Tech

What it's like using Nothing's Phone (1) for a week

The transparent design and Glyph interface’s LED lights are futuristic as hell.

Using the Nothing Phone 1 for a week first impressions
Raymond Wong / Input
Raymond Wong

The Nothing Phone (1) arrived at my door last Wednesday and I’ve been using the highly anticipated transparent Android phone as my main driver ever since. This is not a full review of the Phone (1)’s performance, cameras, battery life, etc., but more my first impressions. I’ll have a proper review of the Phone (1) soon.

Nothing sent me the black version of the Phone (1) and having also seen the white model, I much prefer that one. It just looks sleeker, especially when the Glyph interface LED lights on the rear light up.

The complete Phone (1) tech specs, release regions, and pricing details are below, but I really wanna talk about the transparent design and Glyph interface because they are the main attractions. The design is simply refreshing. In the hand, yes it feels like an iPhone 13 Pro Max (but lighter thanks to the aluminum body), but being able to see the insides evokes an emotion about technology that I haven’t had in a while. As my colleague James and I unboxed the Phone (1), I noticed that we were giddy as children. We’ve already seen the Phone (1) from every angle online, but finally getting to hold and see the Glyph illuminate and play its custom sounds whenever a notification came in just felt futuristic.

Check out these sweet ribbon cables.Raymond Wong / Input
How does this transparent design not make you hyped?Raymond Wong / Input
The USB-C port supports up to 33W PD3.0 wired charging.Raymond Wong / Input

The Phone (1) runs on Android 12 with Nothing OS 1.0.2. As with the hardware, I can’t share detailed thoughts on the software today, but I can tell you that it’s clean — basically stock Android. Similar to original OnePlus phones, Nothing’s Carl Pei has stuck with stock Android to provide the fastest and smoothest experience; that much is apparent.

Can the Phone (1) be the disruptor that the mobile market needs? The One to make technology fun again? Stay tuned for my review. Everything that you’ve been wanting to know about the Phone (1) is below.

Tech specs

The 6.55-inch OLED display has equal-sized bezels on all four sides.Raymond Wong / Input

Nothing had already confirmed to Input that the Phone (1) is powered by a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chip. Now, we know the full spec sheet for the Phone (1).

  • Display: 6.55 OLED display (2,400 x 1,080 resolution at 402 ppi) / 500 nits brightness and 1,200 nits peak brightness / 240Hz touch sampling rate
  • Refresh rate: Adaptive refresh rate (60-120Hz)
  • Chipset: 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chip
  • RAM + storage: 8GB RAM + 128GB storage / 8GB RAM + 256GB storage / 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
  • Battery: 4,500 mAh
  • Charging: 33W PD3.0 wired, 15W Qi wireless with dual charging support, 5W reverse charging
  • Biometrics: In-display fingerprint sensor / face unlock
  • SIM slots: 2
  • Wireless: 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
  • IP rating: IP53 water and dust-resistance
  • Android version: Android 12 with Nothing OS 1.0.2
  • Dimensions: 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm
  • Weight: 193.5g
  • Colors: White or black

Cameras

The Nothing Phone (1) has two cameras on the rear: 50-megapixel wide and 50-megapixel ultra-wide.Raymond Wong / Input

As for the cameras, there are three in total: a selfie camera on the front, and a wide and ultrawide lens on the rear. Here’s what you get with the Phone (1) camera systems:

  • Selfie camera: 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor with f/2.45 aperture / 1080p at 30 fps
  • Wide camera: 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with f/1.88 aperture
  • Ultrawide camera: 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 114-degree FOV / 4cm macro mode

The rear cameras can record in 4K resolution at 30 fps, or in 1080p at 30 fps or 60 fps. It also does slo-mo video capture at 120 fps. Together, the rear camera system has OIS and EIS for stabilization.

Release regions

Although the Phone (1) is not launching in the U.S., it will be released on July 21 in “40+ countries and regions, including the UK, Europe and Japan at nothing.tech and select carriers and retailers” according to Nothing.

In the UK, Nothing is selling the Phone (1) directly at a company kiosk, Smartech, Selfridges London, and Amazon. Carrier O2 will also sell the Phone (1).

Price

The Phone (1) is not launching in the U.S.Raymond Wong / Input

Nothing shared the UK pricing for the Phone (1). They’re as follows for each SKU:

  • 8GB RAM + 128GB storage = £399 (about $473 USD)
  • 8GB RAM + 256GB storage = £449 (about $533 USD)
  • 12GB RAM + 256GB storage = £499 (about $592 USD)

I’ve converted the GBP to USD at the time of writing. These prices are subject to change with time.