When the Nothing Phone 1 was released at the end of July, it caught the attention of everyone. When configured right, the phone's design can be surprisingly helpful. How is life with the Nothing Phone 1 now that the honeymoon period is over?
I was able to get back to using the Nothing Phone 1 after taking a break from using phones. It doesn't bother me because it's so nice and light. The wide phone can be a bit slippery so I have been using a transparent case to keep it out of my hand.
The lights and sounds, what about them? I almost don't pay attention to them, which sounds bad. I configured the lights to fit into my life so I don't use them. One of the main features of the Nothing Phone 1 is flip to glyph. The Glyph lights alert you of calls and notifications when the silent mode is activated.
I notice the bright flash of the Glyph light even though I don't notice the flash of a simple notificationLED light. I don't miss as many notifications as I would with a simple vibrate mode. One particular feature of the Phone 1 just works well for me and I have forgotten about the lights. I don't have to look for a reason to use them, and that stops the lights from being a ruse.
Bug fixes, feature enhancements, and small changes to the way the operating system looks and functions are some of the things that have been delivered to the Phone 1 since it was released. The company supporting the phone is a good sign. There is some bad news on the update.
The Nothing Phone 1 will get Android 13 before the end of the year. It is possible that it will arrive after the I/O developer conference in May. It is a disappointment because NothingOS isn't heavily tailored.
I wonder if the software updates cured the small issues I had with the Nothing Phone 1. They have made a difference. When I reviewed the Nothing Phone 1, I found that the face unlock feature and the fingerprint sensor didn't work well together and that I had to use my PIN. This was improved with an update, but only after I deleted and re- registered my fingerprints. My fingerprints are recognized almost all the time now that my face is unlocked. It is better even though it is not perfect.
The Nothing Phone 1 became quite warm. The Phone 1 doesn't get as hot as it used to because of the high ambient temperatures. The back of the phone is warm when you hold it, but it isn't uncomfortable to do. I think the reduction in heat build-up is a result of a change in weather conditions.
The Nothing Phone 1 doesn't last as long as a full day with heavy use, and there hasn't been any improvement in battery life. The battery will not last through a second day even if you turn it off overnight. At least 10% of the battery will be taken away by a 30-minute video and 30 minutes of gaming.
Sometimes it's hard to believe photos taken with the main and wide-angle camera come from the same phone and snapped just seconds apart, because the two cameras on the back of the Nothing Phone 1 aren't in tune with each other. The main, wide, and 2x zoom camera modes are shown in the photo gallery.
The main camera is Andy Boxall.
There is a nice blue sky in the main camera photo, as well as details in the monument and in the shaded tree. The photo is much less realistic due to the wide angle. The two scenes don't really look the same, it's just a bit too much off the camera, and it's not an ugly photo. While there is some smoothing in the background of the photo, it is a decent one.
The examples below were taken after the set above in the same conditions.
The main camera is Andy Boxall.
The Nothing Phone 1 takes great photos when both cameras are working well. It is up against several other phones that have the same price and take good pictures. I want a phone camera that I can trust and the Nothing Phone 1 isn't there yet.
It has been interesting to return to the Nothing Phone 1 after so many years. It's easy to live with the phone. The software is reliable, there are some annoying bugs fixed, and it is not filled with pointless apps. The Glyph lights and other features are still useful. The Nothing Phone 1 makes it feel special.
It's not all good. The job number one at Nothing is to sort the camera inconsistencies out, as the differences can be extreme to the point where I don't trust the camera. The update to the operating system needs to be addressed after that. Nothing is a small company that has taken time. I understand it won't arrive tomorrow, but the timelines need to be moved forward. The end of this year would be the best one. The mid-2023 is not good when all of the major players are delivering the same version of the software before that.
I don't want to take my sim card out of the Nothing Phone 1 and put it in a different phone, which is a strong recommendation.
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