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Hands-On With the Transparent Nothing Phone 1

I saw a video review of this a few weeks ago and the photos how. I really don't understand why everyone is calling this thing "transparent". The outermost later of the rear case is clear. Like if an iPhone wasn't painted on the inside of the rear glass.
You can't see through the phone and you can't even see the internal components. The cleat outer shell allows for some lights to be displayed. Oooh...
The phone itself is a gimmick and the description is a lie that I don't see the justification for all the hype.
 
dk001 said:
I have yet to see anywhere this is an iPhone killer anything. At least from Nothing.
I suspect they are going after the legacy Apple premise of "It just works" and a solid user experience.
JMHO
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I've seen a lot of people say this is an iPhone killer just based on price alone. They compare it to the SE and even Apple's flagship phones claiming that they don't need all the stuff Apple charges for and want some of the Nothing's feature that some Apple products don't currently offer. Comparing this phone to any iPhones is silly because it's Android and it comes from an unproven company. And no one has used this phone yet except for a few reviewers so it's all noise right now anyway.
 
grjj said:
I saw a video review of this a few weeks ago and the photos how. I really don't understand why everyone is calling this thing "transparent". The outermost later of the rear case is clear. Like if an iPhone wasn't painted on the inside of the rear glass.
You can't see through the phone and you can't even see the internal components. The cleat outer shell allows for some lights to be displayed. Oooh...
The phone itself is a gimmick and the description is a lie that I don't see the justification for all the hype.
Click to expand...
Transparent is the correct word I believe.
 
wigby said:
I've seen a lot of people say this is an iPhone killer just based on price alone. They compare it to the SE and even Apple's flagship phones claiming that they don't need all the stuff Apple charges for and want some of the Nothing's feature that some Apple products don't currently offer. Comparing this phone to any iPhones is silly because it's Android and it comes from an unproven company. And no one has used this phone yet except for a few reviewers so it's all noise right now anyway.
Click to expand...

That is a big challenge: "people say".
I suspect with what I have seen so far is that Nothing is not pushing price nor talking about the OS as selling points. Rather user experience and looks.
 
SchroederDoodle said:
Right away it gives the hearer a bad sense about your brand. "Nothing" in MOST cases represents something negative and so the NOTHING phone has an uphill battle if they are going to spin that word into something positive.
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The fact so many people here are defending the phone and think the phone is a good value in the face of other Android phones being either better spec or cheaper shows that the marketing hype is indeed working. People like something that is mysterious and exclusive, even if the actual product is just meh. I mean even people here are pretending that Samsung didn’t exist just so they can feel that this Nothing phone is great. The illusion of scarcity and exclusivity will trick your brain that you have something special.
 
Apple should have built this phone.

Just imagine an iPhone SE with integrated TouchID (dropping FaceID), no Notch and USB-C port. People would already be lining up today, even though the phone won't be available for purchase until November.
 
It's nice to see something new, but 1. My phone is 99.9% sitting screen up when on the desk etc. so I would not see the fancy lights and 2. I am not sure out in the real world I would want my phone to be flashing "hey look at me".

I actually preferred the old school single RGB LED somewhere on the case rim which could flash colours or patterns. That was genuinely useful, especially at night.
 
I guess it looks neat. If that's your style. Still it's just another Android phone with a variation in case design and parts list. Same pig different lipstick.
 
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I see nothing but a slightly abstract Apple logo on that ridiculous thing. Lawyers will be rubbing their hands on this one.
 

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And still macrumors claims Samsung produces snapdragon and not Qualcomm
Next up is Coca Cola produces the iPad?
 
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
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I think it's a great use of the back of the phone!

It's such a shame that no one has really thought of this before. I have a pair of the Nothing earbuds, and they really are very good. I'm sure this phone will be as good.

There's so much space on the back of an iPhone, so maybe Apple will do something along the same lines. I don't always like to use tones or rumbles, so something like this would be very useful.
 
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