Step into a world where the focus is keenly set on Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs. Within the confines of this article, a tapestry of references to Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs awaits your exploration. If your pursuit involves unraveling the depths of Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs, you've arrived at the perfect destination.
Our narrative unfolds with a wealth of insights surrounding Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs. This is not just a standard article; it's a curated journey into the facets and intricacies of Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs. Whether you're thirsting for comprehensive knowledge or just a glimpse into the universe of Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs, this promises to be an enriching experience.
The spotlight is firmly on Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs, and as you navigate through the text on these digital pages, you'll discover an extensive array of information centered around Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs. This is more than mere information; it's an invitation to immerse yourself in the enthralling world of Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs.
So, if you're eager to satisfy your curiosity about Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs, your journey commences here. Let's embark together on a captivating odyssey through the myriad dimensions of Apple Iphone Se 2022 Specs.
Apple's 2022 iPhone SE Has 5G and a New Chip. But We Wanted These Features, Too
Apple's 2022 iPhone SE Has 5G and a New Chip. But We Wanted These Features, Too
Apple's 2022 iPhone SE represents a notable upgrade over its predecessor: It has 5G support, the same processor as the iPhone 13 and longer battery life compared to the 2020 model. But there are still some features we hoped to see that didn't make it into the third-generation iPhone SE.
Apple announced the new iPhone SE during its first product launch event of the year on March 8. It hits stores on March 18 and starts at $429, making it slightly more expensive than the 2020 version.
The iPhone SE hasn't become part of Apple's annual product cycle yet, but the company is closing the gap between release dates. Apple introduced its original iPhone SE in 2016 as a low-cost alternative to its marquee iPhone, but didn't release a new version until 2020. Now, the newest model has arrived just two years after that, in 2022. It's the latest sign that smartphone-makers like Apple are increasingly catering to budget-conscious customers.
While it's a shame the iPhone SE is missing the features below, Apple's new phone does include other upgrades that were on my wishlist like 5G support and longer battery life.
More storage in the base model
The 2022 iPhone SE got its debut at Apple's Peek Performance event.
screenshot/Apple
Apple increased the iPhone 13 lineup's base storage capacity up to 128GB from 64GB. Unfortunately, that approach didn't trickle down to the new iPhone SE, which starts at 64GB of storage. You could argue that the 128GB iPhone SE, which costs $479, is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the base iPhone 13. But Apple is still behind its competitors in this regard: Samsung's $400 Galaxy A42 5G, comes with 128GB of internal storage, as does Google's $449 Pixel 5A with 5G.
A sharper front camera for selfies and FaceTime calls
FaceTime gets a bunch of significant upgrades in iOS 15, such as a Portrait Mode.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Like its predecessor, the new iPhone SE has a 7-megapixel front camera. Apple's new A15 Bionic processor will bring some improvements to the selfie camera, like the addition of Deep Fusion, which processes individual pixels to improve detail and reduce noise. But still, it would have been nice to see a bump in resolution to go along with these improvements.
Read more: Best Apple SE Case for 2022
Samsung's phones that come close to the iPhone SE's price range have Apple beat when it comes to resolution. The $500 Galaxy A52 5G has a 32-megapixel front camera, while the $400 Galaxy A42 5G has a 13-megapixel front camera. Apple introduced several new FaceTime features last year in its iOS 15 update, so it's surprising that the front-facing camera wasn't a bigger area of focus for the new iPhone SE.
Night Mode for taking better photos in the dark
Night Mode on the iPhone 11.
Apple
Given the iPhone SE's cheap price, I wouldn't expect it to have a camera that's on par with the iPhone 13 or even the iPhone 12. But if there's one feature I would have appreciated, it's Night Mode. Across the industry, smartphone cameras have gotten a lot better at taking photos in the dark. I hoped Apple's low-cost iPhone would reflect this progress, too.
It's possible that it would have been too challenging in terms of size and cost to include the iPhone 11's upgraded wide camera sensor in the new SE. (The iPhone 11 family was the first of Apple's phones to get Night Mode.) But Google has found a way to bring Night Sight to its similarly priced Pixel 5A with 5G... and considering the iPhone SE lacks a secondary ultrawide lens, the quality of the standard wide-angle camera is more important than ever.
That said, Apple says the iPhone SE should be able to take better videos in low light thanks to the A15 Bionic's newer image signal processor. And the camera is getting other upgrades, such as the pixel-by-pixel Deep Fusion processing technique.
