The Nothing Phone 1 Is Officially Coming to United States But Should You Buy It?

When the Nothing Phone 1 hit the market, a surprising decision was made to skip the US. Carrier partnerships, customization and network hardware compatibility have made it difficult for OEMs to find a foothold in this part of the world, and Carl Pei cited similar reasons behind the decision.

Six months later, however, the smartphone, which has found success in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, is officially making its way to the shores of North America, albeit via a beta program. Here’s what the program does and whether you should buy Nothing Phone 1 in the US.

Where and how can I buy The Nothing Phone 1 in the US?

Until January 2023, Nothing Phone 1 was not available for purchase through official US channels. This meant either relying on third-party sellers who sold phones on Amazon or importing devices from Europe.

There are three caveats to the above method. First of all, you can’t get warranty or after-sales support in the US. Second, your device only works well with some carriers. Third, you’ll be paying over $500 to get your hands on the device.

But with the launch of the Nothing Beta membership, you can get the Nothing Phone 1 8GB + 128GB black color unit for $300. Unfortunately, the other two caveats remain. None explicitly state that the device may not work well with all carriers and that there is no after-sales support.

Nevertheless, purchasing from official channels has the advantage of a 14-day return period. If you order through Amazon or import your device, you may miss this option.

What carriers and network bands does Phone 1 support?

Before we discuss the device’s hardware and how it compares to the competition, let’s understand the device’s network compatibility in the US.

Nothing explicitly states that the device can only use T-Mobile 3G, 4G or 5G, Verizon 4G, and AT&T 3G or 4G. CDMA is not supported. The following table details the carrier bands that work on Phone 1.

Another thing to keep in mind is that VoLTE and VoWi-Fi don’t work with AT&T and Verizon users should contact Verizon customer service to add Phone 1’s IMEI to the Verizon database.

What specifications does the Phone 1 have?

Despite being the first smartphone by Nothing, the Phone 1 did a great job of creating a space of its own. It offers a combination of hardware that won the Best Mid-range title at the Pocketnow Awards 2022, ensuring your device can handle any task with ease.

screen

Its 6.55-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display is one of the best on the market. It features high color reproduction accuracy and sharp rendering. In our review test of the Phone 1, we didn’t see any significant color shift when viewing the panel from different angles.

As for brightness levels, a typical max of 500 nits is fine for outdoor use, but I would have liked a brighter panel. I’m here. HDR support can boost display brightness to 1200 nits. Also, the decision to use a flat panel with uniform bezels enhances the aesthetics of the device.

performance

When it comes to performance, the device relies on the capable Snapdragon 778G Plus paired with either 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This combination ensures ample performance headroom for demanding games and multitasking.

The beta membership model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

camera

The camera hardware on this device is also above par. It has a dual camera system on the back, with a 50-megapixel wide sensor and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The images you can capture from this hardware are better than course standards.

The main shooter is a go-to in nearly any scenario, whether it’s a dimly lit restaurant or a bright sunny day at the park. Ultrawide here isn’t the best.I did notice some discrepancies between the color I captured and what I saw from the primary shooter, but a software update improved performance.So the occasional group photo or landscape photography. The front camera is fine and seems to struggle in low light.

battery

Smartphone battery life is also acceptable. It comes with a 4,500 mAh cell and can easily last a day. In our tests, we found around 6 hours of use throughout the day when scrolling through social media, capturing images, and playing games briefly. It also supports 33W fast charging, which can go from 0 to 100% in just over 60 minutes.

How does Nothing Phone 1 compare to the competition?

From the spec breakdown above, it’s clear that the smartphone packs a lot of quality hardware, and these provide good reasons to buy the Nothing Phone 1. But it outperforms the competition. You may be wondering if it is.

In the US, whether it’s $300 or $500, the Phone 1 can’t beat the Google Pixel 6a, Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Samsung Galaxy A53. Aside from carrier compatibility issues and lack of after-sales support, the Nothing Phone 1’s hardware and software package is far superior to the competition.

The Google Pixel 6a may be the camera leader in the above assortment, but the Nothing Phone 1 isn’t far behind. Yes, the iPhone SE (2022) has a capable A15 Bionic, but when it comes to everyday tasks, the Snapdragon 778G Plus handles it just fine. Also, the Nothing Phone 1’s display is nearly identical to the Samsung Galaxy A53.

Even compared to the Google Pixel 7, we can see that the device has some advantages.Also, looking at the Nothing Phone 1 beta price in the US, the Pixel 7 is a $400 more expensive device.

Should I buy The Nothing Phone 1?

If you’re a Verizon non-user and willing to tackle any network compatibility issues the device may face, the Nothing Phone 1 is the clear winner.At $300, the value it offers can’t be disputed, it just reinforces the device’s argument for being one of the best phones under $500.