Hands-On With the New Transparent Nothing Phone (2)

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

Google could have by now had a compelling and competitive Pixel ecosystem if they didn’t have the attention span of a reef fish. And as Apple puts more carrots out to lure in gaming development all I can think is Google really had something with Stadia. I’ve used all the game streaming platforms and Stadia was king for performance.

But no, Google’s leadership was like HURRR LES MAKE BARDT.

Yeah I agree. Google has been quite known for a history of failed projects that there’s literally a whole website about all the projects that they have discontinued lol.

Killed by Google

Killed by Google is the open source list of dead Google products, services, and devices. It serves as a tribute and memorial of beloved services and products killed by Google.

killedbygoogle.com

But regardless of that, I think the main problem with the Pixel phones is their Tensor processors. These processors are quite new, and we have only seen two generations of them so far, so they still need a lot of development. The Tensor G2 was more improved than the G1 on terms of heating issues and was also quite more battery-efficient, so I’m actually looking forward to the 3rd generations of these chips that will come out this year with the Pixel 8 series.

And speaking of Bard.. yeah, it’s just another attempt of them to try to compete with ChatGPT, which will most likely end up failing too.

 

[roger.dalal]

I love the idea of the backside LEDs for alerts, notifications, volume settings, and more. They get us close to the perfect solution, maybe possible one day, of an always-on, interactive, full color, high-resolution OLED screen with detailed alerts, content rich and informative notifications, and fully graphical volume sliders. If only.

 

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

Nothing was founded by Carl Pei, who was one of the founders of OnePlus. He started this company when Oppo started to absorb OnePlus. OnePlus devices were about the only competitor on the Android side that gives people "the whole experience" like Apple does. That's why their products get discussed here.

Yeah and the CEO himself just seems pretty inspired by Apple in general. He said himself that he really admires Steve Jobs and even quoted him before.

 

[ralpa]

oh. This is Nothingrumors.com now? Is Dan gonna review Dyson next?

 

[Nahaz]

It's a nice alternative if you like the iPhone feel and size but want to run Android. Having a clean OS with updates will be important because having ads and junk everywhere is my number 1 peeve with many Android phones. The lights are just bling for people that like flashy lights.

 

[George Dawes]

It’s not just the hardware , that’s what they all miss when they bring stuff like this out

Never learn

 

[japanime]

I'm curious as to where these phones are assembled. In the images, the small print on the back of the phone says "Nothing Technology Limited" followed by "London, England." I see no other country named.

 

[svish]

Like the design on the Nothing phone.

 

[CabanossiHead]

I dont get the snarkiness in the comments. As an Iphone user I can say this is a nice phone looks wise. Its something different and thats sorely needed on the market.

 

[AndiG]

There’s a plethora of mid line android phones with identical specs. The unique thing about this is the transparency and I guess the android skin they are using.

Despite the fact that the Nothing phone has the secret ingredience, Apple used for the iPhones in former times. There is something new and some slight UI polish. Not much but enough to make it attractive.

With the iPhone we see only iterations over iterations of the same model. Each new model is bigger, heavier, "improved" (AI crippled) cameras, new processor. The iphone becomes overengineered more and more, it lacks the simplicity it once was known for. "Dynamic island" is also a part of this, lipstick on the pig.

I'd still be super happy with an iP7 with integrated fingerprint sensor, 5G and a high quality camera - at a reasonable price.

 

[SanderEvers]

A very generic Android phone, with an outdated Android version, and midrange specs. Yeah. PASS.

 

[redbeard331]

A very generic Android phone, with an outdated Android version, and midrange specs. Yeah. PASS.

Wait, what midrange specs? Some of its hardware is better than a iPhone pro max that costs twice as much!

Competition is good, I like this phone, not sure if I’d get it over a Pixel, I’d have to use both, but for the price it seems pretty amazing actually.

 

[iZac]

I would actually buy a nothing mini

 

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

It's a nice alternative if you like the iPhone feel and size but want to run Android. Having a clean OS with updates will be important because having ads and junk everywhere is my number 1 peeve with many Android phones. The lights are just bling for people that like flashy lights.

Ads and junk ? I’m not really sure what you’re talking about here.. I switched to iPhone recently and have always used Android phones, never saw anything like that.

You must be talking about very old and cheap Android phones because clearly those wouldn’t be as good as a +1000$ Flagship in the same price range as an iPhone and might have some bloatware installed on them. Even the mid-range ones are pretty good enough for the price they offer nowadays.

I’m not trying to be an Android defender here, but this whole “Android is trash” thing has to stop. We are not talking about Android from 2013 anymore. You’ll not see any ads and junk on an Android phone nowadays unless you bought it for 50$ from Wish.com

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Can someone clarify what specific need(s) and/or problem(s) does this phone solves/addresses beyond being just another device for the Android crowd?

I wasn't aware that new phones needed to fulfill specific needs or fix problems to be a new model? Can't it just be the latest/greatest tech with a unique design at a competitive price and be OK?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Ads and junk ? I’m not really sure what you’re talking about here.. I switched to iPhone recently and have always used Android phones, never saw anything like that.

