Nothing Announces Phone 1 With Unique Translucent Design and 'Glyph Interface'

[ian87w]

Nothing special?

120Hz, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits
4,500mAh battery
USB-C
50 Megapixel and 16 Megapixel Selfie Camera

All for 399 bucks. Yeah ... nothing special at all LOL my 1,299 EUR iPhone does not do any of it.


Real World: This looks great with some nice things no one has previously thought of
Macrumors: THIS SUCKS

Yeah, nothing special when Samsung Galaxy A52s matches most of those spec, last year, and now can be had for just $300.

It's one thing if Nothing used a flagship SoC for the price (like the original OnePlus One). Now that's worthy of discussion. But this? So many other Chinese phones with the same/better spec for the same price or less.

Take Poco F4, SD870, 8/256, also 120Hz AMOLED, still less than $400 ($380 to be exact).

So yeah, nothing special. They just slap LED gimmicks on a phone's back. Big whoop, especially if you want to use a case.

 

[ian87w]

Their commitment is posted and it's decent. Let's see if they deliver.

3 years of Android updates
4 years of security patches every 2 months

Samsung is delivering 4 years of OS upgrades with monthly (not every 2 months) security patches on the Galaxy A52s, and that phone is only around $300 now. Nothing is full of... nothing.

 

[JGIGS]

when you have no real ideas you make a phone maybe towards to teenagers

You literally described an idea. And not a bad segment to target either.

 

[ian87w]

Nothing will simply hype up the western Youtubers to make it sound like this phone is a big deal, while in reality, it's not. It's just hype without substance. OnePlus One was different, as it had actual flagship SoC at very low price, it was worth the hype. This phone? It's an overpriced mid-range with LED gimmicks.

 

[bitethis]

Casey Neistat?....Say no more.

 

[switz]

EU may mandate this as their new standard since their leadership is basically technology ignorant.

 

[ian87w]

It’s a really nice phone and I would have one but it runs android 😩

You wouldn't if you knew that a similar spec phone without the LED gimmicks can be had for only $300, and for the price Nothing is charging, you can actually get a much more powerful Snapdragon 870 phone.

It's simply an overpriced mid-range Android phone.

 

[satchmo]

I've always appreciated translucent casings. Still love the Nintendo Atomic Purple!

Nice.

And Apple's been there, and done that too. This was a popular look in the late 90's which I'm guessing this company is trying to bring back.

 

[ian87w]

For $399 it looks amazing. Specs are great. Software updates will probably stop after few years but I mean, look at the price. Cameras of course won't be nearly as good as on iPhone but again it doesn't cost over $1000. I wouldn't mind buying it.

Yeah look at the price, aka overpriced. This is not a flagship hardware, it's mid-range. Snapdragon 778 phones are around $300. For $400 and $500, you should expect Snapdragon 865/870 at least. And high 120Hz AMOLED screens are quite common nowadays. Even the $300 Samsung Galaxy A52s had it.

 

[johnsc3]

Good to see a little shake-up in the smartphone world.

Instead of being a straight-forward boring rectangle chassis focused on cramming specs to create value, the Phone 1 is purely a tech-geek lifestyle product and derives its value from being aesthetically unique. Not all value has to be tangible.

Whether it succeeds or not is yet to be seen, but I'm happy someone is taking a different approach to a product category that has more or less homogenized by now.

After weeks of teases, Nothing has officially announced its Phone 1 smartphone. It's the second major product release by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's company, following last year's Ear 1 true wirless earbuds, and the device has a modest starting price of £399 ($475).

The UK-based company raised $144 million in funding to develop the handset, which Pei hopes will re-energize the smartphone market and "make tech fun again." Backers include iPhone designer Tony Fadell, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.

Available in white or black, the distinctive-looking 6.55-inch aluminum phone has a translucent back featuring hundreds of LEDs that form the "glyph interface" – a series of quirky light patterns that function as visual notifications when the phone is placed down, amongst other uses.

For example, the central circle lights up to indicate wireless or reverse wireless charging, and the bottom light strip acts as a charging progress bar when the USB-C cable is plugged in. In addition, users can assign certain light patterns to contacts to identify who is calling.

The lights also work as a fill light for the 50-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras, which feature optical and electronic image stabilization and also work in night, portrait, and document scanning software modes. The ultrawide sensor can also take macro shots up to distances of 4cm.

The Phone 1 has a 1080p OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits, while a small hole-punch cutout in the top-left corner of the screen houses a 16-megapixel selfie camera. There's also an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication.

The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus processor, and can be paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The device has an IP53 rating for dust and water resistance, and features a 4,500mAh battery that can be charged at up to 33W via cable or 15W wirelessly.

The Android-based "no bloatware" Nothing OS has some notable unique features, including the aforementioned glyphs (twinned with retro-sounding notification alerts), Tesla-specific functions like unlocking doors and turning on air conditioning, and the ability to display NFTs on the lock and home screens.

Nothing says it has received more than 200,000 pre-orders for the Phone 1, which will go on sale on July 21 in over 40 markets, including the UK, Japan, India, and countries in mainland Europe. Currently there are no plans for a widespread release of the Phone 1 in the United States. More information and pre-order requests are available on the Nothing website.

Article Link: Nothing Announces Phone 1 With Unique Translucent Design and 'Glyph Interface'

I’m sure apple and google are glad in some ways to see this… if only the OS was not “android based”.

 

[JGIGS]

Nothing special?