Overall, the new iPhone SE reiterates the different ways Apple and Samsung view what matters most in a budget smartphone. Samsung's cheaper phones usually have more camera lenses, sharper selfie cameras and larger screens. Instead of those, Apple's iPhone SE gets the latest mobile processor, which should hopefully keep the phone feeling relatively fast for years to come.
How much is a nothing phone 1 how much will nothing phone 1 cost nothing phone 1 cost nothing phone 1 price review nothing phone 1 cost nothing phone 1 price nothing phone 1 case nothing phone nothing phone 2
Nothing Phone 1 Specs: How This Cheaper Phone Compares to the Pixel 6, iPhone 13
Nothing Phone 1 Specs: How This Cheaper Phone Compares to the Pixel 6, iPhone 13
There's a lot of hype surrounding the Nothing Phone 1 launch, especially considering its midrange price. But there are valid reasons for the fanfare. The Phone 1 is Carl Pei's first phone launch since his departure from OnePlus, which he led from a startup beloved by serious Android fans to a global purveyor of world-class phones.
Nothing says it's sold more than half a million pairs of its Ear 1 earbuds, its first consumer tech product, since its launch last August. And Nothing counts a glittering group of backers -- including iPod co-inventor Tony Fadell, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin and GV, formerly Google Ventures -- all betting Pei can create a big something out of his curiously named company.
The Phone 1, which is available in both black and white, went up for sale today, July 12. It's slated for a global release, hitting distributors across the world including the UK, Germany, India and Hong Kong. There's currently no plan for a US release, a spokesperson for the company said.
While pricing varies across markets, the Phone 1, starts at approximately $475 for the base 8GB RAM, 128GB storage variant and maxes out at about $590 for the 12GB RAM, 256GB storage variant after converting from international prices. With this price range, the Phone 1 is up against the iPhone SE 2022, the Google Pixel 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, among others. You can also scroll down to the bottom of this page for a side-by-side specs comparison, but make sure to check out our hands-on video of Phone 1 to glean first-hand insights of the device.
The Phone 1 includes a 6.55-inch OLED display, a dual-camera module, a fast-enough processor, a large battery with wireless charging and reverse charging. It also has an in-box charger, a feature that's increasingly uncommon even in premium phones. But one thing is obvious: The lion's share of Nothing's budget went towards design, although it may not be entirely unique considering the Phone 1's design, which echoes the iPhone's flat sides and rounded edges.
In an industry first, the Phone 1 has a transparent back panel, which gives you a peek of the device's components, including the camera, wireless charging coil and USB-C port. Procuring components that look good and function well under a transparent cover required meticulous customisation of components as well as rigorous testing, the company said. Rival manufacturer Xiaomi tried to create its own phone with a transparent design in the past, but its version used dummy components to mask the real ones.
The back of the Phone 1 is also home to the so-called "glyph" interface, the device's standout feature. The back of the phone literally lights up, thanks to hundreds of LED lights, which can be customized to tell you who is calling or indicate charging status. Given the design costs, Nothing said it was forced to make some tradeoffs to bring the Phone 1 to fruition at its targeted price. One of those is the chipset, which is the Snapdragon 778G Plus instead of the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processors. The company said it chose the midrange Qualcomm chipset because it's tried, tested and it "doesn't overheat."
The Phone 1 may not be as durable as some of its peers. Its IP53 rating is less than the IP67 rating of the similarly priced iPhone SE 2022, for example. The former rating means Phone 1 is protected against dust, and light sprays of water, but it is hardly waterproof. In other words, you'll be fine if you're caught in a light shower with this phone, but you shouldn't go running in the rain with it. Dropping it in the sink or toilet is a no-go, and you should definitely not take it anywhere near a pool.
To learn more about how Phone 1 stacks up against competitor phones, take a look at CNET's specs chart below.
