Today I want to share my review of my first smartphone – Nothing Phone (1).
As you all know, Nothing has officially ended updates for this smartphone. So, I thought this is the right time to give you a detailed review of my experience, including what I liked and disliked about it.
Unboxing
• Nothing Phone (1)
• Type-C to Type-C cable
• SIM ejector tool
• Paperwork
For me, this was my first flagship like phone with a premium unboxing experience. The idea of creating two compartments in the box showed good R&D, and overall, it felt like a flagship unboxing experience.
Design
When I first held the phone in my hands, even before unwrapping it, I felt that I had made the right choice. I had a limited budget to spend, and it felt worth it.
The metal sides and glass back gave it a premium feel. When I switched it on, I was happy to see equal bezels, since in my view, uniform bezels are a sign of a flagship phone.
Battery Life
Being a mixed user, the battery experience was good for me. I usually completed my day with one and a half charging cycles.
I really liked that Nothing kept pushing updates to improve battery life and performance. As their first phone, they tried their best in every aspect to build a strong image.
Camera
The Nothing Phone (1) came with two rear cameras – a 50MP main and a 50MP wide-angle.
At first, I thought the camera was perfect, but after comparing it with other phones, I noticed some limitations. Close-up shots and night photography were great, but portrait shots and human subjects against sunlight were weak. The phone often took time to process photos and sometimes takes time to click multiple shots at once.
The wide-angle camera also had some issues – noise and lack of detail but it was still acceptable at the price.
Front Camera: I’m not a selfie person, but from the few selfies I took, I felt there was a lack of detail. However, colour accuracy was good.
Videography: i have made many video from this phone thought they were raw they have captured many memories which were fruitful and detailed.
From this, I realised that the Nothing Phone (1) was not a camera phone but rather an all-rounder phone.
Glyph Interface
When I was considering buying the phone, I watched a lot of YouTube reviews and was very curious about the Glyph lights.
When I finally got the phone, I used the Glyphs a lot, especially the Flip to Glyph feature. Over time, I started using them less, and eventually, I switched them off. Still, it was really fun in the beginning. I clicked photos of it, showed it to friends, and it helped me connect more deeply with my phone.
Performance
The phone came with the Snapdragon 778+ chip. While there were better options available in the market, it was sufficient for me.
I love playing games, especially BGMI, and the phone never gave me heating issues or major frame drops. Scrolling was smooth, and even after three years, it still feels good thanks to software optimization. Unlike other brands, Nothing didn’t slow down the performance over time.
Software
When I first got the phone, the software was close to stock AOSP, with no customizations. Later, Nothing introduced Nothing OS 2.0, full of features like custom icons and widgets, which were fun to use.
I also loved the timely updates – no other brand has given me such a good update experience. Currently, the phone is running on Nothing OS 3.2, and they are still adding useful features, not just gimmicks.
Conclusion
The Nothing Phone (1) was a very unique experience for me. I will never forget how it became the best gadget choice of my life. Till now, I don’t regret buying it – it was the best ₹35,000 I ever spent on a gadget (except for the ₹2,500 I had to spend on the 45W Nothing charger, which I still think should have been bundled in the box).
