NOTHING PHONE(1). The Phone(1) is set to release in several countries and pre-orders are already open on the first phone from Nothing!
The Phone(1) is the first phone from a still young company. After a successful first product, the firm Nothing is about to launch the Phone(1). Its main motivations: to shake up the world of smartphones by getting rid of components deemed superfluous by the brand, and to put innovation and connectivity back at the heart of its product.
Among the innovations of the Phone(1), we find the system called Glyph specific to the phone. This set of small LEDs is on the transparent back of the Phone(1), and illuminates the device when you receive notifications or take a photo. Discover all the information about the Phone(1) with its features, price, release date and availability in Europe.
The Phone(1) is available for pre-order at a single store in Europe: Amazon. The e-commerce giant offers the Nothing phone alone or with the brand’s Ear(1) wireless headphones. Regarding the versions of the Phone(1), you have the choice between two colors (white or black) and three storage/RAM versions according to your preferences and needs.
The first thing you notice about the Phone(1) design is that the back of the device is transparent. However, this information had already been revealed several months ago by the firm, which simply uses the transparent design of its first product, the Ear(1) headphones.
This transparency of Phone(1) is not anecdotal. It displays an LED system called Glyph, fully customizable, for your notifications. Like a phone flash that lights up when you receive a call, the LEDs of the Phone(1) can react to your various notifications according to your needs and desires. It will also be possible to replace the phone flash using the Glyph system to light up your scenes.
The other great information of the transparent design of the Phone(1) reveals an induction charging system. This technology, usually present on top-of-the-range telephones, will be available on the Phone(1) and will make it possible to recharge the telephone without a cable.
The Phone(1) is also available in two different colors when it is officially released: white and black. Each version will always have a transparent back as seems to require the visual identity of the firm Nothing.
The back of the Phone(1) also reveals two 50 Mpx photo sensors. During the presentation of the phone, it was clarified in particular that the firm preferred to have only two very good photo sensors rather than multiplying the cameras with functions deemed useless such as a macro lens. Doing little, but doing it better seems to be the company’s credo regarding the specifics of its Phone(1).
One of the first details that jumps out when looking at the Phone(1) is its strange components visible on the back of the phone. The central block that can be seen on the back of the Phone(1) confirms that the phone is compatible with wireless charging. A technology that is very rare for a mid-range device, and which therefore confirms Nothing’s desire to break industry codes.
In a field populated by uninspired designs, the Phone(1) seems to want to stand out by playing the card of transparency. The back of the Phone(1) notably reveals several LED lights. Called Glyph, this set allows the phone to deliver different sets of lights when you receive notifications like a message or a call. The company considers that many consumers leave their phone on the front screen, and that this system will therefore still have its notifications.
The Phone(1) features a mid-range Snapdragon 778G processor designed specifically for the phone. This chip also allows the Phone(1) to be compatible with 5G communication bands and to launch the majority of games available on the market in good quality. There remains the question of the lifespan, since the Snapdragon 778G is not a last generation processor.
Nothing’s Phone(1) runs on Android 12. No surprise so far, but Carl Pei, founder of the firm, also revealed that the Phone(1) has an in-house overlay called “Nothing OS”. This in-house operating system is defined as open and homogeneous in order to seamlessly connect and integrate devices from other brands with ease. Nothing’s CEO cited Tesla cars and AirPods Pro headphones, among other things. Nothing is therefore a serious competitor to Apple, known in particular for its powerful ecosystem capable of connecting its various products with disconcerting ease.
Nothing also claimed that its Phone(1) operating system will have 40% fewer pre-installed applications. This software, commonly called “bloatware”, is often little desired by consumers and more the result of partnerships made between the manufacturers and developers of the said applications.
The Phone(1) was officially presented on Tuesday July 12. The Nothing brand held a special conference, its first Keynote, to present the highly anticipated phone. This conference confirmed that the Phone(1) will be available from July 21, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. In France, the phone will only be available through Amazon’s online platform. So you won’t be able to come across the Phone(1) in store!
We had to wait for the special conference of Nothing to discover the sale prices of the Phone(1). The latter is positioned on the mid-range telephone market, but with some additional performance compared to the devices that are generally found in this segment. Phone(1) prices in Europe are:
If the name of Nothing means nothing to you, it may be normal. The company of Carl Pei (former founder of One Plus) is quite young, and has to its credit only one product launched in 2021: Ear headphones(1). Although it is a small success, the firm would like to point out that it is not a company specializing in audio products only.
Founded in 2020 by several big names in tech (including Kevin Lin and Steve Huffman, co-founders of Twitch and Reddit respectively), Nothing is launched thanks to a $7 million investment fund. The company then continues its innovative momentum by promising to “break down the barriers between humans and technology”. In 2021, Nothing notably raised a million dollars in less than a minute thanks to an impressive community fundraising.
It will therefore be necessary to prepare to see more products from the Nothing brand in the more or less near future. The firm’s main objective is to offer devices close to their users and to create a hyperconnected and very intuitive ecosystem, while remaining respectful of the environment.