120Hz, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits
4,500mAh battery
USB-C
50 Megapixel and 16 Megapixel Selfie Camera

All for 399 bucks. Yeah ... nothing special at all LOL my 1,299 EUR iPhone does not do any of it.


Real World: This looks great with some nice things no one has previously thought of
Macrumors: THIS SUCKS

Yup all the old Apple heads can't look at tech objectively.

The hardware alone on the Nothing phone at it's price is pretty special and works perfectly well for like at least 90% of smartphone users. Throw in the different features the hardware and software provides how can ones interest at least not be peaked even if you are super brand loyal? And maybe wait till you see and try using it in person before casting judgement?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Nothing special?

120Hz, HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits
4,500mAh battery
USB-C
50 Megapixel and 16 Megapixel Selfie Camera

All for 399 bucks. Yeah ... nothing special at all LOL my 1,299 EUR iPhone does not do any of it.


Real World: This looks great with some nice things no one has previously thought of
Macrumors: THIS SUCKS

The specs are very competitive for the price, but other than the nice LEDs on the back, there aren’t much that differentiates this phone all that much.

 

[ian87w]

Good to see a little shake-up in the smartphone world.

Instead of being a straight-forward boring rectangle chassis focused on cramming specs to create value, the Phone 1 is purely a tech-geek lifestyle product and derives its value from being aesthetically unique. Not all value has to be tangible.

Whether it succeeds or not is yet to be seen, but I'm happy someone is taking a different approach to a product category that has more or less homogenized by now.

Shake up? LOL. Whats to shake up? Meaning charging a phone $100 more than what its market price is? Only Apple can do that.

And in the end, it's an Android phone. Android phone is commoditized already. Why would a consumer pay more for this brand if they can find a phone with the same/better spec for less? Even Samsung sells a Snapdragon 778 phone for less than this. So Nothing pretends that their brand is more valued than Samsung. So funny...

 

[ian87w]

The specs are very competitive for the price, but other than the nice LEDs on the back, there aren’t much that differentiates this phone all that much.

It's not competitive. Poco F4 has Snapdragon 870 for less (yes, with 120Hz AMOLED as well). Snapdragon 778 phones are more around $300, not $400+. Nothing is literally only using hype and gimmicks to mark up the price. Kinda hard to do that in a commodity market of Android smartphone.

 

[JGIGS]

Casey Neistat?....Say no more.

Trying to figure out if this is a sarcasm or praise. Casey seems to be a pretty knowledgeable tech and innovation tuber?

 

[JGIGS]

The specs are very competitive for the price, but other than the nice LEDs on the back, there aren’t much that differentiates this phone all that much.

It's more than what differentiates most other phones on the market no? Same with the price point for the hardware and software and features you get.

 

[ian87w]

The specs are very competitive for the price, but other than the nice LEDs on the back, there aren’t much that differentiates this phone all that much.

It's probably "competitive" only for the western youtubers who never buy their own phones since they only use iPhones or free review units.

 

[JGIGS]

Looks cheap and nasty.

Making that call on a picture and video?

 

[szw-mapple fan]

It's more than what differentiates most other phones on the market no? Same with the price point for the hardware and software and features you get.

I’m glad they are trying something new on the casing, but at the end of the day it doesn’t really translate into much for the user compared to other Androids (unless the software does something really special).

 

[szw-mapple fan]

It's not competitive. Poco F4 has Snapdragon 870 for less (yes, with 120Hz AMOLED as well). Snapdragon 778 phones are more around $300, not $400+. Nothing is literally only using hype and gimmicks to mark up the price. Kinda hard to do that in a commodity market of Android smartphone.

I should amend my comment to mean in the market Nothing is launching in. The Poco F4 is much cheaper in some markets yes, but in North America for example once you import it it will end up to be roughly the same.

 

[ian87w]

I should amend my comment to mean in the market Nothing is launching in. The Poco F4 is much cheaper in some markets yes, but in North America for example once you import it it will end up to be roughly the same.

Even if it has the same price, Poco F4 has more powerful Snapdragon 870, and 256GB storage (for that price).
Nothing is banking on the hype from the Youtubers, and the illusion of exclusivity (by limiting the access to buy the phone). It's the same trick as OnePlus One, but that phone actually was worth the hype as it used actual flagship SoC and really low price. This Nothing phone is just an overpriced mid-range Android.

 

[nezr]

I dont like the font on their website

 

[Pilot Jones]

Shake up? LOL. Whats to shake up? Meaning charging a phone $100 more than what its market price is? Only Apple can do that.

And in the end, it's an Android phone. Android phone is commoditized already. Why would a consumer pay more for this brand if they can find a phone with the same/better spec for less? Even Samsung sells a Snapdragon 778 phone for less than this. So Nothing pretends that their brand is more valued than Samsung. So funny...

You clearly did not get the point of my post. My post has nothing to do with Androids or iPhones and especially not with the SoC or specs you're talking about. It is with the fundamental value proposition that a smartphone offers and approaching it from a new perspective.

Like you, the entire industry is focused on specs and operating systems while the Phone 1 focuses purely on creating an aesthetic identity & experience. It is more of a lifestyle product married with a utilitarian tool.

Does that mean it'll be successful...no. But to pretend like this isn't genuinely a breath of fresh air from phones that all freaking look the same and conduct their annual pissing contest of who packs the most specs in chassis that all look 90% identical. Yeah, I think this qualifies as a shake up.

All you're talking about is specs. That's the only thing I'm not talking about.

 

[antiprotest]

It's such an inconvenient name for a company.

 

[cale508]

Most of the people criticize the phone here until King Apple does something similar and it's INNOVATION!!