Nothing Phone (1) review: Android phones finally got exciting again

Nothing Telephone (1): 60-Second Evaluate

Nothing is perhaps new to the smartphone market however its rivals positively should not ignore it. The Telephone (1) is a complete breath of recent air in a market that is now saturated by tedious units that supply nothing distinctive.

That is not the case with the Telephone (1). Its see-through styling will definitely flip heads and the glowing Glyph Interface is definitely fairly helpful with it alerting you to calls, texts and emails with out wanting on the show.

Together with these distinctive upgrades, the Telephone (1) additionally packs some critically spectacular tech for a ludicrously low £399 value. House owners are handled to a speedy 120Hz OLED display screen, stable rear digicam, wi-fi charging and full entry to quick 5G downloads.

There’s even reverse charging which implies it can refill your AirPods by merely putting them on the rear case. It is unimaginable worth!

Like most telephones, there are some niggles. The big measurement will not go well with everybody’s style, the digicam generally is a little sluggish at occasions and we have had some battery drain issues. Then there may be the apparent danger in investing in a telephone that is from such a brand new firm.

Nevertheless, if you happen to just like the look of it and are ready to take a punt on Nothing being round for the lengthy haul then the Telephone (1) is a tricky machine to beat. The truth is, it is one of the thrilling units we have seen in years!

In case you’ve by no means heard of Nothing you might be positively not alone. This fledging tech agency has solely been round since 2020 and though it did launch a pair of wi-fi earbuds final yr (learn our full Nothing Ear (1) evaluation right here) it is by no means launched a telephone earlier than.

The model does have some spectacular historical past although with its founder, Carl Pei, one of many brains behind the massively profitable OnePlus model.

He left that firm again in 2019 and is now pinning his hopes on Nothing.

The large query is, can the Telephone (1) tackle the likes of OnePlus, Samsung and Google?

This is our full evaluation.

After we first noticed the pre-released pictures of the Nothing Telephone (1) again in June we weren’t bought on the marginally whacky see-through design. Nevertheless, get this machine in your palms and there actually is one thing massively loveable about it.

The clear Gorilla Glass again allows you to peer inside and see the distinctive Glyph Inferace which glows if you get notifications – extra on that later – and the aluminium end offers it an excellent premium really feel.

Now, one factor that positively will not have escaped your consideration is how a lot this machine appears to be like like an iPhone, The truth is, throughout our testing, there’s been numerous occasions after we’ve really picked it up pondering that it was the Apple machine we use alongside the entire Android telephones we take a look at at Specific.co.uk

The sharp edges and aluminium sides actually make it really feel prefer it’s come straight out of the design studio in Cupertino. Possibly that is not a foul factor because it appears to be like nice and it would even persuade some Apple followers to make the soar to Android.

The one detrimental we have discovered with the design is that it’s fairly huge and broad making it fairly unwieldy when attempting to make use of it with one hand. That measurement is because of Nothing cramming a 6.55-inch OLED show into the Telephone (1).

Though it isn’t nice for small pockets it is a actually stable display screen for bingeing on Netflix and whizzing across the internet.

Not solely is it vivid and crystal clear however it additionally will get speedy 120Hz refresh price know-how which makes scrolling by way of web sites and checking these limitless emails really feel silky easy and stutter-free.

Contemplating the £399 price ticket, that is a powerful show from Nothing and it beats different telephones corresponding to the brand new Pixel 6a which solely packs a 60Hz display screen for a similar value.

Tucked below the hood of the Telephone (1) is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ processor which is highly effective sufficient for many wants however definitely would not come near extra premium silicon such because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Nothing has clearly needed to make compromises to maintain the price down however, in our assessments, this mid-range chip performs fairly effectively. It is also price noting that this plus model of the processor has allowed Nothing to carry wi-fi charging to its machine, that is one thing telephones utilizing the usual Snapdragon 778G processor cannot match.

