Nothing Telephone (1) assessment

It’s onerous to think about that any firm releasing its first smartphone might generate the hype that Nothing has for the Telephone (1), however hype is usually a double-edged sword. 

The trickle of teasers actually constructed pleasure and anticipation, and the 100,000+ individuals who signed as much as the waitlist to purchase the telephone show it transformed into gross sales, however has it put unimaginable strain on a tool that’s, finally, only a telephone? 

Maybe, however it helps that Nothing has nailed the telephone half. The Telephone (1) might not be life-changing, or the unconventional break from trade norms that founder Carl Pei would love you to suppose it’s, however this can be a well-specified, inexpensive telephone that gives wonderful worth for cash. 

However from an organization that promised to up-end the smartphone as we all know it, is being ‘excellent’ sufficient? 

Design & construct 

• Distinctive ‘Glyph Interface’ lights 
• Semi-transparent design 
• IP53 ranking 

Let’s begin with what is particular in regards to the Nothing Telephone (1). Whereas this may appear like a standard sufficient telephone from the entrance – other than a meticulously symmetrical bezel – when you flip it round you see one thing slightly completely different. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

For one, there’s the semi-transparent design. Whether or not you go for a white or black model, the telephone is coated in glass (so is, regrettably, a magnet for smudges and fingerprints) however beneath that has a multi-layered and textured design supposed to trace on the parts beneath. 

Regardless of the promise of transparency you possibly can’t see any chips or circuitry right here, however as a substitute there’s a central circle marking the telephone’s wi-fi charging coil, a winding strip for a connector, and visual screws that trace on the telephone’s development. 

When you recover from the transparency, the telephone hits you another time with the Glyph Interface. That’s the (admittedly foolish) identify for Nothing’s distinctive sample of white LED strips that type a part of the rear design. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

These are extra than simply beauty. They will do easy stuff like flash in time with ringtones and notifications (that are themselves Nothing-ified, with digital tones that sound like R2-D2 colliding with a synthesizer) however also can illuminate to indicate progress whereas charging the telephone, and there’s even a setting within the digicam app to activate each gentle without delay as a makeshift fill gentle. 

Do you actually desire a telephone that glows, although? The RGB-laden gaming telephone market would counsel that a lot on the market do, however Nothing has by no means pitched the Telephone (1) at avid gamers (and its specs actually aren’t a pure match for it).  

I benefit from the novelty of the lights, however that’s what they’re – novelty. Nothing’s pitch is partly that the lights are a approach to filter out non-urgent notifications, as you possibly can set patterns to particular contacts or apps, however you will get the identical impact from an always-on show (which, barely superfluously, the Telephone (1) additionally helps). 

The attraction may even depend upon how comfy you’re inserting your telephone show down, which is an effective way to scratch the display screen. Thankfully Nothing ships the Telephone (1) with a pre-applied display screen protector to cut back the possibilities of harm to the glass panel itself, however for those who’re going to maintain it face-down then you definitely’ll doubtless need to spend money on a couple of replacements or case with a distinguished lip.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The remainder of the Telephone (1)’s design is much less outlandish, however no much less spectacular. It’s squared-off sides owe loads to the newest iPhones, although the usage of aluminium (recycled, no much less) to construct the body retains the telephone gentle sufficient even if it’s slightly chunky. 

There’s additionally respectable sturdiness. Each the back and front of the telephone are constructed from Gorilla Glass 5 – not the strongest model out there, however nonetheless scratch-resistant sufficient. There’s additionally an IP53 ranking, guaranteeing some degree of mud and water-resistance. 

Show & audio 

• 6.55in 120Hz OLED show 
• Thick however symmetrical entrance bezel 
• Loud stereo audio system 

The Nothing Telephone (1) is supplied with a 6.55in display screen – basically bang on common for an Android telephone by way of dimension.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

With 120Hz OLED tech it’s slightly above common by way of show high quality, although you possibly can actually discover equally priced rivals with comparable screens. It’s vibrant and punchy, with enticing colors and HDR10+ help.  

The 120Hz refresh fee provides to the smoothness of animations throughout the expertise, although solely jumps to full pace when wanted. It’s also possible to lock it to 60Hz for those who’d choose to save lots of battery. 

