Nothing Phone 1 - Smartphone Battery Performance

SMARTPHONE TIER: MID

Battery Capacity mAh: 4500

We have listed what you need to know about the Nothing Phone 1.

Overview

Nothing was founded by Carl Pei, who was partially responsible for raising awareness of the OnePlus brand we know today.

Making its debut, the Nothing Phone 1 enters the Mid Tier (€200-€499) and joins other similarly priced smartphones. Features like wireless charging and a fast screen refresh rate give more than competitive brands.

The Nothing Phone 1 comes with a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, a power adapter, a screen protector (pre-applied), a SIM card holder ejector and a clear TPU case in the box. Safety information and a warranty card can be found inside as well.

Being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, the Nothing Phone 1 is available with 8G of RAM and 128GB of storage. This device runs on Android 11 with a custom skin designed by Nothing and is focused on simplicity and ease of use.

One of the highlights of this smartphone is its unique notification system. This "Ear (1) phone" system uses the phone's back panel to display various notifications and messages and a series of glyphs that appear around the edges of the display to alert users to incoming calls, messages, and other notifications.

The notifications are displayed using a set of 32,000 microscopic LEDs that light up to form glyphs representing different notifications. The glyphs are designed to be unobtrusive and blend in with the user's environment. Its "Ear (1) Buds" are wireless earbuds that can connect to the phone via Bluetooth. When the Ear (1) Buds are connected, the phone can display notifications on the earbuds themselves, which is a novel way to stay connected without checking your phone constantly.

Product - Good Points

The Nothing Phone 1 has the following features:

Product - Be Aware of Points

The Nothing Phone 1 lacks in performance in the following ways:

We have designed and developed Battery Performance Labels to help Smartphone users.

Translated into the ViserMark Labels, the battery performance test results for the Nothing Phone 1 are below.

Our experts are asked to test more than 100 Smartphones every year. As an independent mobile phone testing environment, SmartViser measures key areas of user experience.

More details can be found on how we perform our smartphone testing here.

Look at the review by ViserMark based on the results during testing. You can find the full results of our battery performance testing below:

The Battery Performance Label shows a score between 0 and 100. It reflects the performance based on independent, repeatable, and rigorous testing.

Using various testing criteria, measured using real-life scenarios and live networks, results collated with calculations from Battery Life, Power Efficiency and Charging results that amount to the total score.

The design of the Nothing Phone 1 is focused on minimalism to create a device that blends in with the user's environment and doesn't distract from their daily life.

The phone's unique design features a transparent glass back panel, allowing users to see the device's internal components. One of the standout features of the Nothing Phone 1 is the "inverted notch" or "hole" in the top centre of the screen that displays notifications and other information using symbols and glyphs. This feature has been praised for being innovative and creative.

Overall, the Nothing Phone 1 offers a good balance of design and functionality, with unique features that set it apart from other smartphones.

Within the ViserMark Mid Tier (€200-€499), the Nothing Phone 1 competes closely with the Xiomi Reedmi Note 11 Pro and the Realme Narzo 50 when comparing battery performance, as shown in the chart below.

In our recent smartphone review, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro leads with a higher battery performance score of 50 out of 100, offers good value for money, and is IP53-rated. The Realme Narzo 50 presented specific gaming features, smooth performance and excellent smartphone battery life, although no 5G option exists.

Other smartphone battery performance results can be seen in the Mid Tier Ranking table.

Battery Life

Battery Life - How long will this Smartphone battery last?

The Battery Life ViserMark Label displays the “Days-of-Use” in both actual days and provides accurate information in hours. It reflects the usage of a smartphone from a full charge.

The Nothing Phone 1 has a bright, colourful, and sharp display, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and animations smooth. The phone also has a "monochrome mode" feature, which turns the display black and white to reduce distractions. Overall, the display is one of the highlights of the Nothing Phone 1, offering an immersive experience for media consumption and everyday use.

With a battery capacity of 4,500 mAh, this smartphone performs very well to achieve 2 Days of Use. When we tested the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro and Realme Narzo 50, both obtained the same 2 Days of Usage despite having a larger battery capacity; there are only 5 hours separately for all three devices.

Other smartphone battery performance results can be seen in the Mid Tier Ranking table.

Charging Times

Battery Charging Time - How long will this smartphone take to charge?

Time varies to charge different types and sizes of Smartphone batteries. They are expressed in Hours and Minutes.

The Nothing Phone 1 supports 33W wired charging, although it struggles to have a fast charging time. Compared to the Redmi Note 11 Pro, which supports 67W charging, Xiaomi claims zero to 50% in just 15 minutes and 100% in 42 minutes.

Please view all the smartphone Charging Times from our testing results.

Power Efficiency

Power Efficiency - How power efficient is this smartphone?

It maximises the smartphone's performance while reducing the energy it consumes, with minimal impact on battery life.

Calculated using Battery Life and Battery Capacity and expressed in “Leaves", it reflects a rating between 1 being the least and 5 being the most power efficient.

When tested, most mid-range smartphones, including the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro and Realme Narzo 50, gain a 1 out of 5 battery efficiency score. The test results for the Nothing Phone 1 showed a score of 1.5, deeming this smartphone more efficient.

More Power Efficiency can be viewed.

Annual Energy Consumption

Power Consumption - How much energy does this smartphone use?

All smartphones use energy, and although it is only a small amount, each smartphone varies in consumption.

Our results calculated that the Nothing Phone 1 would use only 3.0 kWh per Annum; both other comparable devices, when tested, showed more usage in consumption.

Through the ViserMark testing protocol, end-users can see an objective benchmark across all devices on their smartphone's expected annual electricity consumption.

Should I buy it?

Nothing has introduced a smartphone that is attractive and delivers - not bad for their first attempt at entering the market. The smartphone is well-built and performs well in day-to-day use, but it may not be as powerful as other high-end smartphones.

With a unique and refreshing design and solid specifications, the phone is very original, which helps it stand out above the rest. Providing better battery life and a sharp display, overall, it is an all-round performer, although slightly lacking in camera quality.

As a new smartphone, this device has most of the basics in place that end-users expect. With a small start and more developments planned, solid foundations continue to be built. However, the price tag may be steep for some end-users, especially considering the lack of a headphone jack or expandable storage.

Product Features and Specification

Release Date July 2022

ViserMark tests are performed with the strictest protocol in a controlled environment to ensure repetition and consistency powered and automated by SmartViser’s test automation solution viSer. The automation test includes a variety of user actions, from calls to social media and periods of standby times.

VCX (Valued Camera eXperience)

The VCX Forum has been working with its members on the system and infrastructure as a non-profit organisation. We strive to improve our technology to develop and exchange accurate and objective quality and performance indicators that are our ultimate goal. We will also serve as a compass for the smartphone camera industry. We appreciate your interest in VCX-Forum.

No VCX reviews are available for this smartphone.

Background

Nothing Technology Limited (stylised as NOTHING) is a consumer electronics manufacturer based in London. Englan Carl Pei, the co-founder of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, founded it. On 23 March, the company announced its first smartphone, the "phone (1)", and on 10 December 2022, Nothing opened its first physical store in London's Soho district.

Recently, during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Nothing announced that their next generation of phones would be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The announcement highlighted the next smartphone release's increased power and device price.

If you're looking for the best smartphone on the market, battery performance is one of the vital decisive aspects. Please review the comprehensive ViserMark database of testing results.

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ViserMark is a benchmark to help make better-informed choices when buying a Smartphone. ViserMark has designed the first label that measures battery performance, translating mAh into direct battery life scores. It is also a precious marketing asset to device manufacturers and end-users. 

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