We have to hand it over to Nothing and its CEO, they have created a lot of hype for the Nothing (1) phone. We are sure that having someone like Casey Neistat as an investor also doesn’t hurt. But it worked, the Nothing (1) phone is all that everyone seems to talk about, it has been a feature of our most read stories since it was first teased and its specs page is at the top of ours. daily interest rankings for some time now – great start.
But now the phone is handing over and in our office to undergo our review process, it’s time to look beyond the hype and see what the Nothing (1) phone is really about. Let’s start with unboxing.
The box is made of cardboard but it is captivating and different. It looks more like a CD box than a phone package.
Inside is the phone – you can have a white or a black one, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a SIM tool that reminds us of a fuse. There is no case, no charger. Nothing sells both of these items as well as a screen protector on its website. Mind you, the phone comes with a pre-applied plastic screen protector from the box.
Giving up on the extras helped keep the price reasonable, even though we wouldn’t call it a low dinner. The 8/128 GB (1) Nothing base phone costs € 469 / £ 399, while a move up to 8/256 GB is € 499 / £ 449.
The Nothing (1) phone looks like most phones from the front, but this is more of a limitation of current technology than the phone. It has a 6.55-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate, which looks just right in terms of size.
The phone is almost completely devoid of curves. The front and rear glass are both flat and the matte aluminum sides are flat too. It makes the phone (1) more than a little like an iPhone 13. Although its size puts it in line to hit with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, the two are priced very differently, so they’re unlikely to cross paths.
A word about features and performance in hand: the Nothing (1) phone is lightweight, lighter than its weight of 194g would suggest. And the performance is stellar. The Nothing launcher makes this phone look like a Pixel and that’s a compliment.
The back of the Nothing (1) phone is obviously its main part. That’s what’s in every promo and what you’ll see on Nothing’s website. There are two reasons for this: the striking transparent design, which isn’t even fake – you actually see parts of the phone. The other reason is LED lights – nothing calls them Glyph. For Wikipedia this means “any kind of intentional sign, such as a simple vertical line engraved on a building, a single letter in a script or a carved symbol.“
The LED strips are noticeable even when they are not turned on. Each strip can light up independently. They light up when you receive a notification or call, but can also be used as a fill light for selfies or videos. Nothing created technical notifications and ringing sounds that synchronize with different parts of the glyph interface. It’s really cool even if its usefulness is questionable.
The Nothing (1) phone seems like an attractive option for many people. It has solid hardware and an interesting look in a boring mid-ranger view. But you might want to wait for our full review before pulling the trigger. There are a lot of things to consider: battery life, camera quality, performance, especially under load. Keep watching this space!
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