Wanting on the telephone head-on, the black bezel across the edges is only a contact thicker than you could be used to nowadays, however the flipside is that Nothing has labored to make it solely symmetrical, with the identical width on each aspect. It’s a delicate contact, however one which speaks to the obsessiveness of the telephone’s design. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

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To mood the passion, I’ve had one persistent technical drawback with the display screen. At random intervals the telephone has been slicing out blue gentle, leading to sudden and jarring shifts within the white stability of the display screen, at instances switching between the 2 each jiffy. I’ve spoken to Nothing in regards to the problem, and the corporate says it’s not conscious of the drawback elsewhere, so this can be a fault restricted to this explicit unit. 

Nonetheless, you possibly can see the influence in my pictures, which had been taken whereas the telephone insisted on an orange hue, which is why the show seems to be so washed out and flat.

As for audio, there’s no headphone jack I’m afraid – it’s wi-fi or USB-C headphones solely. The stereo audio system are respectable, although. They’re loud and pretty crisp. Telephone audio system are telephone audio system on the finish of the day, however these are actually higher than most different mid-range telephones. 

Specs & efficiency 

• Mid-range Snapdragon 778G+ chipset 
• Numerous RAM and storage choices 
• Restricted connectivity within the US 

The Nothing Telephone (1) is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ – a mid-market chipset launched in October final yr.  

It’s this chip greater than the rest that offers away the Telephone (1)’s mid-range worth, because it’s each a tier under the flagship Snapdragon 8-series and likewise getting slightly previous. It’s since been supplanted by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. 

I don’t wish to overegg the downsides although. Certain, for those who’re anticipating to make use of your telephone for aggressive on-line gaming then you might discover the 778G+ holds you again, however it’s acquired sufficient energy for nearly the rest you may throw at it. 

Benchmark efficiency outcomes are strong, and typical for the value – it’s in keeping with the OnePlus Nord 2T, and outpaces Samsung’s under-powered Galaxy A53. In the actual world, I’ve discovered the telephone quick and responsive, with little lag to talk of. Mainly, it’s quick sufficient, however not spectacular.

The 778G+ is paired along with your selection of 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage – although observe that the most cost effective 8+128GB model of the telephone is just out there in black, not white. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Then there’s connectivity. The Telephone (1) has the same old suite: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC for Google Pay. 

The one factor to flag is that the telephone isn’t assured to work properly in North America, the place sign bands are fairly completely different. Nothing warns customers can anticipate “unpredictable” service on T-Cell, no voice-over-4G on AT&T, and no service on Verizon in any respect. 

In equity, the telephone isn’t on sale there anyway, however it’s one thing you’ll have to know for those who’re an American contemplating an import, or just somebody who travels to the States typically. 

Battery & charging 

• Disappointing battery life 
• No charger included 
• Wi-fi and reverse wi-fi charging 

The Telephone (1) is supplied with a 4500mAh battery, which is one other of the options that’s mainly common. I think it’s been poorly optimised although, as a result of battery life is unquestionably under common. That is nearly a full day telephone, however I wouldn’t wish to push it too far, and I’ve had it run out early on me as soon as. As at all times with telephones, that may solely worsen over time too.  

It’s doable the restricted battery is all the way down to the Glyph lights, however I think not – the telephone itself chalks up most of its energy drain to the show, which is typical. For its half, Nothing says that even blasting each gentle on full for 10 minutes – a fairly excessive use case – solely consumes 0.5% of the battery capability, so the Glyph influence appears to be negligible. 

The excellent news is that if the additional lights aren’t accountable, it’s doable that Nothing can effective tune the telephone to cut back battery consumption with software program tweaks and patches.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Relating to charging, the telephone can cost at as much as 33W, which I discovered was sufficient to revive 67% of battery in half an hour. That’s sooner than you’ll typically get from Samsung, Apple, or Google, however lags properly behind speeds present in telephones from Xiaomi, OnePlus, and others, even at this inexpensive worth. 

It maybe doesn’t assist that Nothing has joined the latest pattern of transport the telephone with no charger. That’s actually extra environmentally pleasant, however might be a frustration for those who don’t already personal a USB-C charger and wish to choose one up (Nothing will, after all, fortunately promote you one for £45). 

The trade-off for all of that is that the Telephone (1) has wi-fi charging, supporting the frequent Qi customary at as much as 15W, together with reverse wi-fi charging to prime up your headphones and the like. 

This is likely one of the telephone’s standout options, with the iPhone SE the one comparably priced telephone to incorporate it. That implies that for those who’re an Android person who hates wires, the Telephone (1) is the most cost effective approach to scratch your itch. 

