone 1 comes with two 50 megapixel cameras at the back and a 16 MP selfie camera.
Nothing Phone 1 offers a decent experience.
The photos shot with the main sensor have good detail without over-sharpening, and the 2x zoom and the 0.6x ultrawide modes are fine, but not great.
The photos Nothing Phone 1 takes aren’t bad, but if you’re expecting flagship level photos from the debut smartphone from a startup, then you’re better off buying a flagship phone that costs twice as much, at the very least.
Operating System
Nothing Phone 1 offers near to a stock Android experience with its Nothing OS skin, and this was my favourite one.
The software is superbly optimise and I had my time playing with the phone.
As Nothing lived up to its motto, ‘Make tech fun again.’
Nothing promises three years of OS updates, beginning with Android 13, expect to be release later 2022, and four years of bi-monthly security patches.
Nothing said that the updates will come on time as the company has partner with Google.
The Nothing Phone 1 also features a face unlock feature and a sonic fingerprint scanner under the screen, and both have very responsive and fast.
Speakers
The Nothing Phone 1 boasts of stereo speakers with the earpiece doubling as the second speaker and the audio is loud, but it lacks the bass punch that other phones offer.
Interface
This is the coolest feature of the Nothing Phone 1, the Interface is the one feature that helps the smartphone standout from the back.
Nothing has use 900 LEDs in lighting strips on the back, and these can be customise according to the ringtone or notification alert select.
You can assign different ringtones/notifications to each contact and the LEDs will obediently light up.
As i expect future version of the Nothing Phone 1 will refine this feature, but the lack of customisation by the user feels like a wast opportunity as if I could have configure the lights as I want, then maybe I’d have an incentive to look at the lights flashing rather than the caller ID.
The only time I see the Interface being truly useful is if you use that as a fill light while shooting a subject in low-light conditions.
Ecosystem
Nothing has made it easy to pair Bluetooth accessories, such as TWS earbuds, especially if they are the Nothing Ear 1.
The first time you pair the Nothing Ear 1 to the phone, a very iPhone-like pop-up appears at the bottom of the screen to help you pair the earbuds to the phone and when done, you can access the setting via the quick settings menu, which can be access by swiping down from the top.
2YoDo Conclusion
I look forward to seeing what Nothing comes out with next a smartwatch, smart speakers, laptops, or other devices in the Indian Market.
Overall, I’d rate the Nothing Phone 1 an 8/10.
A solid for a first smartphone from a company still in its can be done better and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to anyone who wants a stock Android experience in a premium-looking smartphone.
Reviewd by RAHUL RAM DWIVEDI (RRD)
