TechPhonesAndroid PhonesIgnore the haters, Nothing phone (1)’s light-up backplate is pure Android phone dramaAt a surprise mini event in Germany, Nothing gave us a closer look at its phone (1)When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

TechPhonesAndroid PhonesIgnore the haters, Nothing phone (1)’s light-up backplate is pure Android phone dramaAt a surprise mini event in Germany, Nothing gave us a closer look at its phone (1)When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

At a surprise mini event in Germany, Nothing gave us a closer look at its phone (1)

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Rafael Zeier / YouTube)

Nothing phone (1) Android phone on black background

(Image credit: Rafael Zeier / YouTube)

If you’re looking for thebest Android phonethen you might need to wait a beat before buying aSamsung Galaxy S22because theNothing phone (1)is coming.

We didn’t expect to see the Nothing phone (1) until July 12, when anevent is scheduled to take place, but founder and CEO Carl Peidecided to revealthe physical design of the device early, citing the risk of leaks.

Leaks are harder to contain nowadays and many of you have been waiting for a long time. So here it is. This is phone (1) design. More to come. Tune in on 12 July. https://t.co/aOqmhLylCIJune 15, 2022

Leaks are harder to contain nowadays and many of you have been waiting for a long time. So here it is. This is phone (1) design. More to come. Tune in on 12 July. https://t.co/aOqmhLylCIJune 15, 2022

But the fun didn’t stop there because Nothing secretly gave an exclusive launch event in Germany, inviting select YouTubers to look at phone (1) in person.

One of the lucky few was Rafael Zeier, whoreleased a videogiving his thoughts on the phone (1) and showing us perhaps its most unique feature: a flashing back LED. YouTuberDas kann waswas also there to give their impressions.

We’ve created a GIF below to show you how that looks in practice.

(Image credit: Dan Kann Was / YouTube)

Nothing phone 1

(Image credit: Dan Kann Was / YouTube)

Ahead of the crowd

It’s not secret that theAndroidsmartphone landscape is very, very crowded, which makes offering something unique pretty difficult, especially for a relatively affordable price.

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Over the past few years we’ve been serious innovation with curved and folding displays – even if it didn’t always work well in practice – that offer something above and beyond the traditionaliPhone13 design.

Some people on Twitterquippedthat the Nothing phone (1) was essentially an iPhone with the back removed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Nothing Phone (1) “looks just like an iPhone 12 with a clear back”iPhone 12 with a clear back everyone 😂👇 pic.twitter.com/oipw7qvj5BJune 16, 2022

Nothing Phone (1) “looks just like an iPhone 12 with a clear back”iPhone 12 with a clear back everyone 😂👇 pic.twitter.com/oipw7qvj5BJune 16, 2022

Adding some flashing LEDs on the back might not seem like a game changer (and it almost certainly won’t increase sales) but it does demonstrate a willingness to think outside the typical Android smartphone box.

What purpose the LEDs service is also up for debate – we’ll know more when T3 receives a review unit – but there are plenty of cool tricks that could be pulled, as well as the obvious ones like notifications.

Too soon to tell

Ultimately, it’s too soon to tell whether the Nothing phone (1) is the refined Android enthusiast’s dream or not, especially without access to the full spec sheet.

There’s a lot of hype around this smartphone, which is a good thing for an Android smartphone trying to break through the noise.

There is almost certainly a gap in the market for a smartphone with iPhone design sensibilities that runs a clean version of Android. The remaining pieces are battery life, camera quality, and all of the difficult-to-know things.

But in the 25 days between now and July 12, we think the Nothing phone (1) looks pretty cool and offers something a little bit special and different.

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