Nothing Phone (1)

Is this new ‘flagship killer’ Nothing special?

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Once upon a time, a rebellious company by the name of OnePlus sought to challenge the likes of Samsung, Apple and Sony to prove that you can get flagship performance without the flagship price tag. OnePlus phones now carry price tags that rival those of iPhones, but the company’s co-founder, Carl Pei, has a new brand that invokes the ethos of the early days of OnePlus.

You might be familiar with Nothing as we reviewed its first product, the Ear (1) wireless earbuds, in 2021. This Phone (1) is Nothing’s first Android smartphone.

Your money buys you a Snapdragon 778G+ processor equipped with 5G and admirable performance. The base model comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage, while 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB models are also available.

With its flat aluminium rails and dual vertical-stacked cameras (both 50MP, one with an ultra-wide lens), the Phone (1) looks and feels much more expensive than its price may suggest. And the back features a transparent glass panel that lets you take a peek at some of the internal components of the phone; that’s nothing if not a head-turner.

Lights, cameras, attraction