Though the mind inside is completely enough we have now discovered some bizarre efficiency with battery life. We have typically bought by way of a day with out it working out of juice however since enabling the always-on show the powerpack now appears to empty badly when in standby mode.

One night we went to mattress with 20 % left within the tank and woke as much as discover the machine utterly flat.

Nothing is, little question, nonetheless ironing out points and anticipate some software program updates to be launched that may hopefully repair this gripe. Simply bear in mind that, proper now, the battery life is not pretty much as good as a few of its rivals.

As an alternative of packing the Nothing Telephone (1) with limitless rear lenses, the agency has as a substitute opted for a easy dual-lens setup.

This features a most important 50MP Sony sensor and a 50MP Extremely-wide lens made by Samsung. It positively is smart to have two actually good cameras quite than loading it up with much less spectacular snappers that supply poorer high quality.

Our normal impression of the digicam is nice with many of the pictures we snapped showing pin-sharp and filled with element.

When the sunshine is nice the Telephone (1) holds its personal however capturing in trickier conditions can see this machine battle in comparison with costlier telephones. We did additionally discover some oversaturated colors at occasions.

Together with normal pictures, there’s additionally a wide-angle choice and 2X zoom plus you get the same old Evening Mode for photographs when the solar goes down.

Evening Mode can take some massively spectacular photographs with out the necessity for a flash however the outcomes generally is a bit hit or miss so you will must be affected person.

One ultimate factor we observed in regards to the digicam is that it may be a bit sluggish with the shutter not at all times snapping a shot if you faucet the seize button. It would not occur on a regular basis however generally is a tad annoying particularly if you need to {photograph} one thing shortly.

We will not speak in regards to the Extras with out mentioning the Glyph Interface. Nothing has packed round 900 LED lights into the rear casing of this machine which glints and glows when notifications come by way of.

Identical to ringtones, these flashes will be customised relying in your style and completely different themes may even be assigned to contacts so you already know who’s ringing with out wanting on the display screen. These lights may also present how a lot cost is within the battery when it is plugged in and there is the choice to make them shine when capturing video – a bit like a hoop mild. Sure, the Glyph Interface is a complete gimmick however there’s one thing actually enjoyable about it and there are positively occasions if you’ll make use of it.

Different extras price mentioning embrace a quick under-screen fingerprint scanner, a helpful always-on display screen and its design is IP53 rated for Splash, water and dirt resistance.

You may quick cost the battery though Nothing would not ship an influence brick within the field and there is additionally reverse wi-fi charging which implies you’ll be able to pop your AirPods Professional on the rear case and provides them an influence enhance. In case you have a 5G SIM you will get superfast downloads when away from fixed-line broadband.

Sadly, in contrast to most Android telephones within the value vary, the machine would not include a case within the field so you will want to go to the Nothing Retailer to maintain issues wanting field recent.

Together with the design wanting fairly distinctive, Nothing has additionally added its personal styling to Android by way of its Nothing OS software program.

It appears to be like actually recent with the bespoke widgets, fonts, sounds and wallpapers including a particular type when utilizing the telephone.

There’s additionally no bloatware to be seen and it contains some good bonuses corresponding to the flexibility to unlock Tesla vehicles with none further apps and you’ll even verify the Apple’s AirPods battery standing.

Nothing additionally says it delivers pace the place it’s wanted most with sensible software program that learns out of your utilization. Most-used apps load super-fast; the remainder are frozen to preserve energy.

Though costs begin from £399 that does not inform you the entire story and issues do get barely sophisticated so bear with us. That low value is for the Black mannequin with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This Black model can also be out there with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage for £449 or 12GB RAM 256GB storage for £499.

If you need the white model then you definately’ll want no less than £449 in your checking account as Nothing isn’t promoting this mannequin with that entry-level 128GB of storage.

Together with the Nothing Telephone (1) being on sale SIM free you may as well decide it up on contract from O2 with this community having unique rights to promote this machine within the UK.

Full pricing under.