Nothing 1 vs. competitors
Nothing Phone 1
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
Google Pixel 6
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
iPhone 13
Display size, resolution
6.55-inch OLED display, 2,400x1,080 pixels
4.7-inch LCD; 1,334x750 pixels; 60Hz
6.4-inch OLED; 2,400x1,080 pixels; 60 or 90Hz
6.4-inch AMOLED screen; Full HD Plus resolution; 2,340x1,080 pixels; 120Hz
Battery sized not disclosed (charger not included; supports wireless charging)
4,614 mAh
4,500 mAh (no bundled charger)
Undisclosed; Apple lists 19 hours of video playback
Fingerprint sensor
In-display
Under display
In-display
No
Connector
USB-C
Lightning
USB-C
USB-C
Lightning
Headphone jack
No
None
None
None
No (Face ID)
Special features
5G, IP53, Three years of Android updates, dual SIM, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
5G-enabled; supports 25W wired fast charging; water-resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging
5G sub 6 (some carrier models also have 5G mmWave) support, Wi-Fi 6E, 30W fast charging, Magic Eraser, Motion mode, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Cinematic Pan, five years' OS and security updates, IP68 rating for dust and water-resistance, Gorilla Glass Victus (front), Gorilla Glass 6 (back), (nano-SIM and e-SIM)
How old is an iphone s how old is the iphone s apple iphone ios 15 iphone 11 apple store iphone stuck on apple logo ios 15 iphone 12 apple iphone 15 pro the iphone ten the iphone guy
The iPhone at 15: How Apple's Phone Became the Center of Your Life
The iPhone at 15: How Apple's Phone Became the Center of Your Life
This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Apple's most popular product.
What's happening
On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone went on sale. A decade and a half later what defines the iPhone has shifted away from just design and hardware specs to dozens of Apple-centric features and services.
Why it matters
For better or worse, the iPhone has become home to our photos, music, conversations, ideas, games, identity, work, social media, shopping, keys and money. It will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Today marks 15 years since the first iPhone went on sale. When Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone he wryly hyped it as three revolutionary products: an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator. The first iPhone only came in one size and the only decision you had was whether to get 4GB of storage or 8GB. As far as carriers, only AT&T supported Apple's first phone in the US.
At the time, the idea of carrying an iPhone instead of a flip phone and an iPod was enough to convince some people to buy one. For others like me, the iPhone's main appeal was the touchscreen, which seemed unreal and futuristic.
"From the very beginning, one of the unique things about [the] iPhone was that we wanted to fuse together software, services and hardware to create a simple, powerful kind of magical experience," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president for product marketing. "And with the original iPhone, it was that interaction of multitouch and pinch to zoom, where you started to see that come together."
Fifteen years later, Apple sells eight different models of iPhone, five of which have launched in the past 10 months. There is at least one version that works with pretty much every major phone carrier in the world. The iPhone is available in an array of colors, finishes, sizes and storage options that now top out at 1TB. And while the screen is where most of the magic happens, it's no longer the main appeal of the iPhone.
Over the past decade and a half, what defines the iPhone has shifted away from just design and hardware specs. Instead, the iPhone and iOS have become a gateway into Apple services and features like iMessage, FaceTime, Siri, Apple Music, Apple Pay, top-of-the-line cameras and apps like Uber, TikTok, Twitter and WhatsApp. For better or worse, the iPhone has become home to our photos, music, conversations, ideas, games, identity, work, social media, shopping, keys and money.
In 2022, the iPhone continues to extend beyond its svelte metal-and-glass chassis into the world around us. It's the backbone for products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, and will likely play a role in future Apple products like rumored AR glasses.
It also serves as the foundation for Apple's digital services, which have become an increasingly important factor to differentiate the iPhone from competing mobile devices. These services have evolved rapidly in recent years along with the iPhone.
Find My, which started as a tool in 2010 for locating a lost iPhone, has grown into a network for finding Apple devices and pretty much anything you can attach one of Apple's tiny AirTag trackers to. Some products, like VanMoof's S3 bike, even have built-in Find My support, eliminating the need to add an AirTag entirely. As of 2021, Apple's Find My network had hundreds of millions of devices, most of which were iPhones.
Just weeks ago at WWDC, Apple's annual software developers conference, the company announced iOS 16 with expansions to its nearly decade-old Wallet app and Apple Pay service. Essentially, Apple wants to make your physical wallet obsolete. There's also a new feature called Apple Pay Later that lets you split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. It's done entirely through your iPhone.
The 2022 iPhone SE is nearly identical to the 2020 version but gets more durable glass, 5G and the A15 Bionic chip that debuted in the iPhone 13.
