Nothing, the corporate from the previous co-founder of OnePlus, is lastly able to reveal its first good gadget, and it’s an formidable one. It’s attempting to interrupt into the more and more samey world of telephones. And nothing seems to be fairly just like the Nothing Cellphone 1.
You’ll both love or hate how the Cellphone 1 seems to be. No matter whether or not you decide up the white or the black mannequin, the again of the cellphone is a clear Gorilla Glass slab that allows you to see an array of parts, LEDs, a charging coil, digicam and, wait, is that an elephant?
That is simply our early take a look at the cellphone (it’s solely been a few days), however I’ve already seen some intelligent design selections and options in each the {hardware} and software program. Having stated that, flagship cellphone obsessives that love a spicy spec sheet could also be underwhelmed. That is the primary smartphone from a brand new firm – it’d be unattainable to compete with Samsung and Apple, so it’s centered elsewhere.
From the beginning, the Cellphone 1 has been framed as a playful reinterpretation of the smartphone, a class that (beside foldables) has turn into staid, to place it kindly. On the similar time, not competing with flagship cameras, screens and processors has ensured the worth is surprisingly cheap, beginning at £399 (roughly $476). Sadly, there’s no plan for US availability, however the worth places it within the mid-range cellphone class, alongside Google’s Pixel A collection, Samsung’s Galaxy A53 and Apple’s 2022 iPhone SE.
Probably the most eye-catching a part of the cellphone are all of the light-up particulars on the again. Nothing calls these its Glyph interface. And regardless of my reservations, it’s not simply an eye catching design alternative – although, let’s be sincere, it’s principally that.
You’ll be able to assign distinctive mild patterns to particular contacts (there’s additionally a raft of completely synced ringtones) and completely different app notifications. Fortunately, you’ll be able to modify the brightness – it’s slightly too aggressive at max energy. The decrease light-up strip additionally represents the charging standing of the cellphone when it’s plugged in. This implies you received’t must wake the gadget – and even take a look at the display screen – to examine the battery stage. You can too use the Glyph Interface to mild close-up topics, like a short-range ring-light with out the punch of the flash.
Mat Smith / Engadget
Unrelated to the Glyph interface, Nothing has additionally added a crimson indicator mild when the cellphone is recording, which is a pleasant, and in some way retro, contact. The white panels beneath the Gorilla Glass backing have a papery-looking texture to them, repeating a design alternative discovered on the Nothing Ear(1) wi-fi buds charging case. It’s a pleasant contact of household resemblance.
The body is product of recycled aluminum (over 50% of the plastic parts come from bio-based and recycled sources), and the flat edges make it really feel quite a bit like an iPhone – not a foul factor. The Cellphone 1 has a small, however noticeable bezel across the 6.55-inch OLED display screen, a lifeless giveaway of its midrange nature. The display screen appears shiny and responsive sufficient to date, with adaptive refresh charges as much as 120Hz.
Maybe a curse of a gorilla glass shell: each the display screen and the again will decide up fingerprints extremely simply – particularly irritating when it seems to be this good.
The cellphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ chip. It is a customized twist on the midrange Snapdragon chip we’ve seen in different units, which implies that the Cellphone 1 can supply wi-fi charging capabilities. A Nothing spokesperson instructed me that there are additionally Nothing’s personal customized algorithms for app optimization, which ought to, as you utilize the gadget, optimize launch speeds to your most-used apps.
The Cellphone 1 options 33W fast-charging to prime up the 4,500 mAH battery, and also can reverse cost at as much as 5W – good for these companion Nothing Ear(1) buds, the corporate hopes.
On to a different vital spec: the cameras. The Cellphone 1 has a dual-camera system with a f/1.88 50-megapixel main digicam with optical and digital picture stabilization. This comes with all the standard options like HDR, Portrait mode, night time mode, 120 frames-per-second slow-mo video seize and extra. Zoom is restricted to 2x optical zoom, with some digital zoom thrown in in case you’re determined.
Mat Smith / Engadget
The first shooter is joined by a 50-megapixel ultrawide digicam with a 114-degree subject of view. There’s a front-facing 16-megapixel selfie digicam, too, with face unlock functionality. (There’s an in-screen fingerprint reader too). Count on us to offer some extra significant insights on the digicam in our evaluation, coming quickly, however for now, early samples counsel that the cameras are fairly succesful, providing picture high quality that wasn’t too far off flagships just like the Pixel 6 and the iPhone 13 Professional.
Nothing goes laborious on the aesthetic angle, and I’m pleasantly shocked that the cellphone appears, at the least on first impressions, lots succesful. The value is tempting, and it’s actually eye-catching. I’m wanting ahead to seeing the way it fares towards the equally priced competitors.
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