Review | Nothing Phone 1 review: iPhone lookalike is a good mid-range smartphone for a decent price, but not as great as the hype had us believe
- Stereo speakers and an in-display fingerprint scanner complement a great camera and battery life to make Nothing’s Phone 1 a good-value mid-range Android
- The flashing lights on this iPhone lookalike are gimmicky, and with a typical Android screen and subpar second camera, it doesn’t quite live up to the hype
The much hyped first smartphone from Nothing, a UK-based start-up founded by Carl Pei – who co-founded the Chinese phone maker OnePlus – is here.
Pei has been teasingly hinting at the phone’s existence for months, and suggested the device would zig where everyone else zags.
The final result, sadly, isn’t as ambitious as expected.
Design and hardware
But the Phone 1 is much lighter, at 195g (6.9oz) to the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s 240g, and the transparent back design reveals a flashy back plate with four light strips, which the company calls a “glyph interface”.
The strips are no mere decoration. Nothing has designed several practical uses for the lights, including assigning specific light patterns to specific contacts so you know who’s calling or messaging just from the light pattern; as well as serving as lighting for photos that is less harsh than a traditional smartphone flashlight.
The other side of the phone is rather standard Android: a 6.5-inch (165mm) 120Hz OLED panel that reaches a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits. These are excellent display specs for a phone that starts at HK$3,699 (US$470).