Nothing Phone 1 is about to launch and it is very special

The Nothing Phone 1 is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. This might be because of the company’s viral marketing strategy that already worked so well for its first product, the Ear 1 earbuds. Nothing is carefully controlling what we get to know about the Phone 1, but as with any hardware launch these days, it’s inevitable that a few more details see the light of day before the official launch event on July 12. Nothing CEO and OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei himself is seeing to that, too. He is hyping the public with piecemeal information on the Nothing Phone, taking the conversation around the upcoming device into his own hands.

In that sense, here is everything we know about the Nothing Phone 1, based both on leaks and the company’s official communications.

Nothing Phone 1: Design and hardware specs

Nothing has mastered the art of teasing. It created an attention-grabbing 30-minute online event around nothing but saying that it is, in fact, working on a phone. During this announcement, the company teased a potential back cover design, and since then, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has gone on record to confirm that the company is opting for a transparent back design, much in keeping with the Ear 1 design.

Nothing Phone 1 full back plate teaser Instagram

Source: Nothing

Later, an announcement from the company finally revealed the back of the phone. As you can see in the image above, a transparent cover gives us a look at the guts of the phone, with metal plates held by screws shielding the individual parts of the handset.

A hands-on video exclusively published by MKBHD gave us further details, confirming that the transparent back is made from glass and that the white accents decorating it consist of LEDs. They offer unique light shows based on which notification sounds you’re using. This is supposed to help you find out who is calling or texting you without ever turning the phone around.

In the video, MKBHD also offers a glimpse at the front of the phone. This confirms a flat display with a left-aligned punch-hole selfie camera and evenly sized bezels all around. As for the hardware specifications, the display is supposed to be a 6.55-inch OLED with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2400, though this isn't officially confirmed yet.

Source: MKBHD

Later, new renders also revealed a black version of the Nothing Phone that we hadn’t seen prior. It makes the white LED strips in the back stand out more than the white version, but is otherwise identical apart from the color.

Overall, the Nothing Phone 1 looks pretty similar to the iPhone 12, down to the boxy shape and the dual-camera setup in the top left corner of the back.

Source: WinFuture

Nothing has confirmed that the Phone 1 will be powered by a Snapdragon 778G+, which is rumored to be paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. This Snapdragon processor seems to be a more advanced version of the regular variant that includes support for wireless charging. Previous rumors pointed to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but this definitely won’t be happening given the official confirmation.

According to further leaks, the camera system could consist of a set of three. There could be a 50MP primary, an unspecified 8MP secondary, and third unknown 2MP lens. However, that last one is out of the window given that the back only shows two lenses. A 32MP camera is supposed to take care of selfies.

When it comes to battery and charging, the Nothing Phone could have a 4,500mAh battery paired with 45W fast charging. It also supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.

Overall, it’s clear that Nothing is aiming for a well-made mid-range phone more than a high-end flagship.

Nothing Phone 1: Software

The Phone 1 will run Android 12, but Nothing promises to bring a few different approaches to the table with its Nothing OS skin. Carl Pei claims that it will “effortlessly connect and integrate Nothing products and products from other world-leading brands.” He compares his vision to how seamlessly the Apple ecosystem works. In that sense, Nothing OS is supposed to be lightweight and only comprises the best features from “pure” Android. The hardware and software are supposed to make for a seamless integration through “bespoke fonts, colors, graphical elements and sounds.” This is a lot of marketing speak to say that it will likely be a skin close to stock Android, all while retaining a distinct look.

4 Images

The Nothing Launcher as seen on a Google Pixel 6

To further drum up the excitement, Nothing has released its Nothing Launcher to the Play Store. It allows you to play around with the company’s vision of its home screen on the Android phone you already own. The launcher is pretty minimal, but it has some tricks up its sleeve. It supports custom icons, different sizes for app icons and folders, and multiple layout options. Nothing’s dot-based widgets are also on board. These are supposed to be much core to the experience on the Nothing Phone itself. The clock, in particular, is supposed to appear in the same place across the lock screen, the launcher, and the always-on display.

4 Images

Always on Display - First Iteration (not final)

Home Screen - First Iteration (not final)

Lock Screen - First Iteration (not final)

The Phone 1 is also supposed to come pre-loaded with a selection of intricately designed apps. The question is just how much better they will be than their Google counterparts. For example, the company has teased a recorder app that comes in the same dotted text aesthetics as the other parts of the Nothing OS experience.

As we inch closer to the launch, we learn more and more about the software, too. Twitter user @TechyNisarg spotted a small tweak Nothing made to its skin in one of the company's promo videos. The quick settings panel sports both large and small toggles, and displays up to six at a time rather than four only on the Google Pixel 6.

Nothing promises three years of software updates and a total of four years of security patches for the Phone 1. This still isn’t as great as what Samsung does with its four years of software updates, but almost as good as Google’s policy (three years of Android updates and two years of security patches on top).

Nothing Phone 1: Release date and price

When Nothing first revealed that it was working on the Phone 1, it teased a summer release date. The company remained true to its word and has announced that it will hold a launch event on July 12, 2022 at 11 am ET / 2 pm PT / 4 pm BST. A leak then claims that the phone’s launch date will be July 21, which lines up with the official release event.

Nothing has further confirmed that it will use a similar strategy as the one OnePlus used for the launch of its first smartphone. The Phone 1 will only be able via invites in the beginning, which you have to sign up for on the Nothing website. This makes sense, given that Carl Pei was the founder and mastermind behind the early OnePlus days.

To pre-order, you even have to shell out a non-refundable £20 deposit to get a ticket that will allow you to hit the pre-order button on July 12. Nothing will offer a £20 discount and an additional surprise for those who opt for this route.

As you can tell from the lack of US pricing here, the Phone 1 will only be available in select markets, and the US isn't among them. For now, the company is focusing on Europe and India. Carl Pei has already said that the US is a long-term goal for the company, just not something it has been able to tackle just yet.

We will likely learn all the remaining bits and pieces about the Phone 1 on July 12, though it wouldn't be surprising if Nothing revealed even more about the device in the meantime—barely a day has passed without further details on the challenger phone.

Ancient Egypt

Egypt is a country in North Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea, and is home to one of the oldest civilizations on earth. The name 'Egypt' comes from the Greek Aegyptos which was the Greek pronunciation of the Egyptian name 'Hwt-Ka-Ptah' ("Mansion of the Spirit of Ptah"), originally the name of the city of Memphis . Memphis was the first capital of Egypt and a famous religious and trade centre; its high status is attested to by the Greeks alluding to the entire country by that name. To the Egyptians themselves, their country was simply known as Kemet which means 'Black Land' so named for the rich, dark soil along the Nile River where the first settlements began. Later, the country was known as Misr which means 'country', a name still in use by Egyptians for their nation in the present day. Egypt thrived for thousands of years (from c. 8000 BCE to c. 30 BCE) as an independent nation whose culture was famous for great c...

SID's World

Search This Blog