Nothing Phone (1) has been released. It is also coming to the Philippines


We bring Nothing to the table.

After a month of hype and speculation, Carl Pei has finally brought the Nothing Phone (1) into reality. Like their first product, the Nothing Ear (1), this one comes with a transparent design that reflects on the company’s open-minded and transparent philosophy. It also comes with glow lights that are quite attractive, especially in the dark. It is also the heart of the company’s own Android fork, NothingOS. It certainly feels like the OnePlus of old.

Talking about the design, the frames of the phone are made of recycled aluminium. Its screen is a 6.55in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and a punch-hole notch. So far nothing out of the ordinary. For something that’s so-called revolutionary, there’s not much difference between this and every other midrange phone out there, apart from its glowy transparent design.

The chipset used here is surprisingly, a midrange one. Nothing teased before that the phone would use a “new Snapdragon chipset” and it’s finally revealed to be the upgraded version of the 778G, the Snapdragon 778G Plus. This one has slightly faster clock speeds than the latter. We understand why they chose this instead of the, say, Snapdragon 870 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The company does not have the capability or resources to release a phone with such an expensive chip. It comes with 8GB or 12GB RAM, and either 128 or 256GB ROM.

While the chipset is midranged, the cameras sure are promising. The primary camera is the popular 50MP Sony IMX766 with OIS, the ultrawide is also 50MP, albeit it is the midrange 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor. There are only two cameras at the back with a design that reminds us of the iPhone X. The front camera is the popular 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor.

There is a 4500mAh battery inside with 33W fast charging, 15W fast wireless charging, and 5W reverse charging. The phone is IP53 rated and boots with NothingOS based on Android 12. The software is the main selling point of the phone (aside from the design and “Glyph Interface” LEDs) along with its timely updates which we’re hoping Nothing delivers.

Speaking of updates, Nothing guarantees 3 years of major Android upgrades and 4 years of security updates. This longevity matches that of flagships, and possibly longer since Samsung only gives a total of 6 years of updates over the course of its flagships’ lifetime.

The software has some pretty nice gimmicks in it. There is a dedicated control panel widget for the Ear 1 TWS earbuds as well as a widget so that you can see your NFT collection, if you’re into that sort of thing. In addition, there is a Quick Settings control for Tesla vehicles.

Speaking of the Glyph lighting, whatever ringtone you have, the lights sync with them. Unnecessary but cool nonetheless. The lights also notify you of things, such as when the phone is charging. The camera ring is also surrounded by the things.

The phone comes in Black or White. According to Nothing’s website, the phone would soon be available in the Philippines as it will ship worldwide starting August 16th. It will be available on Digital Walker, XUNDD Philippines, Beyond the Box, and Commonwealth, both online and offline stores nationwide.

We already have prices but we’ll only let you know once the embargoes lift. So stay tuned for that. Here’s a hint: Something something not cheap. We hope that isn’t vague.

Embargoes are off! The Nothing Phone (1) starts at Php 27,990 for the 8/128 variant, Php 29,990 for the 8/256 variant, and Php 32,990 for the 12/256 variant. In comparison to the iPhone 13, the phone is definitely much more affordable, but the prices aren’t too different in comparison to similarly-specced midrangers. The Samsung Galaxy A73 5G for example costs Php26,990. Meanwhile the Realme GT Master and Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite NE both cost Php18,990, at least for the 8/128 variant.

SPECS:

  • 6.55in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, IP53 water/dust resistance
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ (6nm)
  • CAMERAS:
    • 50mp (main), f/1.88, 1/1.56″ Sony IMX766, OIS
    • 50mp (ultrawide), f/2.2, 1/2.76″ Samsung ISOCELL JN1, 114° FOV
    • FRONT: 16mp, Sony IMX471
  • 4500mAh
    • 33W fast charging
    • 15W fast wireless charging
    • 5W reverse charging
    • Charger not included (possibility)
    • 45W charger sold separately
  • NothingOS based on Android 12
    • Custom Widgets
    • Quick Settings
    • Dot Matrix Design
    • 3 years of major updates, 4 years of security updates
  • 5G services, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, Dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC
  • USB-C, In-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers
  • Black, White
    • Glyph Interface lighting
    • LED strips
    • 90 Mini-LEDs
  • PRICE:
    • 8/128: Php 27,990
    • 8/256: Php 29,990
    • 12/256: Php 32,990

Source: Nothing (so why are you still reading)?