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Hands-On With the Transparent Nothing Phone 1

ian87w said:
It’s running Android. So it’s competition is other Android phones.
It’s not even competing with Samsung, let alone Apple. The brand is unknown. Apple can slap their logo on a dumb phone and it will sell more than this. Don’t underestimate brand power.
Click to expand...
Listen to the keynote speech on YT.
That was the stated competitor. Don’t know what else to tell you.

”Carl Pie the former CEO of OnePlus knows all the strategies to make the smartphone successful in the market. During the entire event Pie has told all the truth about Nothing, he revealed that the launch of Ear (1) was the warm-up session for the company and now it's ready to hit the smartphone segment. Furthermore, he claimed that Nothing Phone (1) is going to be an alternative to Apple, the smartphone will arrive with its operating system based on Android. The handset is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform.”
in.mashable.com

Apple Here Comes Your Biggest Competition: Nothing Phone (1) Coming Summer 2022

Nothing Phone (1) is going to be an alternative to Apple, the smartphone will arrive with its operating system based on Android.
in.mashable.com in.mashable.com
 
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I wish them all the best and applaud the retro+new design combination, but this product is not long for this world in English-speaking countries with a name like the "Nothing Phone 1". Oh my word, I can think of nothing worse.
 
On the one hand, the LEDs are a neat gimmick, if oddly limited.

But almost everyone I see with an android phone (or even an iPhone, for that matter) uses a case. Seems weird to make the back of a phone so central to your marketing when people will just cover it up…

Or do they really think that it’s such an industrial design paradigm shift that they’ll get people to change their behaviors? 🤔 seems really unlikely.
 
Also… while I’ve got a personal soft spot for “guts-out” design aesthetics (too much anime and “used universe” in my childhood), the glimpse we get of the inside of this thing through the clear backing looks… unintentional.

It looks less like a deliberate design choice and more like the back plate just fell off.
 
dk001 said:
Listen to the keynote speech on YT.
That was the stated competitor. Don’t know what else to tell you.

”Carl Pie the former CEO of OnePlus knows all the strategies to make the smartphone successful in the market. During the entire event Pie has told all the truth about Nothing, he revealed that the launch of Ear (1) was the warm-up session for the company and now it's ready to hit the smartphone segment. Furthermore, he claimed that Nothing Phone (1) is going to be an alternative to Apple, the smartphone will arrive with its operating system based on Android. The handset is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform.”
in.mashable.com

Apple Here Comes Your Biggest Competition: Nothing Phone (1) Coming Summer 2022

Nothing Phone (1) is going to be an alternative to Apple, the smartphone will arrive with its operating system based on Android.
in.mashable.com in.mashable.com
Click to expand...
Carl Pei can say anything he wanted, but doesn't change the reality of market. Nothing is not the only phone running Android, while iPhone is the only phone running iOS. The fact that Nothing runs Android means it is running the same apps as other Android phones out there, and as such it will be judged amongst them.

When you release an Android phone, your first biggest competitor is Samsung, no matter how in denial you are.
 
NightFlight said:
It's crazy how many people on this site don't know who Carl Pei is and what he created before. It's like all you know is Apple, and if it isn't Apple it's trash, which obviously is incorrect.
Click to expand...
He's a marketing guy from Oppo, joined another dude to make OnePlus with his marketing skill, and doing the same trick again. Of course, I give him credit for being able to persuade the likes of Tony Fadell and the Reddit CEO into investing in his company. That's probably worth a case study on its own. Doesn't mean the product itself is as great as many techtubers are hyping it.
 
It’s unfortunate that the smartphone space has become such a duopoly that even a company clearly trying to shake things up had to go with Android for lack of any other non-iOS competitor.

I love my iPhone and don’t plan to change, but better competition leads to better products for us, the consumers.
 
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What you get with the iPhone SE versus the Nothing Phone in nearly the same price bracket is just laughable.
 
ian87w said:
Carl Pei can say anything he wanted, but doesn't change the reality of market. Nothing is not the only phone running Android, while iPhone is the only phone running iOS. The fact that Nothing runs Android means it is running the same apps as other Android phones out there, and as such it will be judged amongst them.

When you release an Android phone, your first biggest competitor is Samsung, no matter how in denial you are.
Click to expand...

Your opinion.
Pei has done this before and was successful.
I'll watch.
 
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MacRumors said:


Every so often a new smartphone makes waves in the tech world because of an eye-catching design or innovative features, and this month, the Phone 1 from Nothing is starring in reviews and videos thanks to its LED-laden transparent design and affordable price point. We picked up a Nothing Phone 1 to see how it measures up to Apple's iPhones.


Since Nothing is a relatively new company, we'll give a little back story first. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei founded Nothing in 2020, and in 2021, the company purchased Essential Products, the Andy Rubin-founded firm that manufactured the now-discontinued Android-based Essential Phone in 2017. From there, Nothing partnered with Swedish electronics company Teenage Engineering, known for its synthesizers, and the result is the Nothing Phone 1, introduced in March.

nothing-phone-4.jpg

Priced starting at £399 ($475), the Nothing Phone 1 is more affordable than most of Apple's iPhones, and it is closest in price to the $429 iPhone SE and the $499 iPhone 11. Measuring in at 6.55 inches with an OLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate, the Phone 1 comes in black or white, and it has a series of LEDs at the back that form what the company says is a "glyph interface." The LED lights serve as visual notifications, letting you know who is calling or messaging.

nothing-phone-5.jpg

The Nothing Phone 1 has an undeniably iPhone-like body with squared edges, camera placement, and antenna bands, but those LEDs set it apart. LEDs can be paired with different sounds for even more customization, and they're fun to play with, but there's no color, so you're limited to pattern recognition. You can set the LEDs up to display a different pattern for different apps and people, but then you need to learn each light pattern, which is easier said than done.

nothing-phone-6.jpg

The LEDs also work alongside the 50-megapixel wide and ultra wide cameras that have features that include optical image stabilization, night mode, portrait mode, and macro shot support. At the front, there's a 16-megapixel selfie camera, and it has an in-display fingerprint sensor.

nothing-phone-7.jpg

Inside, the Nothing Phone 1 has a Snapdragon 778G processor from Samsung, and the base model comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Other features include an IP53 water resistance rating and a 4500mAh battery. The specs are fine, but won't match the performance of higher-end smartphones from Apple and Samsung.

nothing-phone-8.jpg

The Nothing Phone 1 runs Nothing OS, a version of Android that promises no "bloatware." An Android-based phone is not going to be of interest to those who are deeply entrenched in the iPhone ecosystem, but all in all, the Phone 1 is one of the best mid-tier Android phones on the market. For those who are looking for a change or those who want something affordable with a rich feature set, the Nothing Phone 1 is competitive with its unique lighting system and higher-end components.

nothing-phone-2.jpg

Make sure to watch our full video up above for a look at Nothing OS and to see the LEDs in action. What do you think of the Nothing Phone 1? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the Transparent Nothing Phone 1
Click to expand...
Fair review thanks ☺️
 
I think it looks really cool, except for the glowing lights (why are they there?)

Too bad it runs Android. Hopefully this innovative appearance will be influential
 
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