Nothing Phone (1): Unboxing and Hands-On!
Today, we finally got our hands on Nothing’s newest product, the Phone 1. As far as smartphones go, it’s got some unique hardware components, combined with some interesting approaches to software.
The phone retails for £399 for the base version, and the one we have here comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, and runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778+ 5G chipset. It’s set to compete with similarly-priced devices from companies like Google and Samsung, but does it have what it takes to challenge the big players?
With that said, we’re going to go on a quick hands-on, and first impressions with the device. Let’s get started!
Unboxing, Design
The Phone 1 comes in very unique packaging, unlike what you’d normally see on a majority of smartphone brands out there. The packaging certainly looks nicely done, and alongside the Phone 1, you do get a USB Type-C cable, some paperwork, and a sim ejector tool.
The phone is quite lightweight, with a nice and clean design that should appeal to fans of Apple’s iPhones. It’s a truly unique and beautifully-crafted design, and at first glance, it doesn’t seem like a £399 phone.
On the back of the device is a fully-transparent rear panel with Gorilla Glass 5, which shows off some of the phone’s internals, camera hardware, as well as the Glyph Interface, made up of several LED lights that respond to notifications, alarms, and other compatible software features. This is where you’ll also find the dual 50-megapixel camera set-up.
The Phone 1’s OLED display measures 6.55 inches, with a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution. It also features a 120Hz refresh rate, and is a rather bright screen. The bezels are a bit thick though, compared to other devices on the market. It also features a built-in fingerprint sensor which does work nicely.
Software, Glyphs
The Nothing Phone 1 runs on Nothing OS on top of the latest Android 12 version, which looks and feels a lot like how Android appears and functions on Pixel phones, albeit with some added Nothing apps and software features. These are minimal though, and aren’t as intrusive as what you’d see on One UI or MIUI, for example. Overall it’s a clean user interface which is nice.
One of the biggest design elements to the phone is the Glyph Interface at the back, which lights up depending on which ringtones, notifications, and apps you have set to it. You can of course modify this via a dedicated settings menu.
Cameras, Other Features
As for camera hardware, the Nothing Phone (1) comes with three cameras all over, which include a 50MP main camera and a secondary 50MP ultrawide sensor, and a front camera that has a 16MP sensor. The phone will also be able to shoot 4K videos and has other features like night mode, HD portrait, and more. It’s overall decent in quality, and you can check some of our sample photos and videos here.
The device also has a pair of stereo speakers which sound very impressive, with a rich bass sound. While it isn’t the cleanest sound, they do sound good overall especially compared to other midrange devices around the same price point. The phone runs on a 4,500 mAh battery, which should be enough to last most users an entire day.
Final Thoughts
As a mid-range device, the Nothing Phone 1 certainly has a lot going for it, and smartphone enthusiasts who are after something new should look at what Nothing offers (do pardon the pun). The clean software, excellent hardware design, and good cameras certainly add a lot of value to the device.
With that said, we will have a lot more coverage on this handset, so be sure to visit our official YouTube channel where we review and go hands-on with different kinds of tech.
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