Kevin Heinz/CNET
In fact, you need an iPhone to access or use most of these services. Keep in mind that, for years, the iPhone's premium price made it inaccessible to many, and that's still true of Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone Pro models. The recently upgraded iPhone SE gives Apple the opportunity to expand the iPhone's reach even further. It's the purest example of what defines an iPhone in 2022. The SE blends the body of an iPhone 8 with the glass and processor from the iPhone 13. At $429, it's currently the most affordable way to get people into Apple experiences.
I spoke with Borchers ahead of the iPhone SE launch in March about the phone and why Apple added an A15 Bionic chip to it.
"It's actually a really easy decision to put as much capability as we can in today, in order to invest in and create opportunities for those future experiences. It's something that distinguishes us from others," said Borchers.
No other phone maker takes this approach. It would be like Samsung using the body of its Galaxy S8 and putting the Galaxy S22's processing power inside. The upcoming Pixel 6A will be the first budget Android phone that uses the same processor, Google's Tensor chip, as the flagship Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Of course, Google isn't putting it into the body of Pixel 2 and instead is introducing a new design.
It makes sense that Apple's cheapest phone has the same processor as its most expensive: It's all about giving people access to Apple experiences. For example, if you buy an iPhone SE, you can use the Live Text feature in iOS 15 to grab text with your camera or copy it from a photo. And while the 2016 and 2020 versions of the iPhone SE sold well, it seems the 2022 version isn't breaking any sales records yet. Apple doesn't disclose a specific model breakdown of how many iPhones it sells, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo lowered his shipping estimates for the iPhone SE (2022) by 10 million. The lower demand could be an effect of rising inflation and the fact that the 2022 and 2020 versions of the iPhone SE look identical.
The SE showcases how iOS and Apple Silicon become the bedrock for everything you do on your iPhone. Obviously, not every model in Apple's iPhone lineup is equal. More expensive phones like the iPhone 13 Pro come with a contemporary design, high refresh-rate screens, larger camera sensors and tools like the U1 ultrawideband chip and lidar.
These extra perks mean you can use your iPhone in more ways. For example, if you've got the right car, you can unlock it and start it with your iPhone. Borscher describes moments like these as "automagic," meaning it just works. The same way a pair of AirPods can switch from your iPhone to your Mac for watching a video, or the way you can unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch.
Apple first introduced AirPods in 2017 with the release of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which lacked a physical headphone jack.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Such growth has consequences. Antitrust concerns over the app store and mobile payments, debates about screen time, Apple's contentious dealings with the FBI, criticism that all these services are part of a strategy to lock people into Apple's ecosystem and, more recently, privacy questions over AirTags are just some of the concerns that have grown alongside the iPhone's meteoric success. There are even questions as to whether Apple can launch another product line that is even half as successful as the iPhone. My CNET colleague and Apple reporter Ian Sherr points out that products like the Apple Watch and AirPods are lucrative lar gely because of their connection to the iPhone.
Over 15 years, the iPhone has become ubiquitous and helped Apple become a nearly $3 trillion company. The next iteration of the phone, likely called the iPhone 14, is expected to launch this September. It will no doubt run on iOS 16 and have the newest version of Apple's A-series processor and will continue to support the Apple experience. As for the long-term, my colleague Lisa Eadicicco thinks the most important part of future iPhones will be how it works with everything around it.
Samsung upcoming a series samsung galaxy a series latest samsung galaxy upcoming a series phones newest samsung galaxy a series new samsung galaxy a series 2022 samsung galaxy a series samsung galaxy a series latest phone samsung galaxy a03s samsung galaxy s10
Samsung Galaxy A Series: New lineup starts at $110 and two models have 5G
Samsung Galaxy A Series: New lineup starts at $110 and two models have 5G
Starting at just $110, Samsung's low-priced Galaxy A series phones for the US, unveiled Wednesday, are more wallet-friendly for shoppers on a budget. And they come as consumers wait for Apple to introduce its own cheaper smartphone, likely a successor to the 2016's iPhone SE. So yes, as the global economy crashes and more than a million people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, Samsung's betting we'll still need new phones -- even if we're not willing to pay as much for them.
Samsung on Wednesday said six smartphones in its A Series lineup -- some new and some previously announced -- will be coming to the US. The lineup, which has been popular in recent months, is known for being inexpensive compared with the company's flashy Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices. The four 4G LTE phones range from $110 for the Galaxy A10 to $400 for the Galaxy A51. Samsung even introduced two 5G models, the $500 Galaxy A51 5G and the $600 Galaxy A71 5G, giving Samsung two of the cheapest 5G phones in the US. (The 5G models will cost £429 and £519 respectively in the UK, which converts to about AU$850 and AU$1,030.) Here's how the A Series compares.