Digital camera & video 

• Two succesful rear cameras 
• Respectable selfie shooter 
• Video recording LED 

The digicam is arguably the core spec that Nothing has pushed the furthest, and in a method that’s out of step with many rivals. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

It’s more and more frequent for telephones at this worth to function three and even 4 cameras on the again, however normally solely considered one of them is de facto adequate to make use of. 

In contrast, Nothing has restricted itself to 2 rear digicam lenses: one foremost, and one ultrawide. Neither are flagship high quality, however they’re each succesful contemplating the value, although there’s undoubtedly a drop-off at evening. 

The principle lens makes use of the 50Mp Sony IMX766 sensor, which might be present in telephones starting from mid-range rivals just like the OnePlus Nord 2T proper as much as top-tier flagships just like the Oppo Discover X5 Professional.

It’s vibrant, punchy, and able to some actually enticing pictures in most lighting circumstances. There’s even sufficient element to carry up properly if you punch into the 2x digital zoom choice. (For those who’re on desktop, you might have to pull to slip by way of the slideshow).

Help for optical picture stabilisation (OIS) helps the principle digicam even deal with low gentle properly sufficient, although far under flagship requirements. That is the place software program and digicam algorithms work their magic, and as a fledgling firm it’s no shock Nothing isn’t competing with the large canine right here.

Gentle sources will nonetheless develop into blown out, and there’s a softness to most evening mode pictures regardless of the OIS, however the telephone does handle to pick particulars that may in any other case be misplaced in darkness. There’s additionally the choice of utilizing the Glyph interface fill gentle as a much less aggressive tackle a flash for close-up night-time pictures. I discovered the outcomes slightly harsh, however it beats flash and is a neat additional choice to have for portraits or meals pictures in dimly lit eating places. Right here’s the identical shot taken with the common digicam, with evening mode, after which with the Glyph fill gentle within the common mode & evening mode:

Then there’s the ultrawide. Though that is additionally a 50Mp shooter it doesn’t use the identical Sony sensor. As a substitute it’s Samsung’s JN1 picture sensor and, there’s a transparent lower in high quality in comparison with the principle digicam.

Photographs from this digicam come out washed out and pale in comparison with the principle lens, although you might choose the extra subdued hues. With out OIS there’s additionally a extra noticeable drop at evening, with particulars sometimes misplaced right into a blurry smudge. It’s not a horrible lens – and nonetheless higher than the ultrawides in most rivals, to be truthful – however don’t anticipate one thing to match the principle digicam.

The largest shock for me was the 16Mp selfie digicam. On paper it’s nothing particular, however I discovered pictures got here out properly uncovered and attractively lit, whereas the portrait mode did an honest job of topic detection. No complaints right here. 

As for video, you possibly can document at as much as 4K@30fps on each rear lenses, however the entrance digicam is capped at 1080@30fps. Video settings are fundamental and fairly typical, however there’s a welcome choice to activate a flashing pink LED on the rear whereas recording – one other enjoyable flourish.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

That is additionally the place the Glyph Interface fill gentle choice comes into its personal, including additional lighting that vloggers will respect – although be warned that the top impact is delicate, and never on the extent of a correct ring gentle.  

Software program & updates 

• Nothing OS is an easy Android 12 pores and skin 
• Nonetheless some bugs to iron out 
• Three Android OS updates promised 

The Telephone (1) ships working Android 12 with the merely named Nothing OS on prime. 

For those who tried out the general public beta of the telephone’s launcher a couple of months earlier than launch, then you definitely’ve already skilled most of what the corporate’s customized Android pores and skin has to supply.  

A number of customized wallpapers, minimalist clock and climate widgets, and a retro-styled audio recording app make up most of what’s new. It’s also possible to make particular person app icons or folders bigger if you would like, and there are additionally built-in controls for the corporate’s Ear (1) earbuds for those who personal them too. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The one different integrations are much less interesting. Tesla homeowners can apparently entry shortcuts to manage their automotive, whereas NFT aficionados can show their monkey photos in a devoted NFT gallery. These inclusions let you know one thing in regards to the market that Nothing is attempting to attraction to, however could also be simply as more likely to put the remainder of us off. Fortunately, for those who’re not then they’re simple to disregard (in contrast to Tesla and NFT followers themselves, sadly). 

