Nothing Telephone 1 reminds us that smartphone design innovation is not useless

Once we speak about smartphone design, we regularly say and listen to issues like, “design is subjective,” “design is a private selection,” and so forth. Sure, design is polarizing. Virtually each smartphone design ballot we put out at Android Authority divvies individuals up into opposing camps. However there are occasions whenever you simply have to come back out and respect one thing for the great it brings. Within the case of the Nothing Telephone 1, it’s the design.

Take a look at: The most effective and worst smartphone designs from final yr

Jony Ive’s quote above completely describes the issue with how smartphones look lately. Only a few telephones can really distinguish themselves from the remaining, even much less so when huge manufacturers and their sub-brands merely take the identical design and slap a special title on it. I’m taking a look at you, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi. Whereas telephones, particularly within the mid-range phase, boast many so-called design feats, most of them fail to transcend tweaking rear cowl colorways, textures, and the digital camera module form and placement. Design really has come to be a phrase meaning little or no within the smartphone panorama.

And in comes Nothing with its clear again and the “Glyph” interface that appears radically completely different from something on the market proper now. In dictionary phrases, the phrase “glyph” originates from Greek structure, however its extra fashionable which means is “an emblem that conveys data non-verbally.” Within the case of the Nothing Telephone 1, the Glyph is one thing that conveys data with out having to mild up the show of the cellphone.

The LEDs behind the system can beam in numerous patterns and sync up with completely different sounds. It’s like a notification system on steroids, pulsating for incoming calls, messages, app alerts, and extra. I particularly just like the neat charging progress bar (pictured) that glows on the backside of the rear cowl. The complete factor may also mild up without delay to behave as a fill mild for the cameras. And due to Nothing’s community-led method, the interface will probably be open for individuals to construct extra customized results. That must be attention-grabbing.

Truthfully, that is essentially the most innovation I’ve seen in smartphone design shortly. Not solely does the Telephone 1 give us a peek underneath its hood, nevertheless it additionally has some enjoyable options related to its distinctive design. Not like Xiaomi’s Mi 8 Explorer Version, which peddled transparency however as an alternative gave us a bunch of faux circuitry on the again, Nothing has created an attention grabbing but practical rear cowl.

Don’t get me incorrect. I’m not dissing all different smartphone OEMs and their design selections. The well-established manufacturers make telephones that enchantment to the mass market, and in that, they need to roughly play it secure with their selections. Which means equipping telephones with a few cameras on the again, an enormous show up entrance, and varied coloration choices.

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Nevertheless, Nothing is a startup and getting into a troublesome market. The worldwide chip scarcity could be very actual, leading to launch delays, doable product cancellations, and rising part costs. Nothing additionally faces an uphill battle in a market overcrowded with choices. On prime of that, the Telephone 1 isn’t anticipated to be a flagship killer just like the early OnePlus telephones, despite the fact that Carl Pei is behind it.

So what does a brand new firm do to face out in such an setting? Making simply one other common cellphone is unquestionably not the reply. It’ll get misplaced in a sea of equivalent slabs. Experimenting with industrial design is Nothing’s finest guess to shine by the monotony. It’s the one factor the agency can rely on to make a distinction, particularly on condition that the Nothing launcher doesn’t actually have rather a lot going for it proper now.

Even when you consider that the Telephone 1’s rear cowl setup is a glorified gimmick, it’s nonetheless a intelligent one. The corporate could also be overhyping the cellphone and its design could not enchantment to everybody, nevertheless it doesn’t have to fret an excessive amount of about that. Nothing is a newcomer and, as such, can afford to paint exterior the traces. The Telephone 1 gained’t have an enormous manufacturing run to start with, too, so it’s not just like the agency could have useless stock on its arms in case the design doesn’t discover a number of followers. It will probably afford to focus on a particular area of interest, similar to Pei’s first enterprise, OnePlus, did again within the day.

For OnePlus, it was Cyanogen OS. The primary cellphone shipped with the business model of CyanogenMod — the most well-liked community-developed customized ROM again then. Not solely did that appeal to the software program’s loyal devotees, nevertheless it additionally appealed to individuals who most popular a clear, stock-like aesthetic. The Glyph and the clear design of the Nothing Telephone 1 comply with the identical recipe — they only achieve this with {hardware} as an alternative of software program.

Add to that the truth that the Nothing Telephone 1 compliments the design of the corporate’s first product — the Ear 1 buds — and you may see Pei has a theme in thoughts for a broader ecosystem. In an interview with Wallpaper, Pei expressed his appreciation for Apple’s “coherent imaginative and prescient” for its merchandise. “When you had a desk stuffed with merchandise from one other producer, you don’t actually see that,” he mentioned, stressing how Nothing desires to create a design language of its personal for its ecosystem.

Associated: Nothing is borrowing all the suitable strikes from the early OnePlus playbook

Tying it with a bow is what Nothing has to do now. Latest rumors point out that the Telephone 1 will function a Snapdragon 700-series chipset. That routinely places it in a pool of less-powerful telephones. Certain, Qualcomm’s mid-range chips supply complete 5G capabilities and sufficient energy for every day wants — the Pixel 5 is a chief instance of a superb Snapdragon 700 collection system — however they lack the processing speeds and digital camera prowess that solely flagship SoCs can supply. No different specs of the Telephone 1 have leaked to this point, however the image being painted will not be one thing we haven’t seen earlier than.

So getting that design proper, ensuring it really works as supposed, and guaranteeing it doesn’t horribly deplete the cellphone’s battery is one thing we hope Nothing has paid shut consideration to. As a result of it could be its solely and largest pawn within the sport. For now, I like what I see, and so do lots of our readers who voted in our ballot above.

Up subsequent: If the Nothing Telephone 1 isn’t low cost, it’ll fail