Is the Nothing Phone (1) worth buying in February 2023?

The Nothing Phone (1) is a bold venture that hit the smartphone market in July 2022. When Carl Pei, the former co-founder of OnePlus, introduced his new brand, everyone was surprised. After all, this was the first time he had been engaged with a mobile device since leaving the company.

Few people knew what to expect from the device, but they were willing to trust it. Since its launch, the said model has continued to do well despite the limited supply in certain regions of the world. It's considered by many to be one of the best devices in its segment.

But this year has brought even bigger improvements to the model, thanks to the ongoing work the brand has been doing in terms of software. With some potential discounts, let's find out why it will still be a good purchase for a new user in February 2023.

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Nothing Phone (1) is a feature-packed device that is surprisingly affordable for what it offers

The effectiveness of any mobile device boils down to its specifications and how much it costs. When one considers the price segment of the Nothing Phone (1), it's incredibly competitive.

On one hand, the brand faces competition from bigger names like Google and the Pixel 6A. On the other, Chinese companies provide strong specifications at affordable prices.

Brand	Nothing
Price	Starts at $299 (beta program)
Hardware	Snapdragon 778G+ octa-core (6nm) , 8/12 GB LPDDR 5, 128/256 GB ROM
Display	6.55", OLED, HDR10
Camera	2 50 MP cameras at the back with Ultrawide support
Battery	4,500 mAh, 33W fast charging

So what makes the maiden device from Nothing so special? Certain specifications will also appear to be quite standard. The display, for starters, features a 6.55" FHD+ OLED panel protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

It is rated at 700 nits of peak brightness and a native resolution support of 2400x1080 pixels. There's support for 120 Hz dynamic refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 402 ppi pixel density.

It's powered by a Snapdragon 778G+ 5G chipset and Adreno 642L GPU. There's an option to choose between 8 and 12 GB LPPDR 5 RAM and storage options between 128/256 GB. All variants support a microSD card with up to 1 TB of storage. Internal capacity also comes with UFS 3.1, ensuring greater efficiency at every step.

The dual-camera setup features 50 MP lenses on both, with support for ultrawide shorts. You can also take a macro shot with the primary lens, and there's the option to record 4K videos at 30 FPS. With the presence of OIS, shooting videos or photographs won't be an issue.

Lastly, the battery's performance is top-notch thanks to the 4,500 mAh cell, which comes with 33W fast charging. The Nothing Phone (1) also supports wireless and reverse charging for other devices in its ecosystem.

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What makes the Nothing Phone (1) so unique in 2023?

When Carl Pei launched the Nothing Phone (1), it was clear that the brand was aiming at the existing iPhone models. After all, Carl is an admitted Apple fan, and it's no wonder his new venture takes a lot of inspiration from there.

If someone wants to game on their mobile device, other options exist. While the Snapdragon 778G+ is a pretty efficient processor, there are better alternatives in systems in this range. But other key areas truly bypass the weaknesses.

The camera is a matter of great strength and has massively improved with software updates. Regarding the best offerings in this price segment, it's a tightly fought contest between this phone and the Google Pixel 6A.

Then comes the whole area of software updates, where the Nothing Phone (1) is going to great heights. It launched with Android 12, but an Android 13 beta is already available. It will be released globally in the next few months, but the early impressions are quite strong.

Aside from Google, the Nothing Phone (1) provides one of the best software experiences among Android devices. The company has also promised to keep working on their inaugural model to improve it, and results have been seen so far. It's impossible to change a device's hardware, but Nothing has been able to unlock much of its potential with the software updates.

February 2023 is the first full month the device will be available in the US beta program. In other regions like India, Nothing has gone for some nice discounts without dedicated sales. All the variants have a reasonable supply, although the white color version can be hard to find.

With ongoing discounts and software updates, the Nothing Phone (1) is feature-packed in the mid-budget segment. The Nothing OS is clean and well-optimized, and the hardware comes with an efficient chip that combines well with the camera setup. Combined with the device being worked upon constantly, it will be one of the more sensible picks to choose from in February 2023.