Nothing Phone Offers Simplicity and Affordability — Not Available in the U.S.
The Nothing Phone has been hyped around parts of the U.K. and in other parts of Europe. What features does the phone have? Is all of the hype legit?
July 15 2022, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
New phone releases nowadays have become somewhat monotonous, as the physical appearance stays relatively the same, and we have to wait months before a significant software update occurs. Nothing, a London-based consumer tech company, is looking to change that with the Nothing Phone. What features does the Nothing Phone have?
The first batch of Nothing Phones are being sold on July 16 in London, and then the phone will be released in different parts of Europe. The company claims that it has a waitlist of more than 100,000 pre-orders.
What is the Nothing Phone?
The Nothing Phone is a device launched by Carl Pei, the co-founder of the Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus. Affordability is what OnePlus and Nothing share in common. OnePlus phones became popular for their reasonable prices. The Nothing Phone has a starting price of reportedly £399, which is around $475. That’s significantly cheaper than the retail starting price of the iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22, the company’s latest basic phone models, at $799.
The concept of the Nothing Phone is to keep things simple. What has drawn a lot of attention is the phone’s transparent back and sides, which the company calls the Glyph interface, where you can see different internal parts of the smartphone. It looks nearly exactly similar to the iPhone, including the screen, build, and even the dual-camera setup like the iPhone 13.
Pei previously stated that the Nothing Phone is the most “compelling alternative” to the iPhone, but besides the look, the two aren't on the same level when it comes to specs and features.
What features does the Nothing Phone have?
The Nothing Phone features a 1080P OLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate, where a higher refresh rate represents less motion blur and a smoother experience when interacting with the screen. The U.K. phone has a higher refresh rate than the iPhone 13, but the display and resolution can’t compare to the Apple device’s Super Retina XDR OLED display and 2532x1170 pixel resolution.
The Nothing Phone’s camera features a 50MP camera, and when put to the test against the iPhone Pro Max, the quality isn’t as good as the iPhone’s, but it’s great for a phone of its price. The phone features a Snapdragon 778G+ processing chip, which isn’t the latest or fastest Snapdragon chip out, but the company says that they went with the 778G+ because it’s reliable and doesn’t “overheat.” The phone uses its own Nothing OS, but it's based on the latest Android 12 operating system.
The top feature that makes this phone unique is its lighting system in the back. With the device’s back being transparent, the company put LED lighting on the inside of the phone, and it has some interesting features. You can assign a light blinking pattern to a specific contact, as well as choose a pattern for each type of notification (email, text, IG message, etc.). The light will turn on when you activate Google Assistant. The lumination can also be used to assist with photos or to see how much your phone is charged.
Is the Nothing Phone worth it?
The Nothing Phone doesn’t perform as well as the latest iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, or Google Pixel models, but with its $475 starting price, it’s one of the best budget phones out there. The problem is that there aren't any plans for the phone to be released in the U.S. in the near future.
The phone goes on sale at a London kiosk on July 16, followed by a limited release a few days after. The company will conduct open sales globally on July 21. The phone will be available on the company's website, and in certain parts of Europe, South America, and Asia.
If you want your phone to have the transparent look of the Nothing Phone, DBrand, a phone skin retailer, made “Something” skins and cases that resemble a transparent look and actually match what the back of your specific phone looks like if the internal parts were to show.