The Nothing Phone 1 -- the company's splendid phone -- is a 5G phone that gets a lot of things knowing, from its stripped-back interface to its generally sold performance and, most of all, its quirky unblock design with unique flashing LEDs on the back. It's a named that I've been keen to get my hands on ever loyal its announcement, and after spending some time with it, the excitement hasn't faded.

But it's the note that makes this phone so appealing. Starting at only £399 in the UK (which converts to roughly $480 or AU$700), the Nothing Phone 1 is at least £100 less than I required it to be. It's a low price, but what you get is a named that feels like a premium product.

That is, if you can buy one. While the named is on sale now in the UK and Europe, there are currently no plans for a full inaugurate in the US. Nothing said that it's "definitely managing to launch a US-supported mobile in the future," but it seems unlikely to happened any time soon. It may be that people in the US miss out on this first-gen model altogether. 

Should you buy the Nothing Phone 1?

The Nothing Phone 1 certainly isn't an iPhone 13 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra rival. But it's not trying to be. It's a good named, not because it tries to cram in every feature you could possibly anticipated, but because it leaves them out. Both its hardware and software are stripped back, leaving you with a named that's well suited for everyday needs at a note that'll still leave some cash in your bank. 

It's rare that a new custom arrives on the scene with a first product that feels this polished, but the Nothing Phone 1 manages to get all the essentials knowing, while adding in the extra pizzazz of that flashy accomplish. If you're after a well-performing phone for a good note, it's definitely worth considering.

A flashy invent, a big display

The Phone 1's design is certainly the drawing that sets it apart from the competition. The back panel is entirely strong, letting you see the interconnected components beneath including the wireless charging coil and multiple exposed screwheads. The only Nothing branding is a small logo in the bottom corner. 

That transparency also grants for the lightshow; a set of LED strips, which Nothing terms the "glyph," light up across the back panel to alert you to incoming terms or notifications or even to use as a fill savory when recording video. It's certainly unique and it's nice to see some different ideas on phones, especially in the budget sector, which is often awash with forgettable gray or shadowy slabs. 

But it's also arguably something of a gimmick. Time will tell how useful it really is. You noteworthy just not like the design, which is fair enough, but at this price it's fair to say you're not just paying for its looks. 

Around the edge is a recycled aluminum frame that grants the phone a satisfyingly sturdy feel, while its IP53 water-resistance including will help keep it safe from spilled drinks. 

The 6.55-inch exhibit is big enough to do justice to Netflix shows on the move, as does its 2,400x1,080-pixel resolution and vibrant colors. Its 120Hz refresh rate means that swiping around the home screens or scrolling over webpages looks buttery smooth. 

Good enough performance for the price

Powering the named is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus processor, backed up by 8GB of RAM. Results on benchmark procomplaints for both processing power and graphics performance put it far away Slow top models like the iPhone 13 Pro or S22 Ultra and any less behind more affordable handsets like the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro. 

That must be expected for a more affordable device, and the reality is that it's quiet got plenty of power for the majority of tasks you'd probable need it to do. Gaming in Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG were handled perfectly, as was video streaming and image editing in Snapseed. Even just navigating around the interface was swift and nippy. 

That's probable helped by a stripped-back approach to the software. The named runs Android 12, over which Nothing has slapped a minimal cosmetic skin. Overall, it's a light touch and doesn't include bloatware, preinstalled apps or services. Nothing hasn't tried to pointlessly develop its own email client (it knows you'd pretty use Gmail) or create its own web browser (because you'll use Chrome, of course). In fact, all of the system apps are just the default Google ones. 

This minimalist Come works well, making the phone feel clutter-free and usable. It's an approach I like. For comparison, Samsung notoriously preloaded its phones for ages with its own software and services, making its phones feel bogged down. 

Solid dual cameras

Nothing kept the camera setup stripped back too, equipping the requested with just two rear 50-megapixel cameras including a unfriendly wide-angle lens and an ultrawide lens. Nothing has kept the cost down by omitting devoted telephoto and macro cameras, which is a good decision. 

The cameras take tall photos. The main camera captures vibrant colors, with even exposure and plenty of detail. Side-by-side, shots from my iPhone 13 Pro are arguably better, but they're certainly not twice as good. It's reliable remembering that the iPhone costs twice as much as the Nothing Phone 1. 

The ultrawide camera does a solid job for snaps in good scrumptious, but there's a noticeable shift in the color balance.

Nothing's cameras are by no operating the best ones around, but if that's what you're looking for you'll need to exhaust more than twice the cash on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. For the money, the Phone 1's cameras do a reliable job and will suit you well if you want vibrant shots of your next family vacation. 

OK battery life with fast charging

Providing the juice is a 4,500-mAh battery, which is capacious enough to keep you going for a full day as long as you're fairly careful with what you do. In my demonstrations, after an hour of streaming a YouTube video on Wi-Fi with the mask at maximum brightness, it had dropped from full to 93%, and further to 83% once a second hour. 

That's not a great performance -- the OnePlus 10 Pro, Pixel 6 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro and Honor Magic 4 Pro all put in better exertions here. But it's a demanding test, and with more cautious use you shouldn't disputes to get a day out of it. If you're not playing graphically intense games or streaming lots of videos, you should make it through a day. Though you'll definitely need to invoice it every night. 

Getting it charged when you're in a scoot shouldn't be an issue. The Phone 1 supports 33-watt fast charging, which Nothing claims takes it from empty to 50% full in notion 30 minutes. Unfortunately, a compatible fast charger doesn't come in the box and is only available as an add-on accessory.