The devices all sport Samsung's curved displays and fast charging capabilities. The higher-end models have more -- and better -- camera lenses than the cheaper phones and come with other improvements like bigger batteries and more internal storage. And notably, they all come with 3.5mm headphone jacks.
The Galaxy A01 and A51 will hit the market Thursday first at Verizon, while the others, including the 5G models, will arrive this summer. Samsung previously unveiled the A01, A11 and A51 phones for other markets, but Wednesday is the first time it talked up its 5G models and its new Galaxy A21.
"What's great is the midtier consumer doesn't have to choose between great technology and great value," Caleb Slavin, senior manager of smartphone product strategy at Samsung Electronics America, said Tuesday in a call with journalists. He noted the A Series is aimed at consumers who care about the "essentials" like big displays and batteries.
Samsung's phone news comes as the globe battles the novel coronavirus outbreak. The virus, which causes an illness called COVID-19, was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. The World Health Organization in March labeled COVID-19 a pandemic, and the virus since then has changed the way we live. Cities and entire countries around the globe have issued lockdowns, shuttering stores, canceling events and ordering citizens to stay at home to help contain the coronavirus. Millions of people have lost their jobs amid one of the worst economic downturns in decades.
A phone slowdown
Smartphone makers, led by Samsung and Apple, have been jacking up prices over the last few years. But people watching their budgets are unlikely to spend $1,000 on a new phone right now. Even before the pandemic, people were pushing back by waiting longer to upgrade their phones or opting for less expensive devices. But the coronavirus is hurting both production and sales, as well as slowing the expansion of 5G wireless technology.
Smartphone shipments saw their biggest ever drop in February -- down 38% to 61.8 million units, according to Strategy Analytics -- as COVID-19 ravaged China, one of the world's largest markets and a vital manufacturing hub. For this whole year, phone sales should hit a 10-year low. Shipments of mobile phones, which include flip phones, likely will drop 13% to 1.57 billion units in 2020, while smartphone shipments should tumble about 11% to 1.26 billion units, according to CCS Insights.
Samsung on Monday became one of the first tech companies to show how COVID-19 is impacting business. The company said its sales for the March quarter will rise from the previous year but won't be quite as strong as Wall Street anticipated. It didn't elaborate on its preliminary results but will give more information later this month. It likely benefited from strong memory chip sales but saw a decline in its smartphone business.
Still, smartphones have long been viewed as essential, even for people who can't afford the latest pricey gadgets. Some purchases that would normally take place early in 2020 will be delayed to later in the year, predicted Counterpoint Research analyst Neil Shah. "The US should recover fast in the second half from a rollout perspective," he said.
Cheaper 5G devices
There's an opportunity for companies making cheaper phones, particularly when it comes to 5G. The first 5G devices accessing the super-fast network have been expensive. Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G from last year cost $1,299, while its regular 4G-enabled S10 started at $900. This year's lineup of Galaxy S20 phones all come with 5G and start at $1,000.
Samsung's Galaxy A90, its first 5G phone in the A Series, retailed for 749 euros (about $830) when it went on sale in Europe in October. The company's new A51 and A71 5G phones are even cheaper and are closer to the level touted by companies like Chinese giant TCL.
TCL, best known for its TVs, on Monday said it will sell its first TCL-branded 5G phone in the US for $399 (£399, approximately AU$800) later this year. The company hopes that pricing will help it immediately attract buyers as it tries to build its brand outside its BlackBerry and Alcatel labels.
Apple, for its part, is expected to introduce its new, less expensive iPhone any day. That device is believed to build on 2016's beloved iPhone SE, but it's not expected to have 5G connectivity. The 2020 iPhone SE may cost $399 (likely £399 or AU$699), the same amount as its predecessor from four years ago.
Samsung's A Series specs
As for Samsung, its two new 5G phones will be hard for many companies to match in the US. The A51 5G will cost $500 when it goes on sale this summer. It features a 6.5-inch FHD Plus Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, a quad-camera array with a 48-megapixel main lens, and 15-watt fast charging support.
