The Unlikely iPhone Pro Max Alternative

I’m as surprised as you

Earlier this year, I spent some time with the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Two things surprised me about that phone: the size of the device and its battery stamina. The former illustrates how reliant I’ve become on smaller phones since adopting the iPhone 13 mini as my daily driver, but the latter was truly astounding.

I’ve never witnessed a phone use so little battery. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is a truly multi-day powerhouse of a device. Alas, I thought it was too big. The thought of lugging that thing around every day was totally unappealing.

Now, I’m not so sure, and it’s all thanks to my current daily Android carry, the Nothing Phone (1).

When I preordered my see-through-flashy-light phone, I never thought I’d draw this conclusion, but it’s as clear as day: this £399 smartphone from a brand new manufacturer is a brilliant alternative to the super expensive iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Here’s why.

It’s a budget phone!

Let me repeat the price of the Nothing Phone (1): it costs just £399. That’s it. You can spend more if you want more storage (and the white one), but if you’re happy to buy the base model and be done with it, you’re firmly in budget phone territory.

It’s cheaper, even, than the iPhone SE — a phone that 2017 desperately wants back.

For many brands, ‘budget’ means ‘a bit shit’. Not so, for Swedish entrepreneur, Carl Pei, who founded Nothing after leaving OnePlus. No, he has focused smartly on building a phone which is both a pleasure to use and which features a bunch of stuff you usually only find in flagship devices.

The only thing you really give up is camera performance in certain scenarios (more on that later) and an official waterproof rating. Everything else about this phone is epic.

The screen is bang-on

The 6.5-inch OLED display on the Nothing Phone (1) can hit 700 nits of peak brightness, is capable of HDR10+, and has Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. But it’s also a 120Hz variable refresh rate panel, revealing that you don’t need to spend flagship money to gain access to what is fast becoming a smartphone feature for the masses.

I love the screen on this thing. Sure, it’s not quite as vibrant as the S22 Ultra, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max has the edge in terms of brightness and colour reproduction, but that stuff doesn’t matter when it comes at such a high premium.

More importantly, the Nothing Phone (1) has revealed that I can live with a large smartphone. Which bodes well for the next iPhone (more on that in due course).

It feels lovely

The Gorilla Glass 5 that’s used on the Nothing Phone (1) display can be found on the back of the device, too, which gives it a lovely iPhone-like feel. Indeed, it is spookily like an iPhone, as so many people have pointed out — me included.

This is a good thing because iPhones have always felt lovely when naked. The Nothing Phone (1) feels identical in that regard — even if the materials used are a notch below what you’d expect from Apple. However, as pointed out by my podcast co-host, Rob, the Nothing Phone (1) is remarkably light in the hand, which may contribute to a perceived reduction in build quality.

Regardless, I love handling this phone. Again, just like that beautiful screen, the ergonomics and decision to opt for a glass rear have revealed that large phones don’t have to be a burden.

Flagship-smashing performance

The Nothing Phone (1) is powered by the Snapdragon 778G Plus chipset. This is the previous generation, but it really doesn’t matter. Nor does the fact that it has ‘just’ 8GB of RAM; the Nothing Phone (1) flies.

In fact, I’d go as far to say that I wouldn’t know any different if the latest snapdragon was in this phone; it’s such a great performer.

Tellingly, it absolutely smashes the UK version of the S22 Ultra when it comes to normal everyday use. There’s no lagging, no stuttering, and I can get to wherever I need to be, immediately.

I’m not a mobile gamer and I genuinely can’t think of a meaningful, real-world way of really putting a modern smartphone through its paces. For me, it needs to be a music player, a phone, and an internet communicator. Wait… didn’t someone else say that once? The Nothing Phone (1) feels as fast as anyone would need it to be.

I’d also like to doff my cap to Android 12, which is just as good as iOS, if not considerably better in some regards. I’ve noted before that the way in which Google’s mobile operating system handles its home screens, notifications, and cusomtisation is head and shoulders above iOS, and the Nothing team has been incredibly respectful in its tinkering with Android. It’s basically stock, and that’s a very good thing indeed.

Great battery life

It’s great. Not iPhone 13 Pro Max great, but, then, nothing is (pun intended).

The Nothing Phone (1) breezes through a day of use with loads to spare, and the standby time is epic.

For someone who has been struggling recently with the battery in his iPhone 13 mini, this has been a welcome return to form in the battery stakes.

The one downside

There’s one issue with the Nothing Phone (1) that definitely needs highlighting. I’m yet to experience or fully test it myself, but I can once again turn to my Eight or Sixteen co-host, Rob, who informs me that the camera struggles with fast-moving objects.

In isolation and with static objects, the Nothing Phone (1) produces great photos. But, clearly, if you’re trying to grab those all-important shots of your constantly-moving kids or a feisty new puppy, it might prove to be a bit frustrating.

This phone also runs Android, and if you’re an Apple Watch kinda person, it’s, therefore, a non-starter. But I wouldn’t call that a downside, and I’m personally rather excited about the increasing range of Apple Watch alternatives in Android land!

Final thought

As I write this blog post, I’m preparing to go on holiday for a week, and I’ve got no choice (this is completely self-inflicted, mind) but to swap my Nothing Phone (1) for the Pixel 6a that has sat respectfully in its box since it arrived a couple of weeks ago.

I need to test Google’s latest budget smartphone. I know I’m probably going to like it — particularly that camera — but I also know I’m going to miss the Nothing Phone (1), big time.

Ah, to be a tech reviewer! Alas, I am genuinely surprised by how deeply this phone-with-meaningless-LED-lights has buried itself under my skin.

Bravo, Carl.

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Originally published at https://markellisreviews.com on August 18, 2022.