So finally, I got my hands on the Nothing Phone (1) here in Malaysia, and after watching the very unique Global Launch, I knew that this phone was going to be something totally different. So besides the whole Glyph Lighting interface, what else is great about this phone or is this just hype? Well, let’s find out!

 

Unboxing

So I have already unboxed the black color version of the phone on my IG Reels, so you can check that out over there.

So I will be going through the unboxing for the white color variant, where firstly the box comes in white, then there is the Nothing logo on the top left, the text “phone (1)” in the middle. Then the visuals of the wireless charging coil back portion of the phone, then there is the model number over at the bottom right.

At the back of the box is where you will find the specs that you choose and other info like Being Designed in London by Nothing Technology.

Then you’ll find a red color tab towards the top right, which you can tear it accordingly, and what’s interesting and nice is how there is a sort of padding on the cover, which is probably to protect the phone from impact during shipping or transport.

Then towards the top right again, there is a little tab where there is a smaller white box, where in there, there is hands down the most unique SIM ejector pin.

Next, there is the USB-C to USB-C cable and the manuals as well.

Then towards the bottom right, there will be another pull tab, which will reveal the phone over there.

 

Build 

Next, looking at the phone’s design and build quality, yes, I am not going to lie, and yes, as many reviewers have mentioned that it does look and feel like the iPhone 12 lineup onwards, with its squarish design and a squared matte finish aluminum frame. 

However, the phone was very light at 193.5 grams, which I’ve said before that I’ve always appreciated and loved phones below the 200-gram mark as the phone did gripped very well, even with its Gorilla Glass finish at the back and also in the front. 

Now speaking of the finishes, it is available in two colors – which is in Black and also in White. And thank God, there were no fancy names for this white and black color and I think I don’t have to tell you which is my favorite color, right? 

But the differentiating factor is the fact that the black color version will definitely collect more smudges and fingerprints compared to how it’s almost not seen at all in the white color variant.

Now, I also felt like I could see the texture and the design for the rear way more prominent on the white color variant, especially with the Nothing logo text over there. Hence, you would guess that is indeed my preferred color.

Now speaking of the texture, here is where I’m going to be talking about the rear a little more as this Illuminated Glyph Interface is truly something very unique!

So there are about 900 plus diffused LEDs at the back of the phone. This is to serve many purposes as Nothing wants you to have a new way to communicate with the phone by just glancing at it.

Now, how this works is that you can get it to signal you for notifications, for phone calls, checking the battery status, or you can even trigger the silent mode by just flipping the phone face down with the Glyph Interface facing up when you get a call.

For phone calls, you can assign contacts to certain ringtones and patterns to know exactly who is calling.

Then for notifications, you can choose a different Glyph Interface for emails or messages. 

And when you are charging your phone or when reverse wireless charging the phone, it is where you can see a lighting indication.

Next, if you call out Google Assistant, it will also light up according to your voice as well.

Then finally, this Glyph Interface lighting could also be used to illuminate close-up subjects when you’re taking a photo, as opposed to using the harsh lighting on the flash instead, and I did also notice that the white color variant bounced off the Glyph Lights better since it had a white finish. And it’s also cool that you can also adjust the brightness over there too, where there is a dedicated Glyph Interface menu that also allows you to change ringtones over there as mentioned earlier.

Now, moving on, as for the ports and buttons, looking below, other than the USB-C port; there is one of the two stereo speakers over there, where the second speaker is at the earpiece area, and you’ll find a dual SIM card slot.

On the left, there are the volume rockers, and on the right, there is the power and lock screen button.

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So with the IP53 rating too, I would give this phone’s design and build an A+ because of how extremely unique this is, whether or not you choose the Black or the White color, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

 

Display

So the phone’s display was surely one of the standouts features too, as it comes with a 6.55-inch flexible OLED display, with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and up to 1200 nits of peak brightness.