The larger headache is that the software program nonetheless wants slightly work. I had a nasty time with bugs once I reviewed the Ear (1) at launch, and whereas the Telephone (1) software program actually appears extra secure, it’s not with out flaws. 

For one, there’s the truth that when you’re in a position to set particular Glyph LED patterns to particular person app notifications, you possibly can’t do that from inside the Glyph controls, however as a substitute need to dive into every particular person app’s notification settings, which is fiddly and cumbersome. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

I’ve already talked about by issues with the show’s white stability, however I’ve additionally had occasional points charging. Whether or not on wired or wi-fi connections the telephone struggles to keep up a continuing cost, dropping out and in of the charging state – and on a pair situations stopping solely. Not best if you’re attempting to cost up in a single day, and particularly when Nothing doesn’t ship its personal charger, forcing you to determine compatibility by your self. 

The excellent news is that the corporate is promising a fairly affordable three Android model updates for the telephone – sufficient to take it by way of Android 13, 14, and 15 – with a fourth yr of safety updates. That’s not fairly a match for Samsung’s promise of 4 Android updates, which continues to be the perfect on the Android aspect, however is best than most, and will prevent from a rush to improve in two years’ time. 

Value & availability 

The Telephone (1) is offered to order now within the UK, Europe, and Asia, forward of an official launch on 21 June. As a reminder, it received’t be launching formally within the US or Canada, and importers ought to be cautious, because the telephone could not work totally in North America. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

I’ll admit that I used to be slightly stunned once I was instructed the Telephone (1)’s worth. I knew it will be positioned competitively, however the remaining worth nonetheless appears bullish. Right here’s how the three variations stack up: 

• 8GB + 128GB: £399/€469/₹32,999 
• 8GB + 256GB: £449/€499/₹35,999 
• 12GB + 256GB: £499/€549/₹38,999 (launching in late summer time) 

For those who’re tempted, you possibly can seize the telephone direct from Nothing, or from Amazon, Selfridges, or O2 within the UK. It’s additionally out there from Amazon throughout Europe, and from Flipkart in India, and now we have a devoted information on the perfect Nothing Telephone (1) offers we’ve discovered.

I’ve already talked about its foremost rivals. Carl Pei’s former firm OnePlus presents the wonderful Nord 2T at nearly the identical worth, whereas the Samsung Galaxy A53 and iPhone SE are additionally shut. The Google Pixel 6a can also be proper across the nook, making this spot out there much more aggressive than it usually is. 

Take a look at our rating of the perfect mid-range telephones for extra choices, and to learn how we fee the Nothing Telephone (1) towards the competitors. 

Verdict 

As a telephone, the Telephone (1) is an nearly unqualified success. The restricted battery life and minor bugs and points I’ve encountered are the one actual weaknesses, whereas the succesful cameras, IP53 ranking, and wi-fi charging all stand out from pack. 

That’s earlier than we even get to the design. Maybe it’s going to show divisive, however you actually couldn’t name the Telephone (1) boring wanting, and finally the semi-transparent rear and LED patterns will show the principle purpose to think about selecting the Telephone (1) up. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

As step one in a smartphone revolution, I’m much less impressed. Past all of the glowy bits there isn’t actually something right here that we haven’t seen earlier than, and as soon as the novelty wears off all that you simply’re left with is a telephone, the identical as all of the others.  

Foldables just like the (now pretty inexpensive) Galaxy Z Flip 3 have carried out extra to alter the way in which I exploit my telephone than something in Nothing’s handset, so for those who had been caught up within the hype then you definitely may wish to re-assess your expectations. 

Making an incredible telephone is troublesome although, and making an incredible telephone as your second ever product is totally exceptional. So even when that is nothing particular, it’s nonetheless an incredible selection. 

Specs 

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 
• 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM 
• 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage 
• 6.55in 120HZ OLED show 
• Rear digicam: 
  • 50Mp, f/1.9 OIS foremost digicam 
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digicam 
• 16Mp, f/2.5 selfie digicam 
• 4500mAh battery 
• 33W wired charging 
• 15W wi-fi charging 
• 5W reverse wi-fi charging 
• 5G 
• Stereo audio system 
• Wi-Fi 6 
• Bluetooth 5.2 
• NFC 
• Glyph Interface LED lights 
• IP53 
• Gorilla Glass 5 
• Android 12 with Nothing OS 1 
• 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm 
• 194g