Nothing Phone (1)

Source

Austin Evans

Key Takeaways

• The transparent back with Glyph lights is an unpractical party trick; nobody leaves their phone face down all day.
• Early production panels suffered from severe green tint and dark mode unevenness at low brightness.
• Painful camera shutter lag makes capturing moving pets or toddlers almost impossible without motion blur.
• Muzzy, weak haptic vibration motor feels cheap, and 778G+ throttles under sustained gaming sessions.

✅ Pros

• Bold transparent aesthetic stands out from clones
• Clean, bloatware-free Nothing OS
• Wireless charging included at a modest price tier

❌ Cons

• Glyph lights are a useless battery-draining gimmick
• Widespread green-tint panel lottery on dark gray screens
• Frustrating shutter lag in anything less than sunlight
• Hollow haptics and thermal throttling during games

📝 Verdict

"Nothing Phone (1) prioritizes glowing novelties over solid basics: green display tints and slow cameras doom it."

Source

• Video: Nothing Phone (1) full review
• Channel: GSMArena Official | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• The specs are 2022 midrange level, and the selling points are the transparent back and Glyph LEDs; but most of the time you can't see the back of the phone, and when it's face up a regular AOD is enough
• IP53 splash resistance; 6.55-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED with 10-bit and HDR10+, good color accuracy, but brightness is about 460 nits manual and about 660 nits auto, short of flagships
• The stereo speakers rate "Very Good" for loudness, with average sound quality; wired and Bluetooth headphone output has an abnormal frequency response and the worst channel crosstalk they've measured, on two units in two locations
• The main camera has good daytime detail and decent portraits, and the ultrawide has autofocus for close-ups; night shots from both the main and ultrawide cameras are good; it can record 4K30
• Conclusion: charging speed and headphone audio lag behind, and it's not sold in the US for now

✅ Pros

• Unique design
• OLED screen color accuracy and smoothness
• Consistent cameras overall, good night shots
• Competitive price

❌ Cons

• Seriously abnormal headphone output quality
• Slow charging
• Average screen brightness
• Not available in the US

📝 Verdict

A recommendable midranger, provided Nothing fixes the poor headphone audio problem.

Source

• Video: Nothing Phone (1) Review: Seeing Through the Hype!
• Channel: Marques Brownlee | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Used for about a week; Carl Pei reused OnePlus-style drip-feed marketing, this time differentiating on design: an aluminum frame, a transparent Gorilla Glass back and Glyph light strips made of over 900 LEDs
• The Glyph lights up with ringtones, charging progress and Google Assistant, but you can only see it with the phone face down, and it can't distinguish notifications by app; running the LEDs fully for an hour uses about 2–3% battery
• IP53 is only splash resistance, and covering the bottom speaker makes it almost silent—places where costs were cut
• The dual 50MP cameras (the IMX766 main camera has OIS) are OK in good light, but as soon as light drops there's lots of noise and slower shutter speeds; he reminds viewers it's a US$400-class phone
• The frame is 100% recycled aluminum, over 50% of the internal plastic comes from bio-based or recycled materials, and the packaging is all paper (no charger included)

✅ Pros

• Unique transparent design and Glyph lights
• Smooth user experience
• Eco-friendly materials and packaging

❌ Cons

• Average camera, weak in low light
• Glyph notifications can't be customized per app
• Only IP53

📝 Verdict

It's not about performance or specs; it stands out at its price with a good experience and a unique look, and he's glad to see more cool products like this.

Source

• Video: Nothing Phone (1) Review - ACTUALLY Better than iPhone?
• Channel: Mrwhosetheboss | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He deliberately delayed his review to test the "challenging Apple" marketing claims; the design borrows the iPhone's skeleton, which he loves, and he recommends the white one
• The Gorilla Glass 5 front falls short of Ceramic Shield; the 120Hz OLED uses a flexible panel so the chin is as thin as the other three sides, and colleagues guessed its price at £800–950 (it's actually £399)
• Snapdragon 778G with 8GB/128GB; the specs are close to £250 phones, and overall performance is about half the iPhone 13's; but software optimization (500 engineers) keeps daily use feeling smooth
• Pros: the vibration motor, stereo speakers, no adware, wireless and reverse charging, and IP53; the Glyph lights are mainly decorative, but you can set light patterns for contacts and use them as fill light for close-up shots
• Background blur in photos looks natural, and HDR and night shots are good, but night shots take about 5 seconds, ultrawide quality drops noticeably and there are fewer camera modes; it lacks iMessage and Face ID, and software updates last only 3 years

✅ Pros

• Refined, distinctive design
• OLED screen with symmetrical bezels
• Clean, ad-free software
• Smooth in daily use

❌ Cons

• Midrange chip performance
• Ultrawide quality gap
• Few camera features
• Shorter update period than the iPhone

📝 Verdict

It's not a threat to Apple right now, but against budget Androids it's a refined alternative worth spending a bit more on.