Now at first, I was a bit curious on why it was called a flexible OLED since it is not a foldable smartphone, and then Mr. Carl Pei mentioned during the global keynote that in order to make the bezels on the phone symmetrical without having a chin like how other Android smartphones have, they needed to use a flexible OLED panel in order to stretch the screen more towards the bottom edge, and that will give an overall uniformity to the bezels, which in return does make the phone more expensive to produce, so kudos to Nothing on making that move and talk about attention to details, nice!

The display also has a 120Hz refresh rate with 240Hz of touch sampling rate, so the overall experience for scrolling and multitasking was nice and fluid.

And with the HDR10+, watching Disney+ Hotstar and some videos on YouTube was such a great experience as expected with its 10-bit color depth and also because of the hole punch being at the top left.

The screen was also flat with once again the Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and here is where I would give the screen an A because it is the second biggest strength during my first impressions.

 

Cameras

Next, on to the phone’s cameras, the Nothing Phone (1) comes with a main 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor with an aperture value of f/1.88, which is using a 24mm wide lens, with both OIS and EIS image stabilization. Then there is another 50MP camera, which is using Samsung’s JN1 sensor, and based on my previous tests using that particular sensor, it is one of the best ultrawide sensors that never has barrel distortions, so it was nice that it is present here, where it has an aperture value of f/2.2.

So yes, my friends, it is just two lenses, and thank God for that, as there is no dedicated macro lens, dedicated depth sensor, dedicated black and white sensor, and dedicated grandfather’s lens, just for the sake of having 25 lenses on the phone.

Then the front camera is a 16MP f/2.45 aperture which uses Sony’s IMX 471 Sensor.

Now based on my test, instead of only taking some quick test shots during the day, as yes, it did turned out great, as you guys can see. BUT I also decided to take some lowlight shots, especially using the glyph lighting, and yes, the extra light did help a lot as seen in these shots. And also thanks to the OIS as well.

Now, as usual, I won’t rate the camera just yet as I am planning to test out the cameras further during my full video review, so if you haven’t done so.

Then as for video recording, the rear camera can record up to 4k 30 frames per second, and the front can record up to 1080p up to 60 frames per second.

 

Specifications

As for the other specs, this Nothing Phone (1) comes with the Snapdragon 778G+ 5G Chipset, which is based on a 6nm process, and this particular variant is the 8GB RAM with 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

Then another huge PLUS (not OnePlus..) is Nothing’s very own Nothing OS, it was at version 1.0.1, which is on top of Android 12. 

Here are two things that I already LOVE about it; firstly, if you are familiar with the Oxygen OS of the yesteryears before OnePlus and OPPO has joined forces, then, like me, you would love this menu system and secondly, there is no other smartphones out right now, especially from an Android’s perspective, which has the amount of less bloatware, because not only the home screen defaults at just one page, but the app drawer is also defaulted in a single page.

So yes, with that, I predict that I will be totally embracing this Nothing OS, but let’s see how it is when I use it daily too. And I can say that during my first impressions, I had no issues going from one app to the other and I was effortlessly blazing through the phone, and also worth mentioning is the fact that the haptic feedback on the phone was very good too.

In terms of the battery, it has a 4500 mAh battery, with support of 33W of wired charging, which will get you about 0 to 50% of battery in about 30 minutes. And then there is also 15W of Qi Wireless charging and 5W of reverse wireless charging. But of course, let’s see how much of a battery life that I get when I use the phone daily.

Then finally, looking at the phone’s pricing and availability, it starts at RM2399 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, where it will be available at Crossover online and in-store here in Malaysia from the 18th of July onwards, which I will leave all the info down below.

You can also preorder it at The StarHill Pop-Up Store from the 21st of July onwards, and the open sales will be available from the 1st of August onwards.

So, in a world where a USD1,000 smartphone is considered a “normal” thing, it is refreshing to see a mid-tier phone with so much attention to detail and of course, prioritizing on the experience more than anything else. 

And with this, do let me know what you would like to know specifically about this new Nothing Phone (1) in the comment section of my YouTube video, and of course, I will revert back during my full video review.

Get the Nothing Phone 1 At The Link Below:-

Crossover Online:-