You must be talking about very old and cheap Android phones because clearly those wouldn’t be as good as a +1000$ Flagship in the same price range as an iPhone and might have some bloatware installed on them. Even the mid-range ones are pretty good enough for the price they offer nowadays.

I’m not trying to be an Android defender here, but this whole “Android is trash” thing has to stop. We are not talking about Android from 2013 anymore. You’ll not see any ads and junk on an Android phone nowadays unless you bought it for 50$ from Wish.com

Agreed. Or cheap people that buy cheap Android phones and fill them with free apps.

It's the same with "Mac people" saying Windows is trash and start naming issues that hasn't existed since Windows Vista. Armchair "experts".

 

[Expos of 1969]

Yeah I agree. Google has been quite known for a history of failed projects that there’s literally a whole website about all the projects that they have discontinued lol.

Killed by Google

Killed by Google is the open source list of dead Google products, services, and devices. It serves as a tribute and memorial of beloved services and products killed by Google.

killedbygoogle.com

But regardless of that, I think the main problem with the Pixel phones is their Tensor processors. These processors are quite new, and we have only seen two generations of them so far, so they still need a lot of development. The Tensor G2 was more improved than the G1 on terms of heating issues and was also quite more battery-efficient, so I’m actually looking forward to the 3rd generations of these chips that will come out this year with the Pixel 8 series.

And speaking of Bard.. yeah, it’s just another attempt of them to try to compete with ChatGPT, which will most likely end up failing too.

In addition, Google has to market and sell the Pixel in more countries.

 

[canadianreader]

I dont get the snarkiness in the comments. As an Iphone user I can say this is a nice phone looks wise. Its something different and thats sorely needed on the market.

From the looks of it mostly coming from old people. Otherwise it's a nice phone. Personally I like transparent tech I bet they took their inspiration from year 2000 iMacs.

 

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

In addition, Google has to market and sell the Pixel in more countries.

Yeah that's right. They are not even sold where I live.

 

[Pinkyyy 💜🍎]

From the looks of it mostly coming from old people. Otherwise it's a nice phone. Personally I like transparent tech I bet they took their inspiration from year 2000 iMacs.

View attachment 2231494

I remember when these things came in colors that used to be called "flavors". They were so gorgeous 🩵✨

 

[lazyrighteye]

Gimmicks aside, and while not for me, I do find their exploration (and overall aesthetic) pretty fun. Certainly more interesting than anything from the other non-iPhone hardware teams. Small detail: I like the subtleness of their branding... The etched Nothing on the glass, is pretty slick.

 

[windowsblowsass]

I'm curious as to where these phones are assembled. In the images, the small print on the back of the phone says "Nothing Technology Limited" followed by "London, England." I see no other country named.

 

[robertosh]

I like it. I tried to set icons on my Pixel black and white...the backlights can be customized to tell you lots of info, i.e. battery level, push notifications (reminds me old notifications indicator light).

They said they sold 800K in their first try, remember this is only 2 years old comnay and 800K isn't too bad for any smaller startup company. To these 800K people, they see the point.

I would not consider Nothing a regular small startup (from Wikipedia):

The company is based in London and landed a number of notable investors, such as iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. On February 25, the company announced Teenage Engineering as founding partners, mainly responsible for the design aesthetic of the brand and its products

 

[JGIGS]

Only 5 million pixel phones sold in 2022, while Apple sold 40 million iPhones just in holiday 2022.

I already said the Pixel doesn't do big numbers but it's still relevant as its designed and sold by the company that builds the main parts of the OS. Also not fair to compare vs an ios phone that doesn't compete with any other brands with essentially the same operating system.

5 Mil still isn't insignificant either.

 

[permanoob]

I love their effort and see no reason to be snarky. Go for it Nothing gang!

Me too! There are definite things to like about this phone.

Nothing to see here...

Apparently, the Nothing phone carries Nothing.

Can't we just come to terms with the fact this is a two horse race: Samsung vs iPhone?

A juvenile and silly phone with a poor operating system

Yes, it’s not that revolutionary, but there is something this does carry, that I don’t think is juvenile, that both Samsung and Apple could learn from and improve upon: helping people look at their screen less.

The apparent idea behind the LED glyphs on the back of the phone is so you can program them to give you information so you don’t have to look at your screen for that information. For example, when a call you are waiting for happens, or a timer is ticking down, or a delivery is on the way. You don’t have to look at your screen. Because looking at the screen pulls us out of the present moment, the people we are with, and often sucks our brains into all the other notifications and messages distracting us and taking our attention away from ourselves, what we are feeling, and the moment. Looking at the screen, even with a specific task in mind, replaces presence with dopamine hits that make us addicted to short term attention cravings. I mean, can LEDs on the back of a phone help change that? There are probably better ways to change that, but it’s a small step in the direction of a healthy intention. Or maybe it’s just a gimmick, at least it’s fun.