Nothing introduced itself to the world last year with ear (1), the company’s transparent wireless earbuds. Led by OnePlus founder Carl Pei, the company will finally launch its second product this July: a smartphone.
Sticking true to its name, Nothing initially remained tight-lipped about Nothing Phone 1, or ‘phone (1)’ as Nothing has styled it. Even at the company’s announcement event, it didn’t divulge much about the upcoming handset. But now the floodgates have opened.
We now know when Nothing will officially reveal Phone 1 to the world, where you’ll be able to buy it, and what software it will be running. It’s design has been laid bare. We’ve also had a few sneak peeks at the underlying hardware – plus an inevitable leak or two.
We’ve been all ears, so here’s everything we know so far about Phone 1.
Nothing phone (1) design: black model on the way?
Until recently, there wasn’t much we knew about it, with just a cheeky staged photo showing a black smartphone device that looked like any other handset. At the time we assumed it was an early version, as Pei hinted that the final design will look different.
Now Nothing’s teaser campaign is in full flow, first showing off the rear of the handset for the first time on its official Twitter account, then putting the handset (or at least the rear of it) on display at an event in Switzerland. The front of the phone later made its first public appearance in a video by YouTuber Marques Brownlee.
The Nothing phone has a flat screen with equal-sized bezels on all four sides, and a left-aligned hole punch selfie camera. There’s still no word on what display panel tech is being used, or the exact size of the display – we’ve gone over the rumoured specs in the section below.
The rear reveals confirmed that Phone 1 will have two rear cameras and a transparent, industrial-looking design, matching the ear (1) headphones. Pei had previously promised a device that’s “stunning”, and confirmed it was time to use transparent design again, implying the upcoming smartphone would sport a similar see-through look.
The phone has flat sides, and is finished in recycled aluminium, as confirmed by an earlier image posted to Twitter showing two birds perched on the top of a handset, and a follow-up tweet from the company founder. It also has several light-up elements, which Nothing is calling the ‘glyph interface’. The collection of 900 individual LEDs can indicate incoming notifications, battery charging status, and when the phone is wireless charging or reverse wireless charging. They can act as a fill light when taking low-light photos. There’s also a single red LED that lights up when the phone is recording video.
So far, Nothing has only shown off a white version of the handset, but images claiming to be official, unreleased renders of a black handset have now done the rounds on Twitter. Given the Ear 1 headphones are available in two colours, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Nothing did the same for its first smartphone, but right now there’s been no word from the company itself.
It is odd for a company to announce a new phone without showing off what it looks like – but then Nothing has ever done anything by the book. And if there’s one thing the brand is known for, it’s bold design. This looks set to continue with Phone 1.
Nothing phone (1) hardware: what we know
To begin with, Nothing actually had to confirm its new product would be a phone. While that may seem obvious now, we weren’t too sure what its next product would be prior to the official reveal. We suspected a smartphone from the more-than-likely staged photo of Pei holding a new smartphone, but it’s now official.
Phone 1 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon mobile platform, something both companies are quite proud of. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was initially thought to be a likely candidate, but it has since been confirmed that it is in fact running the mid-range Snapdragon 778+ processor. Qualcomm has adapted the Snapdragon 778 specifically for Nothing, adding wireless charging and reverse wireless charging – something you won’t get on any other phone with a 778 CPU.
This could be good news for both battery life and price, though hardcore mobile gamers might be disappointed if they’re looking for a device that can squeeze the absolute max performance out of the more demanding titles.
Elsewhere, a recent TUV certification uncovered by 91Mobiles suggested the phone will support 45W fast charging, with the adaptor confirming to the new PPS standard – meaning it’ll also fast-charger other devices. A video by YouTuber MKBHD also demonstrated the handset reverse wireless charging Nothing’s own earbuds.
A leak from twitter account TechDroider seemingly revealed that the Phone 1 will arrive with a 6.55in OLED display, with flat edges, even bezels on all four sides and a top-centre hole punch camera. It will apparently have a 2400×1080 resolution, making it more of a mainstream flagship than a properly premium handset. The accompanying image is a concept render, rather than an image of the real thing, and we now know the power and volume buttons are in different locations, so it’s unclear if the rounded display corners are what will appear on the final device.
