Nothing Phone - 500 Euro for a beautiful wrapper

Have you seen how children choose their candies in store windows? By fanfiction. If the picture is colorful, they buy sweets, believing in a miracle that there is the most delicious chocolate or caramel. And to help the kids in choosing, there is an advertisement that makes you believe in this very miracle. Smartphone Nothing Phone is a great example of all that has been said. For a whole year, we were under the illusion that this is the best, most unique and wonderful gadget. And as a wrapper they gave an exclusive back cover, which none of the competitors has. But the result, in fact, was deplorable. And expensive and completely uninteresting.

 

Nothing Phone - Specifications

 

Chipset	Snapdragon 778G+, 6nm
Processor	1x 2.5 GHz - Kryo 670 Prime (Cortex-A78) 3x 2.2 GHz - Kryo 670 Gold (Cortex-A78) 4x 1.9 GHz - Kryo 670 Silver (Cortex-A55)
Video	Adreno 642L, 500 MHz
RAM	8 or 12 GB LPDDR5, 3200 MHz
Persistent memory	128 or 256 GB, UFS 2.2
Expandable ROM	No
Screen	OLED, 6.55 inches, 2400x1080, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits
Operating system	Android 12, Nothing OS
Battery	4500 mAh, 33 W charging, 15 W wireless
Wireless technologies	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS
Камеры	Main 50 + 50 MP, Selfie - 16 MP
DEF	Fingerprint scanner under the screen
Wired interfaces	USB-C
SENSORS	Approximation, illumination, compass, accelerometer
Price	€ 470-550 (depending on the amount of RAM and ROM)

 

It is difficult to call the iron filling modern. Even at the time of the presentation (October 2021), the technical specifications were clearly not up to the flagship ones. Therefore, it is not necessary to expect high power. Especially in games where the Adreno 642L video accelerator will not be able to demonstrate anything even at medium quality settings. If we take into account the minimized battery capacity and the large gluttonous screen, then there are many questions, but there are no answers to them.

 

Nothing Phone is designed for creative people

 

Undoubtedly, for those people who buy sweets for candy wrappers. The back cover is exclusive, plus it has a lot of bright LEDs. And for the New Year holidays, such a smartphone will definitely be a favorite on the table. But only in those cases when the owner puts the Nothing Phone smartphone on the table with the screen down.

If we talk purely about the design of the case, then there are no questions. The smartphone is miraculously similar to the iPhone, only a little overall in size. But this does not prevent the phone from lying comfortably in the hand. Smooth edges, rounded corners - everything is done wisely. Plus, it has wireless charging. It works, judging by the reviews of the owners, perfectly. And not just chargers. Anker, but also with Chinese noName misunderstandings.

 

In Nothing Phone smartphones, the display is like in the iPhone

 

Yes, Apple copied Nothing by bending the screen from the bottom inside the case. The result is symmetrical frames on all sides. And it looks really nice. A 6.55-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate is also good. There is also an option to adjust the color temperature. Only in their reviews, the owners speak negatively about:

 

• Uneven screen backlight. There are bright spots on the display and a greenish tint.
• The light sensor often misses. Especially in the sun, when opening different applications.
• The claimed brightness of 1200 nits is not true. Well, if there is half (600 nits).
• There is a screen freeze during fast work with applications - 120 Hz turns into 10 Hz.

However, the rear panel works exceptionally well. All 900 LEDs shine brightly. You can set them up for notifications, a charging indicator, add light when shooting at night with the rear camera.

 

Cool camera block in Nothing Phone for professionals

 

Two modules of 50 megapixels - in commercials and posts, the manufacturer focuses on this. He did, until the moment when the owners dismantled the Nothing Phone smartphone. What a surprise it was - Sony IMX 766 and Samsung GN1 sensors were installed. These are budget chips and it makes no sense to expect something cool from them.

Yes, in good weather, in daylight, the cameras take great photos and can record video in decent quality. But it is worth removing the lighting, and we get the quality of Xiaomi Poco or Redmi. Smartphones for $150-200 are also filmed. What is the point of overpaying is not clear.

 

With a selfie camera, the same story. During the day, shooting is normal, but at dusk everything is very, very bad. Even 900 LEDs built into the designer back cover do not save.

 

In conclusion on the smartphone Nothing Phone

 

The manufacturer also announced stereo sound. And this is in one dynamic. Interestingly, the company's technologists generally know what stereo sound is. How it is possible to implement this on one driver is not clear. Interestingly, OnePlus One produces amazing smartphones. But their brainchild Nothing Phone is a failure. Complete failure. A smartphone is not even half worth its money. It is better to buy second-hand iPhone 12 or 13. There will be more positive moments.

And for those who like to stand out by showing the amazing design of the back cover, we recommend visiting the AliExpress platform. There are enough exotic bumpers and covers. You can always find an interesting solution. And it will be very prudent on the budget. By the way, the kit does not include a case, and the screen does not have scratch protection.