We call it “Something Phone (1)”
There are so many sights to see during the MWC 2023 event. Brands of all ranges showcase their prowess, their concepts, and new products to the world. Many of our colleagues went to Barcelona, Spain for this momentous occasion. It has been 3 years since the pandemic and brands are now coming back to meet in this great convention.
Sadly though, we were not able to come. However, thanks to our colleagues, we are able to find out about the products and concepts companies are showcasing there. In the fifth hall, a peculiar phone from Unihertz, a Chinese enthusiast brand, proudly presented their newest light show phone. The Luna.
This phone gained significant attention (even from Carl Pei himself) because it heavily resembled the Nothing Phone (1) complete with RGB glyph lighting and a transparent back. From the photo renders, the phone has a triple camera setup arranged similarly to the iPhone while its UI is a mixture between stock Android and MIUI. What is this contraption anyway?
Unihertz has posted the phone already in their website and tells more in detail about the particular glyph lighting. The company is showcasing the phone as a bold and innovative concept. The lights at the back are colour-changing and they light up whenever you receive a notification.
Also, based on this demo video, it appears that the phone has custom animations which users can change depending on their tastes.
The light show is attractive and all, but how does it compare to the Nothing Phone (1)? From the spec sheet, let’s say this is a poor man’s version. Kinda like how many LeEco phones are like a poor man’s version of newer iPhones.
For starters, while the front display is heavily similar to the Nothing Phone (1) featuring a dot notch situated at the far left corner, and the phone’s sides are curved eerily similar to it, this screen is inferior. It is a 6.81″ FullHD+ screen. Nothing else is mentioned about the display.
It uses a MediaTek Helio G99 chip, a chip way way inferior to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G that the Nothing Phone (1) ships with. For one, the Snapdragon chipset has 5G capabilities. Also, the Qualcomm counterpart of the Helio G99 is the Snapdragon 680 featuring a similar architecture and 6nm process.
It also runs stock Android. We know because the wallpaper the hero model featured is similar or closely identical to the one that our Wiko T50 has. There may be some customizations with the phone so you could play around the glyph lighting which the company said is inspired by the “oriental philosophy of the round sky”. The central part is circle in shape and lights up similarly to the moon, giving the phone its name.
There are three cameras but don’t let that deceive you. These cameras fair worse than the dual camera setup of the Nothing Phone (1). The Luna features a 108MP Samsung S5KH primary camera, a 20MP Sony IMX350 Night Vision camera (can’t be moon-themed without mentioning the night sky), and a 2MP Macro camera. The front is a 32MP Fixed-focus camera.
The Nothing Phone (1) in contrast, has a dual 50MP camera comprising of the primary Sony IMX766 sensor and a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL ultrawide.
The Luna features a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. There are some things present in this phone which are absent from the Nothing Phone (1). The first is the Infrared Port to control devices and the other is the 3.5mm jack which is slowly disappearing in almost every device.
If the Nothing Phone (1) is just too pricey for you, then the Unihertz Luna is a good alternative. By the way, the large ring at the back is purely for aesthetics purposes. It is not a magnetic charger and so, unlike the Phone (1), the Luna does not have wireless charging. There are no prices yet but a representative told Android Authority that it will sell for “less than $300”
Source: Unihertz, Android Authority
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