Nothing, the company founded by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, launched its first ever smartphone in 2022 – and to say it looks different from just about every other phone on the market is an understatement.
Sporting the same semi-transparent design as the Nothing Ear (1) headphones launched the year before, the Phone (1) looks just as intriguing, sporting a semi-transparent back with unique LEDs.
Read on to find out how to get the Phone (1) at the best price – or read our review of the phone to find out what we think of it.
Where is the Phone (1) available?
The Nothing Phone (1) is officially available from across the UK, Europe, and Asia.
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It’s not officially on sale in the US, but you can now buy it. That’s by joining the company’s new ‘Nothing OS 1.5 beta membership‘, a paid programme that nets you the phone at a discounted price, but with the stipulation that you’re officially beta testing its software, and that it may not work with every carrier.
More specifically, the company warns that 5G will only work on T-Mobile – and not with full coverage – with Verizon and AT&T both limited to 4G only. Verizon coverage in particular is warned to be “very limited.”
This beta programme only runs until 30 June 2023, so the phone may not be available after that point – or, if it goes well, perhaps that means the phone will get an official release in the States instead.
How much does the Nothing Phone (1) cost?
The Nothing Phone (1) comes in three versions:
- 8GB + 128GB: £399/€469/₹33,999
- 8GB + 256GB: £449/€499/₹36,999
- 12GB + 256GB: £499/€549/₹39,999
That’s a competitive price that puts the phone firmly in the territory of our mid-range phone ranking, up against rivals like the OnePlus Nord 2T and Samsung Galaxy A53 – though if you’re in India, note that the price has jumped by ₹1,000 since launch because of “fluctuating currency exchange rates & rising component costs.”
We’re hoping we don’t see further price increases. The Nothing Ear (1) earbuds went on sale at an entry-level $99/£99/€99/₹6,999 but have since risen in price by as much as 50% depending on where you live, so we’re worried the Phone (1) may yet see similar.
That may have partly been to make room for the cheaper Ear (Stick) buds though, which have since launched at around the same price the Ear (1) debuted at – we’re not expecting to see any similar cheaper phone arrive to supplant the Phone (1) any time soon.
In the US, the Nothing beta membership gets you the 8GB+128GB model in black for just $299 – approximately $100 cheaper than its equivalent price elsewhere. Of course, given the stipulation that it’s a beta test and your carrier support will be limited, that seems pretty fair.
Where can I buy the Nothing Phone (1) SIM-free?
Before launch, Nothing made a lot of fuss about having an invite-only pre-order system, with a waitlist and referral system in place. That’s now closed, but the good news is that you can now simply… buy a phone. It’s a radical reinvention of the purchasing system, we know.
The phone is available SIM-free direct from Nothing itself, from Amazon, or from Selfridges in the UK. You can also pick it up without a SIM from O2, both online and in-store.
It’s a similar story outside of the UK, with availability from Flipkart in India and a range of carriers and electronics stores – including Amazon – across Europe.
As mentioned above, in the US your only option for now is to buy the phone direct from Nothing through the beta membership.
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The best Phone (1) contract deals in the UK
As mentioned above, the Phone (1) is a UK network exclusive for O2 in the UK, and they’re offering it both online and in-store.
Here are the best contracts from O2 at the time of writing, broken down by the versions of the phone. These are all 3-year contracts with unlimited minutes and texts, and perks including free roaming in select countries and extra subscriptions to streaming services, and all cost just £10 upfront.
8GB RAM + 128GB storage:
- £28.81 per month for 2GB of data
- £31.81 per month for 5GB of data
- £34.81 per month for 20GB of data
- £37.80 per month for 30GB of data
- £38.81 per month for 100GB of data
- £41.80 per month for 150GB of data
- £43.81 per month for unlimited data
8GB RAM + 256GB storage:
- £30.20 per month for 2GB of data
- £33.20 per month for 5GB of data
- £36.20 per month for 20GB of data
- £39.19 per month for 30GB of data
- £40.20 per month for 100GB of data
- £43.19 per month for 150GB of data
- £45.20 per month for unlimited data
12GB RAM + 256GB storage:
- £31.59 per month for 2GB of data
- £34.59 per month for 5GB of data
- £37.59 per month for 20GB of data
- £40.58 per month for 30GB of data
- £41.59 per month for 100GB of data
- £44.58 per month for 150GB of data
- £46.59 per month for unlimited data
Author: Dominic Preston, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Previously Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming.