It's better to have Nothing than something

Since Nothing's debut with their Nothing Ear 1 wireless earphones in 2020, the brand's philosophy has been extreme minimalism; to create tech that disappears into the background. Nothing's Ear 1s are an outstanding example of its mission, and it's safe to say they have realised this with its latest smartphone, the Nothing Phone 1. They set the bar extremely high before the release of their debut Nothing Ear 1's and exceeded many people's expectations. It's safe to say the expectations behind the Nothing Phone 1 were much higher.

Nothing first confirmed that they were working on their Nothing Phone 1 at their March online event, and since then, they have been slowly drip-feeding fans more and more leaks up until the official launch on July 12th. Nothing has produced a handset that can compete with the major smartphone brands such as Apple and Samsung. And they've completed all this whilst still living up to their mission statement: minimalism in every aspect, from the design and user experience down to the packaging and unboxing experience.

Design

The design of the Nothing Phone 1 follows a familiar approach, as we've seen Nothing adopt the same transparency theme we've seen not only in the Nothing Ear 1's, but in their mission statement as well. It's safe to say the Nothing Phone 1's design is one of a kind. Within its 6.5" form factor, the internal components on the rear are cased individually to give a sophisticated yet minimalistic appearance. Between all this and the Gorilla Glass 5 glass housing is one of the main focal points of the Nothing Phone 1: the Glyph interface. Nothing's Glyph interface is their way of bringing excitement into everyday interactions. The Glyph interface features five LED light strips on the handset’s rear that create a unique pattern. Aside from being an eye-catching feature for onlookers, this delivers a lot of functionality, including visual ringtones, unique caller ID, notifications, charging status, and many more.

Software

The Nothing Phone 1 comes pre-installed with a stock version of Android 12, with the Nothing OS overlaid on top, which is a subtle yet impactful launcher to add on top of the main operating system. The software itself features Nothing styling throughout, such as their Matrix font, which is prevalent throughout settings menus, as well as when the handset is switched on. Additionally, Nothing has expanded its styling elements in its OS through backgrounds, ringtones and Nothing widgets.

Camera

Nothing has equipped the Nothing Phone 1 with two Sony 50MP camera sensors, a wide-angle camera with stabilisation and an ultrawide camera that can capture 114 degrees in a single shot. The video capabilities of the Nothing Phone 1 are equally impressive for a mid-range device. The device can capture both 1080p and 4K video, with 1080p recording, allowing users to capture both 30fps and 60fps, all in HDR.

What’s inspiring is that Nothing has managed to integrate every element of their mission statement into all aspects of their devices, from their simple yet minimalistic Android overlay in the Nothing Phone 1 to their genuinely unique transparent designs in both their earphones and handset. It’s not too often we see a brand that is so proud of what they do and who they are, and we think that’s fantastic!