The few nothing more12/17/2023 There’s a Flip to Glyph mode (very much like Google’s Flip to Shh feature on Pixel phones) that turns on silent mode when you place the phone facedown and lights up the LEDs when new notifications come in. There’s a select number of light patterns and sounds you can choose from, and Nothing says it’s considering allowing its customers to design their own patterns. ![]() Instead, you can have them flash when you get incoming notifications, and you can adjust the brightness. The 900 LEDs, which only light up white and not in color, aren’t always illuminated. The IP53 rating means it’ll be fine in the rain (and maybe the occasional coffee spill), but a dip in the pool could be catastrophic. Just about the only area where the Nothing Phone (1) could stand to do better is water resistance. It’s not as good as what Samsung offers for its phones, but it’s still pretty darn great.īattery life is reliable I consistently got through a full day of use, though heavy users may need to top up before the day’s end. Nothing is promising three OS upgrades (the phone runs Android 12 out of the box) and four years of security patches. And while a simple, uncluttered software interface is important, software updates are equally crucial. I’ve adorned my home screen with widgets for a clock, the weather, and a panel to control the Ear 1 wireless earbuds when they’re connected. Usually, I ignore a phone manufacturer’s widget offerings because they’re ugly. It’s not too different from stock Android (a good thing), but the phone also ships with a set of attractive widgets. This is all made better with Nothing’s slick software interface. There’s an in-display fingerprint sensor I’ve found to be quite reliable, and the dual stereo speakers sound great. The device never got questionably warm either.Īll the other important perks are here, including wireless charging, reverse wireless charging to juice up your wireless earbuds in a pinch, NFC for contactless payments, a wonderful haptic motor for gentle vibrations, and Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the front and back. (You can upgrade to 12 GB RAM as well.) Games like Dead Cells and Alto’s Odyssey ran without a hitch, and more demanding titles like Genshin Impact performed sufficiently well. Powered by the midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ with 8 GB of RAM, I’ve nary seen a stutter on the Nothing Phone (1). It’s a respectable size-not too big, not too small-with flat edges that make it easy to hold. It also has a 120-Hz adaptive refresh rate, which makes every interaction with the phone feel smooth, like a knife through soft butter. It’s sharp and gets plenty bright enough to clearly see on sunny summer days. There’s the exceptional 6.55-inch OLED display. For the money, you’re getting mostly high-end smartphone specs, which is the same tactic OnePlus employed back in the good old days. Price is everything these days, and the Nothing Phone (1) starts at £399, or roughly $472, putting it in league with the Google Pixel 5A (plus the upcoming Pixel 6A), Samsung Galaxy A53, and other devices from Xiaomi, Poco, and OnePlus. Nothing Phone (1) Photograph: Julian Chokkattu The only problem? It’s not sold in the US. Take away the bright lights and you’re left with a simple, affordable, and effective phone, from the screen to the camera to the battery. ![]() What sets the Nothing Phone (1) apart from other first-gen smartphones is that it nails every primary function wonderfully. Beep boop! (Fair warning: The alarm sounds may cause you serious harm if there’s someone sleeping next to you.) I also love the fun little sounds the device makes with Nothing’s custom ringtones and alerts. I like seeing it light up, so much so that I regularly flip the phone around when it’s on my desk to see the design. ![]() Remember the Red Hydrogen One and its funky holographic display? The Essential Phone’s magnetic port that never really amounted to much ( for good reason)? Or even the Amazon Fire Phone’s “ Dynamic Perspective”? The glitz on the Nothing Phone (1) is extra fun: 900 LEDs underneath the glass on the rear that light up with unique patterns when notifications arrive and can act as an alternative camera flash when you shoot in low light. What’s not rare is for a first-gen product to have some sort of flashy feature to draw you in. ![]() It’s the first-ever smartphone from Nothing-a new company headed by former OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei-and only the company’s second-ever release, following last year’s Ear 1 wireless earbuds. It is rare for the first generation of a consumer tech product to be nearly perfect, but here we are with the Nothing Phone (1).
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