The A71 5G will retail for $600. It sports a 6.7-inch FHD Plus Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O display, quad-camera array with a 64-megapixel main lens, and 25-watt fast charging. Both have 128GB of internal storage, 6GB of RAM, 4,500-mAh batteries and on-screen optical fingerprint sensors. They also come with microSD slots, letting you add up to 1TB of additional memory.
Samsung's new Galaxy A lineup starts at $110.
Samsung
The LTE version of the Galaxy A51 features many of the same specs as its 5G sibling but comes with a smaller, 4,000-mAh battery; only 4GB of RAM instead of 6; and expandable memory up to 512GB. It costs $400 and goes on sale at Verizon on Thursday before arriving at Sprint on Friday. It will arrive at other carriers and retailers later on. 4G LTE versions of the A71 and A51 are already on sale in the UK and Australia, starting at £329 and AU$749.
AT&T plans to carry the A51 in early May. When it's available, customers will be able to order online and tap into AT&T's doorstep deliver with virtual setup in select markets.
The other phone going on sale at Verizon on Thursday is the low-end Galaxy A01. It costs $110 and features a 5.7-inch HD Plus Infinity-V display. It has two rear cameras, a 13-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth lens. The front-facing selfie camera is 5 megapixels. The Galaxy A01 has a 3,000-mAh battery with fast charging and comes with 16GB of internal memory and 2GB of RAM. The memory can be expanded to 512GB through a microSD card. It will arrive at other carriers in the coming weeks.
Two other phones will hit the market this summer: the $180 Galaxy A11 and the $250 Galaxy A21. The A11 features a 6.4-inch HD Plus Infinity-O display, a 4,000-mAh battery, 32GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. It comes with three rear-facing lenses -- a 13-megapixel wide angle, 5-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel depth -- and an 8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.
The A21 sports a 6.5-inch HD Plus Infinity-O display, 4,000-mAh battery, 15 watt fast charge support, 32GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM. The device has a 13-megapixel front-face camera and four camera lenses on the back: a 16-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro and 2-megapixel depth camera. Both the A11 and A21 can be expanded to 512GB memory through a microSD card.
AT&T's Cricket Wireless and AT&T Prepaid businesses will carry the Galaxy A01 and A11 smartphones this year. It said it will announced pricing and availability in the coming months.
Originally published April 8, 6 a.m. PT. Update, 9:30 a.m.: Adds AT&T availability.
Nothing Phone 1 Review: Flashy Extras Highlight This Affordable Phone
Nothing Phone 1 Review: Flashy Extras Highlight This Affordable Phone
The Nothing Phone 1 -- the company's first phone -- is a 5G phone that gets a lot of things right, from its stripped-back interface to its generally sold performance and, most of all, its quirky transparent design with unique flashing LEDs on the back. It's a phone that I've been keen to get my hands on ever since its announcement, and after spending some time with it, the excitement hasn't faded.
But it's the price that makes this phone so appealing. Starting at only £399 in the UK (which converts to roughly $480 or AU$700), the Nothing Phone 1 is at least £100 less than I expected it to be. It's a low price, but what you get is a phone that feels like a premium product.
That is, if you can buy one. While the phone is on sale now in the UK and Europe, there are currently no plans for a full launch in the US. Nothing said that it's "definitely aiming to launch a US-supported mobile in the future," but it seems unlikely to happen any time soon. It may be that people in the US miss out on this first-gen model altogether.
Should you buy the Nothing Phone 1?
The Nothing Phone 1 certainly isn't an iPhone 13 Pro or Galaxy S22 Ultra rival. But it's not trying to be. It's a good phone, not because it tries to cram in every feature you could possibly imagine, but because it leaves them out. Both its hardware and software are stripped back, leaving you with a phone that's well suited for everyday needs at a price that'll still leave some cash in your bank.
It's rare that a new company arrives on the scene with a first product that feels this polished, but the Nothing Phone 1 manages to get all the essentials right, while adding in the extra pizzazz of that flashy design. If you're after a well-performing phone for a good price, it's definitely worth considering.
A flashy design, a big display
The Phone 1's design is certainly the thing that sets it apart from the competition. The back panel is entirely transparent, letting you see the interconnected components beneath including the wireless charging coil and multiple exposed screwheads. The only Nothing branding is a small logo in the bottom corner.
