The Nothing Phone 1: Is the Hype Justified?
The Nothing Phone 1 has captured the attention of the tech world with its unique design and intriguing features. But beyond the flashy lights and transparent back, does the phone deliver on its promises? After a week of testing as my primary device, I’m ready to offer a detailed and honest look at what the Nothing Phone 1 offers and whether it’s truly a game-changer in its segment.
Price and Availability
The Nothing Phone 1 is available in India starting at Rs. 32,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. You can bump that up to 256GB storage for Rs. 35,999, and the top-tier model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage costs Rs. 38,999. While these prices seem reasonable for the features offered, remember the phone doesn’t include a charger or a case, something most competitors offer. The 45W Nothing charger is sold separately for Rs. 1,499, and the transparent case costs the same. While the charger is relatively affordable, factoring it in effectively raises the starting price to about Rs. 34,500.
A Unique Design That Stands Out
The Nothing Phone 1’s design is undoubtedly its biggest selling point. The transparent back panel with its 900 LED "Glyph Interface" is unlike anything else on the market. In person, the Phone 1 feels very comfortable in hand, with its completely flat sides, front and back giving it a distinctive industrial vibe, especially the black variant. This design is reminiscent of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
However, the pre-applied screen protector on the display proved to be exceptionally prone to scratches, which is a bit of a disappointment. While the phone uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for both the front and back, Nothing will happily sell you a tempered glass screen protector for Rs. 999.
Display: A Mixed Bag
The Nothing Phone 1 boasts a beautiful OLED display. The narrow bezels, especially the almost nonexistent chin, are impressive thanks to the flexible OLED panel. This creates a display that rivals the aesthetics of an iPhone.
However, users have reported green tint issues and dead pixels near the selfie camera. While Nothing has acknowledged these issues and promised a software update to address the green tint, it’s a worrisome sign for a new entrant.
Although I didn’t experience those specific issues, I did notice purple fringing when using the toggle switches in the notification shade at low brightness. This is a common issue for OLED displays in low light conditions.
The Glyph Interface: Cool, But Not Quite Functional
The Glyph Interface is undoubtedly the most unique feature of the Nothing Phone 1. The LED lighting pattern across the back can sync with ringtones, notifications, and even charging status. The red LED for video recording is a nice touch. However, in terms of actual functionality, its usefulness remains limited. While it is useful for identifying callers at a glance, there’s no way to customize the glyphs for specific apps, so you’re left guessing their significance. Furthermore, the lack of a repeat notification means you’ll miss the alert completely if you weren’t looking at your phone at that moment.
The always-on display actually turned out to be a more practical feature than the Glyph Interface, offering useful information at a glance.
Powerful Performance, But Not a Flagship
The Nothing Phone 1 features a Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which falls short of flagship performance but is still a strong processor. It delivers smooth daily performance and is power efficient thanks to its 6nm fabrication.
Other standout hardware features include IP53 dust and water resistance, stereo speakers, in-display fingerprint sensor, and wireless charging. The latter is particularly noteworthy as it differentiates the phone within its price segment.
Battery Life and Charging
Initial battery life was a concern, but it improved with time. With moderate usage, the Phone 1 comfortably lasted for a full day and even a bit longer before needing to be charged again. Heavy usage with gaming or frequent camera use reduced battery life, but it still managed to hold on for a full day of use.
The 33W fast charging offers a good performance, with the battery reaching 65% in about 30 minutes. While this isn’t the fastest charging available on the market, it’s still a solid option.
Cameras: Good, But Not Exceptional
The Nothing Phone 1 has a good primary camera and competent secondary cameras. The 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with OIS captures impressive photos, while the 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with autofocus offers usable macro photos. The 16-megapixel selfie camera performs decently, particularly in well-lit conditions.
The cleanly designed camera app is inspired by iOS, but it lacks any unnecessary bloatware. Features like Timelapse, Panorama, and Expert, alongside the basics, are included. Notably, there’s no separate Night mode; instead, a crescent moon icon activates night shooting for stills and videos.
Daylight photos from the main camera boast pleasing warm colours and good detail, even though the detail slightly diminishes towards the edges of the frame. Close-up shots showcase excellent detail and vibrant colours, although reds and greens can appear over-saturated at times. Portrait mode delivers accurate edge detection, working well for both objects and pets.
Ultra-wide camera performance is less compelling, particularly in daylight. While the wider perspective is useful, colours appear slightly colder and details are weaker, compared to the main camera. Macro photos are decent, but the app doesn’t automatically switch to the macro mode, nor does it suggest doing so when you’re close enough to your subject.
Low light photos show significant improvement after updates. Colours are accurate and detail is decent, although some grain is present. Night mode significantly improves exposure, with brighter images and more detail in shadows. However, a slight distortion around the edges of objects is noticeable. The ultra-wide camera is significantly weaker in low light, even with Night mode, producing darker photos with less detail.
Selfies from the front camera are decent in daylight but struggle in low light. While daylight selfies offer good exposure and skin tones, low-light selfies are particularly weak with lackluster detail and skin tones. Night mode, again, doesn’t significantly help, further degrading the photo quality.
Video recording is limited to 4K 30fps on the main and ultra-wide cameras, while the selfie camera is capped at 1080p. The lack of optical stabilisation in 4K is a surprising omission and the electronic stabilisation, while present, isn’t very effective, cropping the frame and adding distortion.
The ultra-wide camera supports 4K video but the quality is noticeably lower. Interestingly, there’s no in-app switching between rear cameras while recording, regardless of the resolution. Low light video is better on the main camera, but stabilisation performance needs work. Night mode is effective for 1080p video but heavily suppresses audio.
Conclusion
The Nothing Phone 1, with its high-profile launch and impressive design, undoubtedly has the potential to capture a significant market share. However, it’s important to manage expectations. This phone might not be the most powerful or feature-packed device in its price segment, but it does offer enough unique features to stand apart from its rivals.
The wireless charging, the clean Android experience, the premium build, the vibrant display, and the good primary camera are all key strengths. The Glyph Interface, while unique and visually appealing, needs further refinement to be truly functional.
If you’re seeking absolute top-tier performance, faster charging, or the best camera experience, competitors like the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, the Xiaomi 11T Pro, the iQoo 9 SE, and the Motorola Edge 20 Pro offer distinct advantages in specific areas.
Ultimately, if you’re after a visually distinctive phone with all the essential features, then the Nothing Phone 1 is a compelling option. However, if you prioritize specific features or performance metrics, you might find better alternatives in the market.
