A few months ago, when one of OnePlus' former executives cryptically hinted at intentions to revolutionize the smartphone world once again, many commentators were skeptical. The need for huge investments and the complex competitive environment make such a mission very difficult for a new player. But those ambitious intentions have finally turned into flesh, with the unveiling of the Nothing Phone 1 smartphone at an event on Tuesday.
"In recent years, when the smartphone market began to be dominated by just a few big companies, consumers faced certain negative consequences - rising device prices and a lack of originality. The first model of the Nothing scooter solves both of these problems by offering an innovative design and several unique features at a price that is accessible to a wider range of buyers. However, a considerable amount of compromises in the technical part, at least for now, do not allow it to justify the extremely ambitious claims of its creators", says Rimantė Marcišauskienė, head of Telia's phone category.
Unique design and decent price
Despite the company's age of just over a year and the youthful-sounding name, which means "nothing" in Lithuanian, "Nothing" is not a completely "green" startup that appeared out of nowhere. Its founder, Carl Pei, helped bring OnePlus to the Olympus of the smartphone market in the past, and investors include the head of Reddit and the founder of Twitch. In addition, the company has already managed to introduce the "ear (1)" wireless headphones, of which almost half a million have already been sold.
According to R. Marcišauskienė, similarly to the case of headphones, "Nothing" paid a lot of attention to the design of its first phone and made the photo of its back public long before the presentation. However, at that time the company could not avoid a small scandal - technology enthusiasts soon noticed the similarities of the body shape and camera arrangement to the iPhone 12 and flooded social networks with such biting memes as "Nothing new".
"On the other hand, the back of the phone is really unique. First of all, it's transparent, allowing you to see inside the phone, and it features never-before-seen strips of LED lights called Glyphs in the center, bottom, and around the cameras. They have not only an aesthetic, but also a practical purpose - they can signal an incoming call, messages, battery charge status, or even act as a light source for low-light photography by flashing or lighting up differently. It's true, the first people who tried the phone already managed to notice that it is a bit dazzling in the dark and eventually starts to get boring," the interviewer mentions the features of the Nothing Phone 1 design.
The second aspect of the Phone 1 that Nothing was particularly keen to emphasize was its competitive price. While the high-end phones of the big market players often ask for a thousand euros and more, the price of the basic version of Nothing Phone 1 with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of internal memory should not exceed 470 euros in Europe. At that time, the most expensive 12/256 GB variant should cost 549 euros.
Special features, but question marks in the technical part
However, the manager of Telia's phone category urges not to be overly impressed by the attractive prices and to pay attention to several technical compromises. First of all, the device's resistance category does not allow it to be submerged in water. Second, it packs a mid-range Snapdragon 778G+ chip inside, which is powerful enough for everyday tasks, but not powerful enough to play the latest games at the highest graphics settings.
Also, only two 50-megapixel cameras are installed on the back of the phone - the main one and the ultra-wide-angle one - when competitors in this price category can already offer a third zoom lens. Finally, the price of the charger should be added to the price of the smartphone, which Nothing does not include in the phone package and sells separately.
True, the Nothing Phone 1 tries to compensate for these shortcomings with a high-brightness 6.55-inch OLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, wireless and reverse wireless charging features rarely seen in this price category, and a well-optimized Nothing OS user interface. "It will not only ensure the fast operation of the device, but also provide several original functions - the ability to display the user's NFT images on the main screen and a quick controls bar for Tesla car owners, which will allow you to unlock the car or turn on the air conditioner with the push of a single button," reveals the expert.
"Nothing Phone 1" can indeed be called one of the most original mid-range smartphones, but, contrary to what its developers are trying to present, it is definitely not a full-fledged or half-priced replacement for the most expensive models of Samsung, Apple or several other manufacturers. Rather, it is a particularly stylish device that offers an alternative approach to the smartphone, intended for users who miss it," sums up R. Marcišauskienė, head of Telia's phone category.
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