Let’s cut to the chase: the Nothing Phone (1) was not designed for the United States (and Canada). How can I tell? It lacks support for most US 5G bands. Nobody makes a 5G phone and excludes the most common 5G bands used in North America unless they have no intention of selling their phone there. Of course, if you don’t care much for 5G yet, it supports GSM and 4G LTE bands in use in the United States and will work fine.
The Nothing Phone was the darling boy of mobile phone enthusiasts in 2022, thanks to the PR and hype that the manufacturer pushed. It has since gone on sale in Europe and Asia, but not here in the United States. However, Nothing Ltd, the company behind the phone, has announced a US Beta testing program that will allow US residents to get a Nothing Phone and test Nothing OS 1.5 in it.
Carrier Support for Nothing Phone (1)
As already mentioned, the phone supports only GSM and 4G LTE networks in the US, and with carriers shutting down their 3G networks, it means this phone will run only on 4G networks on all carriers and a single US 5G band T-Mobile (N41). Nothing is in discussions with US carriers, and we are awaiting details after those deals are sealed.
How much is Nothing Phone (1) in the US?
Through the US Nothing beta test, you can get a unit for $300 only. The configuration has 8 GB RAM and 128 GB built-in storage. The 8/256 GB and 12/256 GB configurations are not available as part of this beta test program. While the $300 price tag is a steal, considering how much it sells for elsewhere, the flip side is that there is no warranty on it and there is no after-sales support either. If you buy the Nothing Phone (1) this way, you are entirely on your own if something goes wrong.
Nothing Phone (1) was released with Nothing OS 1.1.7 based on Android 12. The brand is currently testing Nothing OS 1.5 based on Android 13 before the final public release in Q1, 2023.
Nothing Phone (1) Specs
- Body: 159.2×75.8×8.3mm, 194g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame; Multiple LED lights on the back (notifications, charging progress, camera fill light), Blinking red light on the back (video recording indicator), IP53 – splash, water and dust resistant.
- Display: 6.55″ OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM7325-AE Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); Adreno 642L.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 12, Nothing OS.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 114˚, 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, PDAF.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, live HDR; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 33W, 50% in 30 min, 100% in 70 min (advertised), Wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 5W, Power Delivery 3.0, Quick Charge 4.0.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers.
Miscellaneous Info
To get your Nothing Phone (1) here in the US, sign up for the US beta program, make your payment, and the phone will be shipped to you within seven (7) working days. You can return it within 14 days if it gets damaged, and you will be issued a full refund. You can get started and sign up for the US beta program here.
