The Nothing Phone (1) records video at a maximum 4K resolution at 30fps. 1080p recording opens the frame rate up to 60fps and this is the setting I would recommend using, since the increase in detail at 4K is let down by choppy footage. Nothing Phone (1) review: Verdict

The Nothing Phone (1) is unique in its approach to design. The mid-priced handset is transparent, allowing you to take a peek at the internal componentry, with an intriguing set of LED lights on the rear. Nothing calls this the “Glyph Interface” and it’s used for ringtones and notifications, as well as a charging indicator and a fill light for the rear camera. Video recording was solid for the money but only up to 4K at 30 frames a second, not 60 as is increasingly common. While the Nothing Phone 2 isn’t technically as sharp as its rivals, like the Pixel 7, it can get much brighter than other phones in this price range, and that’s a perfect trade-off. I had no trouble shooting photos on the Nothing Phone 2 display in bright sunlight or reading directions on a hiking map. When you charge the phone, you get a little bar of light at the bottom of the phone near the charger, but only for a moment. You can’t opt to keep that light lit, even though it’s a low-power LED and the phone is plugged in. If you want to see the light again, you need to wiggle the phone. Wiggle it, just a little bit. The Nothing Phone 2 uses the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 mobile platform from Qualcomm. That was the best chipset Qualcomm offered in late 2022, but at the beginning of 2023 the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2 chipset showed up in phones like the OnePlus 11 and the Samsung Galaxy S23.

Performance and power without compromise

The phone supports wired charging speeds of 33W, which in my tests delivered 50% charge from zero in just over 30mins. Wireless charging is rated at 15W, with accompanying support for reverse wireless power delivery – although this is rather slow at just 5W.

The Nothing Phone (1) is the first Android phone and second product after the Nothing Ear (1) from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s hyped startup.

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The Nothing Phone (1) is a remarkable first effort for the fledgling company. With a unique design, quirky LED lighting effects, a clean installation of Android and a sublime screen, the Phone (1) is well and truly on the way to becoming a hallmark of the mid-range scene. To compare, the Nothing Phone 2 costs about the same as a fully loaded Google Pixel 7 (with 256GB of storage) or a OnePlus 11. There is no Samsung Galaxy S phone offered this cheap, not even the Galaxy S22 from 2022 that Samsung still sells. If you want an iPhone at this price you can buy a new iPhone 12 from Apple. I would say the issues I have experienced are down to software optimisation, something not unusual for a new brand creating its first phone. It does lead to an often frustrating experience though.