Source : pocket-lint
The Nothing device offers a distinctive light interface that lights in various patterns. It’s the first British smartphone to be introduced in more than five years.
A recyclable aluminium frame and a modified version of Android 12 that removes the unnecessary pre-installed apps fill out its “minimalist” look.
The company will be hoping that its product performs better than the previous British smartphone, which was manufactured by Wileyfox, a company located in London.
Between 2015 & 2016, Wileyfox introduced three different phone generations, however the company never achieved profitability and failed in 2018.
As it seeks to compete with Apple and Samsung in the competitive smartphone market, this company claims that its product “marks the beginning of change in a spoiled industry.”
The size & weight of phone were the first things that everyone noticed. It has a 6.5-inch screen and weighs 194 grammes, which is a bit more than the iPhone 13’s 6.1-inch screen and 174-gram weight.
A 120Hz refresh rate is supported by the large OLED panel, offering the display rich colours and a sharp resolution.
Additionally, it includes a 4,500mAh battery, Gorilla Glass both on the back and front, dual 50-megapixel rear cameras, and a hole-punch front camera, so it lacks the iPhone 13’s unattractive notch at the top.
The smartphone also claims to have “Nothing OS,” which is supported by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor but is actually just a modified version of Android 12.
Nothing made the decision to remove the extra layer or “skin” that most Android phone manufacturers add to the stock Android interface in order to give “just the best of Android.”
Nothing OS has removed the “bloatware,” or unnecessary apps, which take up storage space and unnecessarily deplete battery life, in keeping with the company’s minimalist design aesthetic.
The transparent glass covering the ‘glyph interface,’ or sequence of LED lights that flash when the phone receives a call, gets a notification, captures a photo, or does other things, appears to be the device’s distinctive selling point.
Users can set a specific light display and associated pattern of bleeps & bloops as their default ringtone by going to Settings.
Additionally, users can give each of their phone contacts a unique light show. For instance, You might choose a display named “radiate” for your mother so that You could see the glyph interface to see when she is calling.
But in order to determine who is calling, users may need to become familiar with a variety of light patterns, which only works if the phone is lying down with the interface looking upwards.
As a smoother alternative to the strong torch light, users can choose to light the entire glyph interface when taking a picture.
A LED light in the shape of an exclamation mark is located near the bottom of the glyph interface. This indicator, which resembles a progress bar, progressively illuminates when the phone charges using a USB-C charger.
A wireless charging coil that may be used to charge Nothing’s other product, the £99 earphones (or “ear 1”), is similarly covered up by the glass back.
A small red LED light that flashes while you’re recording video is another amusing feature that can be turned on and off in the settings.
Nothing made it clear to us that it was intended to be a tribute to the vintage VCR recorders of our youth; another sign that this phone is targeted at hipster millennials who did grow up with ’90s technology.
The phone, meanwhile, features a 16-megapixel selfie camera and dual 50-megapixel rear cameras, one of which, the company claims, has “excellent detail in any light” and “always sharp images” because of a Sony IMX766 sensor.
If ww test the camera on phone(1) and compared the pictures to those We took with my Samsung A20e from the same location. The pictures from phone (1)’s camera were clearer, made better use of light, and had a larger field of vision.
The way Nothing has used the smartphone’s side button on the right of the gadget is another element Really appreciated. Holding it down activates Google Assistant, while pressing it twice activates the camera.
Other smartphones, like Samsung handset, have a side button that serves as an on/off switch, but this feature is essentially useless nowadays because so few people turn their cellphones off.
We dislike it when a smartphone’s camera is challenging to open. Before you know it, the brief period of time for a photo has gone, and you’re left helplessly swiping at the screen.
The ability to unlock the camera by pressing the side button twice means that it is already halfway out of my pocket when You want to take a picture.
Overall, We believed the Nothing phone was fantastic because it’s a genuinely enjoyable gadget—just the way technology should be.
The display is beautiful and crisp, the use is clean and simple, and the pricing is rather reasonable for what this phone offers. The glyph interface is a really addicting feature that had me amused for hours.
Phone (1) costs £399, which is less than Apple’s ‘budget’ iPhone SE, which has a starting price of $419, but yet boasts several high-end capabilities that are frequently found on flagship phones that cost $1,000.
Nothing, a company started by Swedish entrepreneur Carl Pei only around two years ago, says it creates gadgets for those who are “weary of the same old technology” and intends to expand its “network of various items” with new gadgets.
We guessed that it might be a tablet because the company refused to even hint at what its upcoming product in this market would be. An electronic smart watch? Smart eyeglasses, perhaps? Or something that no other IT business has ever attempted?
Whatever it is, having a technology company that competes with some of the biggest global powerhouses, like Apple, Samsung, and Google, right on our doorstep is actually exciting.
Since Phone (1) is exclusively sold in the UK, Europe, and Asia, Americans might have to go to eBay to get one. Phone (1) is offered in both white and black, with pricing starting at £399.
WHO IS CARL PEI?
Carl Pei launched the consumer technology company Nothing from October 2020. It is located in London, England.
Pei, a Swedish entrepreneur of China who co-founded the Chinese consumer electronics company OnePlus in 2013.
He says that “the most convincing alternative to Apple’s ecosystem” will be the Nothing phone.
“The smartphone market has indeed been dominated by the same players for too long, and it has resulted in unimaginative, dull design across the board,” claimed Pei.”
“These companies have developed closed ecosystems that lock consumers in and restrict their access to the use of certain products. With Nothing, I want to fix this.”
Pei claims that the UK has a successful history of producing software companies, but not hardware.
Nothing announced a pair of £99 earphones called “ear (1)” in August 2021. As of July, 560,000 copies had been sold.
Nothing reported trying to raise $70 million (£53 million) in a fundraising round in March 2022, bringing the total amount invested to $144 million (£109 million).
Privately held company with financial support from GV (previously Google Ventures), Steve Huffman, and Kevin Lin, co-founder of live streaming service Twitch (co-founder & CEO of Reddit).