That transparency also allows for the lightshow; a set of LED strips, which Nothing calls the "glyph," light up across the back panel to alert you to incoming calls or notifications or even to use as a fill light when recording video. It's certainly unique and it's nice to see some different ideas on phones, especially in the budget sector, which is often awash with forgettable gray or black slabs.
The Nothing Phone 1 houses its selfie camera in a cutout on the top-left corner of the screen.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
But it's also arguably something of a gimmick. Time will tell how useful it really is. You might just not like the design, which is fair enough, but at this price it's fair to say you're not just paying for its looks.
Around the edge is a recycled aluminum frame that gives the phone a satisfyingly sturdy feel, while its IP53 water-resistance rating will help keep it safe from spilled drinks.
The 6.55-inch display is big enough to do justice to Netflix shows on the move, as does its 2,400x1,080-pixel resolution and vibrant colors. Its 120Hz refresh rate means that swiping around the home screens or scrolling through webpages looks buttery smooth.
Good enough performance for the price
Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus processor, backed up by 8GB of RAM. Results on benchmark tests for both processing power and graphics performance put it far away behind top models like the iPhone 13 Pro or S22 Ultra and slightly less behind more affordable handsets like the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro.
Nothing runs a rather clean version of Android 12 adding minor improvements throughout.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
That should be expected for a more affordable device, and the reality is that it's still got plenty of power for the majority of tasks you'd likely need it to do. Gaming in Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG were handled perfectly, as was video streaming and image editing in Snapseed. Even just navigating around the interface was swift and nippy.
That's likely helped by a stripped-back approach to the software. The phone runs Android 12, over which Nothing has slapped a minimal cosmetic skin. Overall, it's a light touch and doesn't include bloatware, preinstalled apps or services. Nothing hasn't tried to pointlessly develop its own email client (it knows you'd rather use Gmail) or create its own web browser (because you'll use Chrome, of course). In fact, all of the system apps are just the default Google ones.
This minimalist approach works well, making the phone feel clutter-free and usable. It's an approach I like. For comparison, Samsung notoriously preloaded its phones for years with its own software and services, making its phones feel bogged down.
Behind the top layer of internal components is a 4,500-mAh battery.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Solid dual cameras
Nothing kept the camera setup stripped back too, equipping the phone with just two rear 50-megapixel cameras including a standard wide-angle lens and an ultrawide lens. Nothing has kept the cost down by omitting dedicated telephoto and macro cameras, which is a good decision.
Notice the way the Phone 1's main camera captures the sky and clouds in this photo.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The colors are vibrant in this photo from the main camera.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The cameras take great photos. The main camera captures vibrant colors, with even exposure and plenty of detail. Side-by-side, shots from my iPhone 13 Pro are arguably better, but they're certainly not twice as good. It's worth remembering that the iPhone costs twice as much as the Nothing Phone 1.
Here is a shot of a river boat taken with the main camera.
Here's the same riverboat in a photo from the ultrawide. There is some noticeable color shift.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The ultrawide camera does a solid job for snaps in good light, but there's a noticeable shift in the color balance.
The 16-megapixel resolution of the selfie camera provides plenty of detail while the colors are rich and vibrant.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Nothing's cameras are by no means the best ones around, but if that's what you're looking for you'll need to spend more than twice the cash on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. For the money, the Phone 1's cameras do a superb job and will suit you well if you want vibrant shots of your next family vacation.
OK battery life with fast charging
Providing the juice is a 4,500-mAh battery, which is capacious enough to keep you going for a full day as long as you're fairly careful with what you do. In my tests, after an hour of streaming a YouTube video on Wi-Fi with the screen at maximum brightness, it had dropped from full to 93%, and further to 83% after a second hour.
That's not a great performance -- the OnePlus 10 Pro, Pixel 6 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro and Honor Magic 4 Pro all put in better efforts here. But it's a demanding test, and with more cautious use you shouldn't struggle to get a day out of it. If you're not playing graphically intense games or streaming lots of videos, you should make it through a day. Though you'll definitely need to charge it every night.
Getting it charged when you're in a hurry shouldn't be an issue. The Phone 1 supports 33-watt fast charging, which Nothing claims takes it from empty to 50% full in under 30 minutes. Unfortunately, a compatible fast charger doesn't come in the box and is only available as an add-on accessory.
Nothing Phone 1 specs vs. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, Google Pixel 6A, Apple iPhone SE (2022)