Nothing Phone (1) officially launches – price, specs and release date confirmed

After months of teasing, Nothing has finally unveiled the Nothing Phone (1), and we now know everything there is to know about the new Android phone. 

There are three possible Nothing Phone (1) configurations available: 8GB RAM with 128GB storage, 8GB with 256GB and 12GB with 256GB. The 6.55-inch OLED delivers HDR10+ with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 and 500 nits of brightness; it's an adaptive display capable of 60 to 120Hz refresh rates.

The Nothing Phone (1) primary camera meanwhile is 50MP with a Sony IMX766 sensor and 50MP ultrawide with a Samsung JN1, and the front camera is 16MP with a Sony IMX471. The main camera can record 4K video at 30fps and 1080p at up to 60fps.

The starting Nothing Phone (1) price is a very affordable £399 for the entry level model, too.

While the Nothing Phone (1) release date is confirmed, in terms of open sales, as 21 July from 7am BST.

Nothing Phone (1): specs and OS in focus

The chipset on the Nothing Phone (1) is a drop down from many of the best Android phones on the market, with it utilising the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, which you'll find in the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A73.

The battery is 4,500mAh with 15W Qi wireless charging, 5W reverse charging and Quick Charge 4.0 to take it from flat to full in two hours. Those are impressive specs but not market leading in terms of capacity or charging speed.

Other than the glyph lighting, the other thing that differentiates the Nothing Phone (1) from typical mid-range Android phones is its OS, which takes a light touch to Android 12: unlike some rivals it doesn't give you a whole bunch of unwanted apps or a chorus of personal digital assistants. It's not as retro as the dot matrix weather widget suggests, though: it's a fairly clean and unshowy Android implementation.

My colleague Mike has spent a week with the Nothing (1) Phone, and as he says "the device is interesting, well priced, avoids common gimmicks of so many competitors, and has pushed a visually engaging invite and ad campaign."

As to whether the Nothing Phone (1) will take Android phones to a new level remains to be seen, but right now it looks like a strong first showing from the maker in the smartphone space.

Keep your eyes peeled for T3's full Nothing Phone (1) review, which will be landing on the site soon, and have our definitive take on if it is one of the best Android phones to buy in 2022.