Source: Nothing
Ahead of the July 12 launch, Nothing has confirmed the chipset powering its first device. The phone (1) will run on a custom-tuned mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ processor. This means it's not built to be comparable to flagship devices from its competitors. The processor's performance will be similar to the regular 778G chip, with an eight-core CPU composed of four performance (ARM Cortex-A78) and four efficiency cores (ARM Cortex-A55), Adreno 642L GPU, and an X53 5G modem.
What's different is it brings wireless charging and reverse wireless charging to this mid-range processor. Qualcomm typically reserves that capability for its flagship mobile chipsets, but it looks like it wanted to make an exception for Nothing. It's expected to be more power-efficient, which should extend battery life. The company says it's 30% "better performing from a heating, saving, etc." point of view.
Nothing co-founder Carl Pei told Input that it opted to use a mid-range processor because the company considered performance, power consumption, and cost. Pei said he feels phones have reached a "good enough performance" for general tasks, and the powerful chips have "diminishing returns.
Having a mid-range processor in this device means it'll help keep the cost down. Nothing hasn't revealed pricing yet, but it's expected to retail under US$500 (approx. CA$645). The hype for what looks to be a mid-range phone is real, though. Someone has reportedly already paid US$3,064 (~CA$3,951) through its initial sale/auction on StockX. Again, the Nothing phone (1) isn't tipped to make its way to this side of the world. But if it did, what does that mid-range processor mean to you?