Nothing phone (1)

Orcvader · 23 Mar 2022 at 15:19

Nothing announced they're working on a new phone, coming out this summer.

They didn't reveal what the actual phone looks like, but this seems to be the logo for it?

They mentioned it was hard getting their supply chain ready, apparently a big conglomerate (BBK?) was trying to block them but they managed to get it ready thanks to their partners. It will be Snapdragon powered. Based on the other partners I'm going to guess it'll be a Samsung display and Sony cameras.

Nothing OS will be close to stock, with some visual changes to fit their "visual language". It will cache your most used apps and kick out hardly used apps when not in use, so your usual apps will launch faster. It will have 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates.

The launcher will also be available to download on select phones in April.

Not really any other details teased, Carl is just slowly dripping details like back in his OP days. Sounds promising and something to keep an eye on but will have to see what the phone will actually be like, but could be a strong stock-like phone if it does well.

Smeghead · 23 Mar 2022 at 16:24

Completely pointless company from the same person who abandoned his already-established company which basically sells the exact same type of products, in an already saturated market. Just why??

kona786 · 23 Mar 2022 at 16:41

It's always good to see a new competitor, especially ones who promote a clean and fast experience.

I'm not hyped though I look forward to seeing what it offers when it's unveiled.

It'll most probably have average camera performance. It's where they all struggle.

MrRockliffe · 23 Mar 2022 at 16:49

Smeghead said:
Completely pointless company from the same person who abandoned his already-established company which basically sells the exact same type of products, in an already saturated market. Just why??

Carl had/has great vision of an alternative to the premium android devices, but running a lighter skin.

I think that, at OnePlus, the parent company decided to start cutting corners now they were gaining market share, and squeeze the most out of their customers, maximising profits.

Most companies do this, as it’s only natural, but I get the impression they were heading in a direction Carl didn’t want to go.

OnePlus no longer really sell their products through networks or network retailers, their software is the worst it has ever been, it has been merged with ColourOS, build quality is going down hill and so too are their products in general.

I had a OnePlus One which was great. Amazing actually, for the price. I then had a OnePlus 5 which was pretty poor, then a 7T which I loved, but I’d transitioned to iOS by that time and it wasn’t enough to bring me back.

The 8T was an amazing device and flew well under the radar, IMO, and it became my work phone

Since then, they’ve become another ~£1K phone company, except their products feel and perform more like £600 devices at best, with every new model being very forgettable.

Im looking forward to seeing what Carl brings to the table again. We’ve not had a decent stock android offering for too long.

Orcvader · 23 Mar 2022 at 22:22

As above, due to pressure from the parent company (BBK), OP and OPPO have been slowly consolidating into one since their products often overlapped and competed against each other, although the two will still be kept as separate brands. Hardware for a good while have been shared between the two and OOS 12 was a reskinned ColorOS 12. Although the backlash from users means we won't get the unified OS any time soon, OOS 13 and ColorOS 13 will still share the same code base. Pete Lau, the other OP founder, was even appointed to be part of the OPLUS group that oversees OP/OPPO/RealMe. No official reason was stated but perhaps it was due to these constraints was why Carl left.

So this should mean Carl should have full control over Nothing. Hopefully it'll be like how the earlier OP phones were. But we'll have to wait and see if they can deliver. I'm still a bit sceptical due to lack of details and how he previously overhyped things, but hopefully it will be a shake up on the high end phones.

biron_w · 24 Mar 2022 at 08:41

Isn't this basically the Essential phone 2? Which had terrible sales because they only released it in a few countries. Then they dropped the whole thing :rolleyes:

DataVampire · 24 Mar 2022 at 09:27

The only problem I see with small companies like this is the longevity of the phone. Some people buy a phone and keep it for years. Will the support be there is not only support but updates also?

Having said that both Asus and Microsoft are notoriously bad for phone updates.

kona786 · 24 Mar 2022 at 09:42

biron_w said:
Isn't this basically the Essential phone 2? Which had terrible sales because they only released it in a few countries. Then they dropped the whole thing

Is it the same team?

I don't think it is.

Matteysan · 24 Mar 2022 at 13:52

kona786 said:
Is it the same team?

I don't think it is.

Nope Essential was Andy Rubin the guy who helped create Android

Nothing is the guy who used to work at OnePlus before they decided to go all Oppo on everyone.

kona786 · 24 Mar 2022 at 14:07

Matteysan said:
Nope Essential was Andy Rubin the guy who helped create Android

Nothing is the guy who used to work at OnePlus before they decided to go all Oppo on everyone.

Yep got that part. I was wondering if the old Essential team hooked up with Nothing.

Matteysan · 24 Mar 2022 at 14:23

kona786 said:
Yep got that part. I was wondering if the old Essential team hooked up with Nothing.

Wouldn't be a bad thing considering the Essential team did nothing wrong, It was all Andy Rubins fault for Essential dying.

kakarott · 24 Mar 2022 at 15:22

Matteysan said:
Wouldn't be a bad thing considering the Essential team did nothing wrong, It was all Andy Rubins fault for Essential dying.

There is another phone coming from that team if I'm not mistaken.

Orcvader · 24 Mar 2022 at 17:19

kakarott said:
There is another phone coming from that team if I'm not mistaken.

Yup, the OSOM OV1: https://www.androidpolice.com/osom-ov1-exclusive/

Another phone to look out for, with privacy as the focus and close to stock experience. Currently rumoured to be summer as well but no solid time frame.

kakarott · 25 Mar 2022 at 06:47

I just hope the camera ain't pants like OnePlus

Orcvader · 28 Apr 2022 at 21:53

Well the launcher is available on select phones (S21, S22, Pixel 5/6, OP phones later): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nothing.launcher

It's uh, very basic. You can create folders/icons that are pretty much 2x2 size which could be handy for accessibility reasons. There's also icon pack support. Some of the Nothing widgets are there too, they don't look too bad if you're into that sort of style. I really don't like the default wallpaper though, kinda uncomfortable on the eyes.

Orcvader · 15 Jun 2022 at 09:31

The design has been teased for a while but the back is now fully revealed:

A transparent back panel but the internals is still covered by another layer.

Current rumours now points to a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 so it won't be competing against the top end phones, but should still be a strong performer.

Launch event is July 12th 4pm UK time.

kona786 · 15 Jun 2022 at 15:46

What price we thinking.

£400?

Orcvader · 16 Jun 2022 at 14:01

There was a small event in Switzerland and it shows off the back panel with flashing lights:

Current leaks points to €500 odd so I'm expecting it to be around the £500 mark. If it performs well and Nothing can prove they can offer good software support, then it might end up as a good midranger. I still expect the cheaper 6a to be better in terms of raw performance and camera especially however.

arknor · 17 Jun 2022 at 19:43

RGB phones are coming

kona786 · 17 Jun 2022 at 20:34

arknor said:
RGB phones are coming

ROG say hi.

Already here.