Hello everyone,
These days, finding a decent smartphone feels nearly impossible. While personal preferences play a huge role, it seems like manufacturers rarely ask us what we really want. First, we lost the 3.5mm headphone jack. Then, they introduced the hole-punch design at the top center of the display. Manufacturers seem obsessed with creating phones without buttons, frames, or bezels. But do we really need that?
For example, I would prefer having front-facing stereo speakers over a bezel-less phone. Just look at the old LG G2—modernize it, and add front-facing speakers like the Razer Phone 2. That would be ideal for me.
Unfortunately, these changes are now the norm, and I’ve had to accept them. However, now I’m facing another frustrating issue: the split notification and control panel design. Most Android manufacturers have adopted this feature, and it’s driving me crazy. I still struggle with it after a year of use. Why did they split them? It’s made accessing my notifications unnecessarily annoying and inefficient.
Another concern I have is the three-button navigation bar. I’m worried it might disappear next. I can’t stand gesture navigation—I truly dislike it. Honestly, I don’t like my current phone. It’s a Xiaomi, and I deeply regret buying it.
My question is: can the Nothing Phone offer a simple solution? I know we’ve already lost the 3.5mm jack and real front-facing speakers, but I just want a phone with a clean, stock Android experience. I don’t want bloated apps, and I want the option to keep the three-button navigation bar (back button must be on the left). Most importantly, I need a unified notification and control center accessible with one swipe, not split.
I’ve read that the Nothing Phone offers a simple OS. But will it stay that way in the future? What are your long-term experiences with it?
