Nothing Phone (1): Everything we know so far

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei left the BBK Electronics-owned company to start his own tech venture called Nothing. The company released its first product, the Ear (1), last year. The first wireless earphones from Nothing gained a lot of attention and received great reviews. But it was quite evident that the company didn’t want to make just smartphone accessories.

At an event earlier this year, Pei revealed that Nothing is ready to enter the smartphone market. He announced that Nothing will be launching its first Android smartphone — aptly named Nothing Phone (1) — in the Summer of 2022. A lot of leaks, rumors, and information about the Nothing Phone (1) have since appeared on the internet. Here is everything we know about Nothing’s first smartphone, based both on leaks and Nothing’s official communications.

Release Date

Source: Nothing

Nothing recently announced that it will officially unveil the Nothing Phone (1) at its “Return to Instinct” event on July 12, 2022, at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT / 4 PM BST / 8:30 PM IST. The event will be live-streamed on Nothing’s YouTube channel. You can sign-up on the company’s official website to receive updates and live stream information about the Nothing Phone (1)’s launch. The company says that it has a lot of exciting details to share at the event.

Talking about the actual smartphone availability, there is currently no word on when the Nothing Phone 1 would go on sale. Some speculate that the smartphone will go on sale as soon as the event concludes while some claim that the Phone (1) could be a bit delayed due to supply chain issues. Another thing that remains unknown is the Nothing Phone (1)’s price. However, if you’re really keen on buying the Nothing Phone 1, you can try placing an order for the limited edition units that will go on sale later this month.

Design and build

Source: Rafael Zeier

Carl Pei touted that Nothing Phone (1) will keep the same design language as its previous product, the Ear (1), with a transparent back that shows off some of the phone’s components. After teasing about the smartphone’s design for some weeks, Nothing finally revealed the looks of the Phone (1) earlier this week.

Source: Ben Geskin

The design of the Nothing Phone (1) is quite different in comparison to the smartphones currently found in the market. The phone sports a transparent back that shows off its industrial elements, like screws that hold some of the panels in place and the wireless charging coil. The Nothing logo, engraved in the dot matrix font, can be found in the bottom left corner. The image also shows off the Phone 1’s dual-camera array in the left top corner. Along with the design, Nothing has also revealed that the frame of the Phone (1) will be built out of recycled aluminum.

Source: Rafael Zeier

Some YouTubers and media partners got a chance to take a look at the Nothing Phone (1) in person. YouTuber Rafael Zeier posted a video on his channel showcasing the back of the smartphone in full. The phone surely looks more appealing in real-life images than it does in the renders. The video also shows that the white strips near the camera module, the wireless charging coil, and towards the top right corner are in fact LEDs that glow. While the actual use case of the glowing LEDs is still unknown, it does certainly add an overall appeal to the Phone (1). You can watch the video right here.

Display

Source: TechDroider

Not much is known about the Nothing Phone (1)’s display right now, but some leaks and rumors have suggested that the smartphone will feature a 6.55-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The display will be flat with no curved edges. Some rumors also suggest that the display on the Phone (1) will support up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Like most of the smartphones in 2022, you can also expect the display of the Nothing Phone (1) to support HDR 10 (or HDR 10+) certification.

One display spec that Nothing has revealed about the Phone (1) is that there will be no chin on the bottom. Most Android smartphones, especially in the mid-range segment, have some sort of chin (bezel) on the bottom. Nothing claims that the Phone (1) will have “no chin”. TechDroider came up with a visual representation showing what the smartphone’s display would look like. You can check out the render above.

Camera

Source: Nothing

Just like the display, not much is known about the camera system of the Nothing Phone (1) right now, but we expect the company to reveal more details in the build-up to the launch. Some vague reports claim that the Phone 1 will come with a 50MP primary camera and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, but we would recommend you to take this information with a pinch of salt.

Other than that, the video shot by Rafael Zeier shows that the primary camera of the Phone 1 will support Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The design unveil has also shown us that there will be only two cameras on the back of the phone. We hope that the second camera sensor isn’t a gimmicky 2MP macro lens. A 32MP camera sensor, housed in the punch-hole cutout, will reportedly take care of selfies.

Software

Source: Nothing

Nothing Phone 1 will run on a customized version of Android called Nothing OS. Carl Pei talked a lot about how lightweight and seamless Nothing OS will be. During the first event, Pei claimed that Nothing OS will be based on an open and seamless ecosystem that will effortlessly connect and integrate its own products and products from other world-leading brands.

Source: Google Play Store

The company says that Nothing OS will combine the best of Android with its “iconic design language.” It will be a fairly lightweight operating system and the company will rely on Google apps instead of shipping its own stock apps. The user’s most-used apps will sit in the phone’s cache so the app opening and closing time will feel instant. Nothing is also ensuring that the Phone 1 will receive three Android upgrades and four years of security patches.

To build some hype about the Nothing OS, the company released a custom launcher, called the Nothing Launcher, on the Play Store to give its potential customers a taste of how Nothing OS will look and feel like. The launcher comes with the same custom icons, widgets, and bespoke fonts that the Phone 1 will come with. You can check out our hands-on with Nothing Launcher and what it offers right here.

Specs

Source: Qualcomm

Moving onto the specs, Nothing has revealed that the Phone (1) will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. There’s no official word on which Qualcomm Snapdragon processor Nothing will use, but it appears that it won’t be the flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm recently introduced since it would raise the price of the Phone (1). Instead, Nothing is expected to use the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor on the Phone (1). This processor would allow the company to offer a premium experience while keeping the price of the device low.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor will reportedly be coupled with 8/12GB of RAM and 128/256GB of internal storage. There is no word on the battery capacity, but a recent leak indicated the phone could support 45W PPS Fast Charging. In addition to fast charging, Nothing has already revealed that the Phone (1) will support wireless charging. Take a look at the rumored Nothing Phone 1 specs down below:

What we want to see

Source: Rafael Zeier

• A smartphone that lives up to the hype: Nothing has been building up the hype about its Phone 1 for quite some time now. But we have seen a lot of smartphone brands hyping up a product just to fail. We hope Nothing Phone 1 offers what the company has been claiming for the past few weeks, especially with Carl Pei on their side, who played a huge role in OnePlus’ original success.

• Low Price: With many (excellent) smartphones available in the mid-range, such as the Google Pixel 6 and the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, we hope Nothing Phone 1 is also priced fairly. To enter the smartphone space is tough nowadays, but a low price could help Nothing quickly gain popularity among Android customers. We hope Nothing Phone (1) doesn’t fall short of expectations and offers value for money.

• Timely OS updates: Software experience can make or break a smartphone. With Nothing claiming that its operating system will be “lightweight” and “close to stock Android”, we hope the company can deliver a premium software experience with Nothing OS on the Phone 1.

What are your expectations from the Nothing Phone (1)? Pen them down in the comments section below!