Nothing Phone 1: News, rumors, leaks, and everything else you need to know

OnePlus founder Carl Pei’s new passion project will see the light of day on July 12, 2022

Nothing’s first smartphone, the Phone 1, is one of the most anticipated releases of the year—if only because of the company’s viral marketing strategy that already worked well for its first product, the Ear 1. Nothing is carefully controlling what we get to know about the Phone 1, but as with any hardware launch these days, it’s inevitable that a few more details see the light of day, too. Here is everything we know about the Phone 1, based both on leaks and Nothing’s official communications.

Nothing Phone 1: Design and hardware

Nothing has mastered the art of teasing, creating an attention-grabbing 30-minute online event around nothing but saying that it is, in fact, working on a phone. During this announcement, the company teased a potential back cover design, and since then, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has gone on record to confirm that the company is opting for a transparent back design, much in keeping with the Ear 1 design.

Via TechDroider

Apart from the company’s official marketing, a few substantial leaks already give us a much clearer picture of what we can expect. A leaker published a concept render of the front of the phone, and it looks quite reminiscent of Samsung’s current S22 lineup. A hole-punch selfie camera at the top middle is the only thing that breaks up the otherwise smooth look. In contrast to most other Android phones on the market, the bezels around the screen appear to be perfectly even, much like they are on iPhones. As for the hardware specifications, the display is supposed to be a 6.55-inch OLED with flat edges and a resolution of 1080 x 2400.

Source: Wallpaper.com / Nothing

One of many design sketches of the Nothing Phone 1, shared by the company in an interview.

Less trustworthy sources additionally claim that the Phone 1 will be powered by a Snapdragon 778G, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The camera system could consist of a set of three, with a 50MP primary, an unspecified 8MP secondary, and third 2MP lens. A 32MP camera is supposed to take care of selfies.

When it comes to battery and charging, the Nothing Phone could have a 4,500mAh battery paired with 45W fast charging. It’s clear that Nothing is aiming for a well-made mid-range phone more than a high-end flagship.

Nothing Phone 1: Software

The Phone 1 will, naturally, run Android, but Nothing promises to bring a few different approaches to the table with its Nothing OS skin. Carl Pei claims that it will “effortlessly connect and integrate Nothing products and products from other world-leading brands” and compares his vision to how seamlessly the Apple ecosystem works. Nothing OS is also supposed to be lightweight, only comprising the best features from “pure” Android. The hardware and software should make for a seamless integration through “bespoke fonts, colors, graphical elements and sounds.” This is a lot of marketing speak to say that it will likely be a skin close to stock Android all without losing a distinct look.

4 Images

To further drum up the excitement, Nothing has released its Nothing Launcher to the Play Store, allowing you to play around with the company’s vision of its home screen on the Android device you already own. The launcher is pretty minimal, but it has some tricks up its sleeve, like support for custom icons, different sizes for app icons and folders, and multiple layout options. There are also Nothing’s dot-based widgets on board, which are supposed to be much more neatly integrated on the Nothing Phone itself, with a consistent appearance across the always-on display, the lock screen, and the launcher itself.

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The Phone 1 is also supposed to come pre-loaded with a selection of intricately designed apps, though the question is how much better they will be than their Google counterparts. The company has teased a recorder app that comes in the same dotted text aesthetics as the other parts of the Nothing OS experience.

For the Phone 1, Nothing has already published an update promise, saying that it will support the device with three years of software updates and a total of four years of security patches. This still isn’t as great as what Samsung does with its four years of software updates, but almost as good as Google’s five-year policy.

Nothing Phone 1: Release date and price

When Nothing first revealed that it was working on the Phone 1, it teased a summer release date. The company remained true to its word and has announced that it will hold a launch event on July 12, 2022 at 11 am ET / 2 pm PT / 4 pm BST. A leak then claims that the phone itself will go on sale on July 21, which lines up with the official release event.

According to one rumor, the Nothing Phone 1 could be among the more affordable options, coming in at about €500 in Europe. At current exchange rates, that’s about $525, though as usual, direct currency conversions aren’t the best way to judge what price we can expect in the US, if the phone launches there in the first place.

We will likely learn all the remaining bits and pieces about the Phone 1 on this date, including its availability. In its marketing, Nothing has so far focused on the British time zone, so it’s likely that it will also launch in the UK and possibly more European countries. It’s still unclear if it will make its way across the pond.