There is Something about Nothing

The most talked about Android phone brings flagship features at a fair price. What makes the Nothing Phone (1) so special?

- Rohan Pasricha

It is hard to talk about a phone when the company marketing it itself comes up with perhaps the nicest description for a smartphone: "Less distractions. More soul. Just pure instinct, formed as a machine. Told through beautiful symbols. Deeper interactions. And brave simplicity. Nothing Phone (1) can bring us back.

To us." This isn't empty, florid language. I got my hands on the Nothing Phone last week, and right from the unboxing experience, I knew we're up for something different, something so beautifully minimalistic that you forgive it even for the things it doesn't get right, which aren't much by the way. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that during times when even luxury phone manufacturers don't do this, it was truly nice to see that the Nothing Phone (1) comes with a factory-installed screen/scratch guard straight out of the box. A nice, welcome touch! Yes, Samsung does this too, but that's reserved for their super high-end phones like the Galaxy Flip and Fold. For a mid-range phone to offer something like this is an industry first.