Nothing debuts first smartphone, the phone (1)

Source: Nothing

The first smartphone of new tech startup Nothing is finally official. We've heard and seen several details about the Nothing Phone (1) thanks to the strategies of Carl Pei. He is the co-founder and former director of OnePlus, and he brings the style of invite-only/limited partner drops and "slow drip-feed of information) to drum up hype for the new device. So, if you feel like you've seen the Phone (1), you probably already have.

Its main talking point is the "Glyph" design, which employs 900 LEDs spread out and overlaid with a diffuser to create lines and curves beneath the Gorilla Glass 5-covered semi-transparent back. The lights flash and pulsate with a brightness enough to warrant a warning for users with epilepsy. You can adjust that brightness and set what the flashing lights mean to you. If you're worried about the lights draining the battery, you shouldn't. The effect should be negligible even at its standard brightness and kept on for 10 minutes.

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Nothing confirms phone (1)'s mid-range Snapdragon 778G+ processor

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.

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Nothing opens pre-order reservations for the phone (1)

Source: Nothing

Nothing is unsurprisingly taking its pre-order strategy from founder Carl Pei's former company, OnePlus. The upcoming phone (1) can be bought first through an invitation system. The company opened pre-order reservations in the countries it's available via an invitation code system. The private community members will go first and have 48 hours to use their code. They then need to place a £20 (around $32) non-refundable deposit to secure that order opportunity on July 12. Those who don't make it can sign up for the waiting list. 

If you push through with your order, Nothing will deduct that deposit from your purchase and give you an extra £20 credit for either a phone (1) accessory or the ear (1) earbuds. We don't know yet how much the phone will cost. But we know it won't be making its way here for general sale.

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Nothing phone (1) won't come to Canada

Source: Nothing

We've already seen previews of Nothing's first smartphone. Unfortunately, the Nothing phone (1) won't get a widespread release here. Instead, Nothing plans to distribute a "limited number" of the devices to community investors in the country as part of a "closed beta." But it hopes to release it in the region in the future. It will be launching in Europe on July 12, with the company auctioning off the first units to interested buyers.

"While we'd love to bring phone (1) to the entire community around the world, we're focusing on home markets, including the UK and Europe, where we have strong partnerships with leading local carriers," the company told PCMag in a statement. "It takes a lot to launch a smartphone as you know, from ensuring the handset is supported by the country's cellular technologies to carrier partnerships and local regulation, and as we're still a young brand we need to be strategic about it."