Further to that, Nothing shared some images of the inside of the device. While these images are predominantly there for Nothing to talk about its design work, we do get an interesting look at one feature on the phone. We can see what appears to be a wireless charging coil, suggesting the upcoming device will have that feature.
Nothing phone (1) software: Nothing OS
Nothing is on a mission to create a connected ecosystem with its new products. In Pei’s interview with us, he explained there’s currently no good alternative ecosystem to Apple with the same connectivity. And he’s right. With Nothing’s releases, the company is planning to build an equally connected ecosystem that can rival the fruity tech giant. We’ll have to see how that goes.
To power this ecosystem, Nothing is rolling out Nothing OS on Phone 1, the company’s own ecosystem. It’s built on top of Android, like Samsung and Xiaomi’s software, but will feature bespoke elements, fonts (with Nothing’s dots), and so on. Pei mentions that’ll learn and optimise from your behaviour as well, optimising RAM usage. Phone 1 will receive 3 years of software updates on Nothing OS.
If you’re keen to get a look a Nothing’s software, the firm has released a preview of its launcher that can now be downloaded on Android 11 or later phones (it was originally restricted to Google Pixel 5 or Pixel 6, or Samsung Galaxy S21 or S22 but this restriction has now been lifted). The launcher is fairly bare-bones, with just a few widgets, wallpapers and icons, plus that familiar font.
Nothing phone (1) release date
It’s official: the Nothing Phone 1 will be revealed on the 12th of July. The company confirmed it would be holding an event in London to debut the handset, with a live stream for fans that want to know everything as soon as it gets announced. The event kicks off at 4PM BST, and will give us our first look at the phone, confirm its specs and (hopefully) reveal how much we’ll have to pay to get hold of one.
The official Nothing Twitter account teased the announcement ahead of time, with some speculating the device would make its debut – but that has now been debunked.
Nothing has partnered with StockX to auction off the first 100 units produced. Each phone will have its 1-100 build slot etched into the aluminium sides, next to the Nothing logo. The auction goes live on the 21st of June at 2pm, and will be open for two days. With no indication how much the phone itself will cost, it’ll be down to bidders to decide how much they are willing to pay to be part of the exclusive 1-100 club.
It’s still unclear at this point how much longer we’ll have to wait between the phone’s reveal and it going on sale. If Nothing follows the trend started by OnePlus, we could be looking at a month-long wait after the announcement – but Carl Pei has always said Nothing wants to do things differently.
Nothing phone (1) expected price
Ah yes, big question: price. Coming from OnePlus, we would expect Pei to deliver flagship specs in a mid-range priced smartphone. But, if Nothing is highlighting bold designs, this could add a small premium. Initial estimates were hovering around £700, between mid-range and flagship. However, the most recent rumours of a mid-range Snapdragon 778G+ processor could suggest a mauch friendlier price tag of around £399-£499 in our eyes. The ear (1) buds retail for £99, cheaper than other wireless earbuds, so they too, could be a good sign for a friendlier price tag on the upcoming smartphone.
What we do know for certain is where you’ll be able to buy the Phone 1 from. Nothing has signed up O2 as the exclusive UK network partner, with in-store and online sales set to begin later this summer. Expect a SIM-free option as well as a mix of contract offers. Elsewhere, Telekom Deutschland will be the only place to pick up the phone in Germany, and the Flipkart e-commerce marketplace will be selling the handset in India.
If you do want to snap one up though then be warned — the Nothing Phone 1 will initially be sold only via an invite system, like the original OnePlus handset. This means that only keen Nothing loyalists will be invited to snap up the handset, which is a pretty ingenious hype-building marketing move, if nothing else.
That’s plenty to go on, but as for the rest? Nothing is keeping its lips sealed for the time being. For the official word, you’ll have to wait until the 12th of July.
