Nothing Phone 1: Specs, Price, and Everything We Know

Key Points

• The Nothing phone comes in black and white with three storage options two of which have already been released, with a third set to be released next summer.
• It color depth and brightness  are impressive.
• It also has a set of series of 900 LED lights, the Glyph interface which flash when prompted by notifications and also boost the camera’s flash as well.

There’s never a shortage of hype when new smartphones are launched, but it’s rare to see one as refreshing and unique as the Nothing Phone 1. It’s also one of the quicker releases we’ve seen, considering it was announced in March 2022 before going on sale four months later.

Now that the Nothing Phone 1 is official, it’s time to take a closer look at what’s under the hood. We’re also going to touch on the Nothing Phone’s pricing, along with the features that make it stand out in a sea of smartphones.

What is a Nothing Phone?

The Nothing Phone is the first smartphone released by Nothing Technology Limited, a tech company based in London, England. The company was founded by Carl Pei, who co-founded OnePlus. They have backing from heavy hitters in the industry, including Tony Fadell, and recently went into a partnership with Qualcomm in 2021.

While the Nothing Phone 1 is the company’s first smartphone, the Nothing Ear 1 was their first product. These sleek wireless earbuds launched on August 17, 2021, giving fans a sneak peek of the design language the company would use with the launch of the Nothing Phone.

Pre-orders began for the phone on June 24, 2022, through invitation, before the wider release on July 21, 2022.

How Much Will the Nothing Phone 1 Cost?

One of the draws of the Nothing Phone is the price. The company took a page from OnePlus’s notebook and kept the price reasonable while still using high-quality components. How much the Nothing Phone 1 costs depends on which variant you choose.

• Nothing Phone 1 (8 GB RAM + 128GB storage): £399/$484
• Nothing Phone 1 (8 GB RAM + 256GB storage): £449/$545
• Nothing Phone 1 (12 GB RAM + 256GB storage): £499/$606

The phone’s price is cheaper than current flagships from Samsung and Apple, the two industry leaders.

The Nothing Phone 1 is also more affordable than the unlocked Google Pixel 6, with a price tag comparable to mid-range handsets despite the hardware.  

The 12GB variant is set to arrive in the summer, while the first two models have already been launched. The phone comes in two colors, black and white, and is on sale in around 40 regions from the UK to India.

Nothing Phone 1 Specifications

You have to bring something powerful or interesting to consumers when you want to compete with the likes of Samsung, Apple, or Google. Nothing managed to do that in a variety of ways, including the hardware, although it all starts with the design.

Nothing Phone 1 Design                              

It’s not hard to find a high-powered smartphone, but finding one that has a unique design that doesn’t fold is a different story. Companies like LG and Motorola have tried new designs that didn’t exactly take off. The designers of the Nothing Phone 1 took a different approach, however.

From the front, this handset resembles a large Android handset or the iPhone. It has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400p. The color depth and brightness are solid, but the real show is on the back. When you flip it over, you’ll find a series of 900 LED lights called the Glyph interface. While they may seem gimmicky, these lights look cool and actually serve a purpose.

You can check your phone’s charging progress with a bar on the back or give your camera flash a significant boost. These white lights can pulse when you receive different types of notifications. The video below from Marques Brownlee gives you a great idea of what these lights can do.

Nothing Phone Hardware

The type of hardware a smartphone has lets you know a lot about the pricing, and how long it will hold up a few years down the road. It also tells you how it will perform when running high-end games or applications.

Beneath the large 6.5-inch screen is an octa-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz Cortex-A78 + 3x 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 1.8GHz Cortex-A55. It has plenty of pop, and the Adreno 642L ensures the latest games will look amazing. The processor gets a boost from 8GB of RAM on the base model, although a 12GB variant is also available.

Storage capacities for the handset are listed at 128GB and 256GB but are not expandable. The 4,500 mAh battery has enough power to get you through a day with ease and has 33W wired charging. 15W Qi wireless charging and 5W reverse charging are also an option on the Nothing Phone 1.

Nothing Phone Cameras

Nothing used dual 50-megapixel cameras for the rear of the Nothing Phone 1. It has a 50 MP wide lens with PDAF, OIS, and an aperture of f/1.9. The secondary lens is a 50 MP ultrawide sensor with autofocus and a rating of f/2.2.

On the front of the smartphone is a 16 MP sensor for selfies. It has an aperture of f/2.5 and can handle 1080p video at 30 frames per second (FPS). The rear camera can take video in 4K resolution with live HDR but is capped at 30 FPS while you can do 1080p at 60 FPS.

Both cameras are capable of taking excellent photos but fall short of the sensors found in Samsung, Google, or Apple’s flagship smartphones.

Nothing Phone Operating System

The Nothing Phone 1 ships with Android 12 and Nothing OS 1.1. Android users won’t have any trouble familiarizing themselves with the software—even with Nothing’s operating system on top.

It provides a different experience than a vanilla version of Android or Samsung’s bloated UI. It’s lighter software fitting the futuristic vibe with unique ringtones and notification sounds. It’s intuitive, although still a bit glitchy, given the early iteration of the software.

Where is the Nothing Phone Available?

If you’re interested in the Nothing Phone 1, availability depends on where you reside. It is a global device, but one that only launched in regions throughout Europe and Asia along with the UK. If you live in North America, you won’t find the Nothing Phone through any carrier.

That’s due in part to networks in the United States. While you can buy the Nothing Phone 1 and use it in Canada or the U.S., service will be unreliable on T-Mobile and AT&T and won’t work at all on Verizon’s networks. The company does have plans for a smartphone that will work in North America in the future, but little is known at this time.

If you’re interested in purchasing the Nothing Phone 1, you can import one through Amazon if you are in North America and want to give it a shot. Otherwise, check out the company’s official site to see if the Nothing Phone 1 is available in your region.

Nothing Phone 1 Specifications

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