Flagship smartphones usually are inclined to have a number of hype and fanfare main as much as their launch, but it surely’s not typically we see the identical and even larger degree of pleasure for the launch of a mid-range cellphone. Nothing, the expertise firm based by Carl Pei, who beforehand co-founded OnePlus, has simply launched its first smartphone known as the Cellphone 1.
This has been a hotly anticipated smartphone for a bunch of causes however I believe the principle one is that Carl Pei, the person heading the corporate, helped form OnePlus from a fledgling enthusiast-only model to probably the most well-liked smartphone manufacturers right now. Expectations of Nothing’s first smartphone are sky-high. After a seismic build-up over the previous few months with a number of leaks and teasers, the Cellphone 1 is lastly right here.
Nothing’s purpose for the Cellphone 1 is to ship a clear and easy Android expertise however with a novel {hardware} twist by its quirky notifications lights. I’ve spent slightly time with the Cellphone 1 and listed here are my first impressions of it.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 is available in a slim field which has a cropped picture of the again of the cellphone printed on it. The white and black variations of the cellphone are available colour-matched containers. Inside, you may discover the Cellphone 1, a security information, a USB Sort-C to Sort-C cable and one of many coolest trying SIM ejector instruments I’ve come throughout. As anticipated, there is not any charger bundled with the cellphone. Nothing additionally despatched me a transparent case for the Cellphone 1, which is offered individually.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 would not include a bundled charger, however the SIM ejector software seems to be fairly cool
Earlier than we dive into the specs, we must always first discuss in regards to the Cellphone 1’s most unusual characteristic and that’s its again panel. You have most likely seen this angle of the cellphone the most because it’s what Nothing has been utilizing in all of its advertising and marketing materials. To be sincere, I am not an enormous fan of the entire clear design however I do recognize how neatly all of the elements have been hidden away. In my view, the black variant seems to be a lot better than the white because the clear impact is extra refined and I additionally want the darker shade of the aluminium body.
Nevertheless, this clear again is not only for present, because it serves a function. Beneath the glass again panel are a sequence of sunshine strips that Nothing refers to because the Glyph Interface. There is a devoted menu within the software program for it from the place you possibly can set totally different gentle patterns for ringtones and notifications, and even hold a tab on the battery degree whereas the cellphone is charging. You possibly can even use the Glyph Interface as a fill gentle for the rear cameras, which is neat.
The clear again of the Nothing Cellphone 1 is its most putting characteristic, for higher or worse
The Glyph Interface appears helpful supplied you may have the behavior of retaining your cellphone face-down on a floor, which I personally do not. The lights are actually vibrant, though you possibly can alter the depth, and among the flashing patterns could be distracting. We’ll discover out within the full assessment how helpful this really finally ends up being after I’ve used the cellphone for an extended interval. One other factor to remember is that you will most likely want to make use of this cellphone with a clear or translucent case, or with out one with a view to see the lights.
As a premium mid-range smartphone, the Nothing Cellphone 1 will get fairly a bit proper. The flattened aluminium body is clean to the contact and the rounded edges make it comfy to carry. It is pretty slim at 8.3mm but it surely has a little bit of heft to it at 193.5g. The ability and quantity buttons have good suggestions and are positioned on reverse sides of the body which makes them simpler to make use of with one hand. On the backside, now we have the dual-SIM tray, a USB Sort-C port, and a speaker. The earpiece doubles up as a second speaker for stereo sound.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 is IP53 rated for resistance towards gentle splashes of water and dirt. An IP ranking is changing into more and more widespread in mid-range telephones and regardless that it is not as complete as an IP67 or IP68 ranking, it is nonetheless one thing and I am glad Nothing hasn’t skimped on this.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 has a crisp OLED show with a 120Hz refresh price
On the entrance of the Nothing Cellphone 1, you get a vibrant and crisp 6.55-inch show which produces superb colors due to the OLED panel. The show has a 10-bit color depth, full-HD+ decision and a 120Hz refresh price. This cellphone additionally has a capacitive in-display fingerprint sensor, which has been working properly to date. The show helps HDR10+ playback and has a typical brightness of 500 nits (1,200 nits peak). There’s Corning Gorilla Glass on the back and front of the Cellphone 1.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which is a robust 5G chip seen in telephones such because the Motorola Edge 30 (Evaluate). The Cellphone 1 is available in three configurations that are as follows: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage priced at Rs. 32,999, 8GB RAM + 256GB storage priced at Rs. 35,999, and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage priced at 38,999. That is LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. Nothing can be providing reductions for patrons who’ve pre-ordered the cellphone.
The Cellphone 1 has a 4,500mAh battery and help for as much as 33W USB PD quick wired charging. There’s help for 15W quick wi-fi charging and 5W reverse wi-fi charging. Wi-fi charging is one characteristic that is nonetheless comparatively uncommon within the mid-range house, so this could assist the Cellphone 1 get footing.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 runs on Nothing OS which is just about inventory Android 12 with a number of tweaks resembling a customized icon pack, additional wallpapers and widgets, and naturally, the customized ringtones and notification sounds for the Glyph Interface. Nothing additionally guarantees three years of Android updates and 4 years of safety updates, which is sweet to see.
There are simply two cameras on the again of the Nothing Cellphone 1
Nothing hasn’t gone loopy with the cameras and there are simply two on the again of the Cellphone 1, however with high-quality sensors. The first digicam makes use of a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor which is optically stabilised. We have seen good issues from this sensor in loads of flagships so I am anticipating the identical from the Cellphone 1. The second digicam is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide one, and makes use of the Samsung JN1 sensor, very similar to the OnePlus 10 Professional (Evaluate). This sensor additionally has autofocus so it doubles as a macro digicam. The selfie digicam has a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor which we have seen in loads of OnePlus flagships over time.
The Nothing Cellphone 1 seems to be prefer it may very well be a stable mid-range providing primarily based on specs alone. The inclusion of wi-fi charging ought to give it an edge over the competitors, and the Glyph notification system, whereas slightly gimmicky in my view, definitely units it aside from every other cellphone in the marketplace. Moreover having good {hardware}, it is equally essential for Nothing to supply good after gross sales service if it hopes to compete with different established gamers. The corporate says it has service centres in over 220 cities throughout India, which is an efficient begin.
Must you consider the hype and purchase the Nothing Cellphone 1? Discover out in our full assessment coming quickly.