Carl Pei, the founder of UK-based Nothing Technology Limited, unveiled the much-talked-about Nothing Phone (1) at a keynote address in London on July 12. The Nothing Phone (1) is the first smartphone produced by his company.
Carl Pei is the legendary co-founder of Chinese phonemaker OnePlus, founded in 2013. Pei founded Nothing Technology Limited after leaving OnePlus in 2020.
The keynote address was delivered by Pei from two different locations, prior to meeting invitees to the launch in London.
Interestingly, the event was broadcast live using the Nothing Phone (1), which was specifically pointed out by Pei to highlight the video quality of the smartphone.
Key features of Nothing Phone (1)
The unique smartphone features glyph lights on the transparent back cover that respond to several functions of the phone, and is the largest attention-grabbing feature of the Nothing Phone (1).
The glyph lights are synced with different ringtones and even with Morse code.
Different combinations of the glyph lights can be assigned to different callers, which will help users identify the caller even when the phone is placed facedown.
The different sections of the glyph light interface are specifically set to indicate ongoing functions of the phone, including notifications and charging.
Carl Pei stated that more features will be added to the unique glyph interface in the near future.
Lightweight body
The smartphone is extremely lightweight, weighing a meagre 193.5 grams. The weight of the phone was reduced by the materials used in its manufacture, pointed out Pei at the launch. The bezels of the phone are made with 100 percent recyclable aluminium, and the front and rear of the phone are covered by Gorilla Glass 5.
Pei stated that sustainability has been an important part of manufacturing the phone right from the start.
He added that more than 50 percent of plastics used in the phone are recycled or bio-plastic. The tin used for soldering components is 100 percent recycled.
OS and processing power
The Nothing Phone (1) features a 6.55-inch OLED display panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display supports 1 billion colours with HDR10+.
Commenting on the software, Carl Pei pointed out that stability, reliability and quality were far more important than flashy features, and underlined the fact that there is no bloatware on the phone.
The phone utilises a custom Android 12-based Nothing OS, and is powered with a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset along with a 4500mAh battery that can be fully charged in an hour. The phone also features unique wireless charging capabilities.
Two main cameras
The phone features two powerful 50 Mp cameras at the rear and a 20 Mp camera in the front. The two rear cameras are a Sony IMX766 and a Samsung JN1, which is designed to capture ultra-wide pictures with a view-range of 114 degrees. The cameras on the phone are capable of capturing 4K videos, with OIS and EIS stabilisation, night mode and scene detection.
Additional features
One of the unique additional features of the phone is its ability to connect with Tesla cars and control certain features of the car like switching on the AC or turning on the lights in a parking lot.
The Nothing Phone (1) comes in two colours – white and black.
The Nothing Phone (1) is positioned in the premium mid-range phone category, and will compete with brands like the OnePlus Nord 2T and the forthcoming Oppo Reno 8 models.
Availability
Starting from July 18, limited stocks will be available with Nothing’s partner retailers, including online stores and retail outlets in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Some of the other countries where limited editions will be released include France, Finland, Germany, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Span, Sweden and the UK.
Starting from July 21, open sale will be launched on the nothing.tech website and will cover more countries around the world, including India.
The base-level model of the phone is priced at GBP399, and features a memory option of 8Gb+128Gb.
The phone is packaged along with a Type-C cable, pre-applied screen guard, SIM ejector, and safety and warranty cards. The box is not supplied with a charger.