Early hands-on video uncovers almost everything about the transparent Phone (1)

Out of nowhere, Nothing Phone (1) has become one of the most talked-about upcoming smartphones. When most smartphone makers have been focusing on phones with foldable displays and lightning-fast charging solutions, this young startup wants to add a twist to the existing design language.

Though, we’ve had a fair idea of what the phone might look like thanks to the numerous official teasers that have been building up hype around the device.

However, the latest hands-on video posted by YouTuber MKBHD not only gives us a sneak peek of the design which includes the interesting use of LED light strips but also, for the first time, shows us how the front side of the phone might look like. In case you’ve not checked the video, you can have a look here.

It’s easy to notice that the phone will have a flat display at the front with a hole punch cutout at the top left corner. This notch, like most smartphones these days, is not perfectly aligned with the curved in the corner which is nightmarish for people who prefer a neat design or have OCD.

However, the bezels around the display seem to be symmetrical which is definitely good news. The phone also has flat sides and a flat rear panel. The overall design does look similar to one of the iPhones, however, that’s where the similarity ends as well.

While Marques might have agreed to an embargo which limits him from sharing all the technical specifications and his opinion on the performance of the phone, however, he did give us a detailed experience of the Phone (1)’s marquee feature – LED lights.

Since the rear panel is transparent, the company has used it to make it more meaningful and the LED light strips react to the charging of the phone, incoming calls and notification alerts. The phone will also ship with a bunch of ringtones that will have the LED lights reacting to them.

This however is not entirely new and unique. In the 80s and 90s, kids would quickly go down the nostalgia lane to remind you of a couple of good old Nokia feature phones that came with built-in LED lights. In fact, we even had stick-on RGB LED strips that would lighten up if someone called you or sent a message. In case you’re wondering, this is the pre-2G/3G era. In the case of the Phone (1), these lights will be useful in shooting close-up photos as they are bright enough to light up the object properly.

However, comparing the Nothing Phone (1) with its current peers, the design is definitely unique and will help the phone stand out from the crowd of similar-looking phones. The implementation of a notification light to tell when the camera is in use is also a very well thought out feature and the company needs to be appreciated for the same. In case you think that snapping on a protective case will make this entire design useless, the company might even bundle a transparent case to solve the issue. 

But, design only will never be a deciding factor 

Nothing for obvious reason will always be compared to OnePlus. After that brain behind making OnePlus a crowd favourite is running the new ship.

This is probably the reason why Carl Pei might have decided to start from the same place where he left. Remember his last major appearance for OnePlus was with MKBHD talking about the OnePlus Nord.

The fact that the Nothing Phone (1) has been shared with one of the most influential voices in the tech space way ahead of the launch will help make people get used to the design of the phone. Once that happens, extreme reactions to the design at launch – thus there will be little impact on the sales.

This also gives Nothing enough time to take the hype to the next level by revealing the specifications of the phone in a timely manner probably revealing the price as the only thing to be revealed during the launch.

However, the camera setup and the overall performance of the device will depend on the hardware used by the company. And amid all this hype around the transparent design, hardware specifications have taken a back seat. Though we need to wait for the phone to launch to be able to assess its performance, we shouldn’t forget that it is just another Android phone with a fancy rear panel.

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