Nothing Phone test (1): an outsider who hits hard

Going to the essentials is in any case what we can estimate when we cross the two modules of the Phone (1). No fuss, officiate here a main module of 50 megapixels (IMX 766) and an ultra wide-angle module, also 50 Mpx (Samsung JN1). A somewhat confusing proposition at first glance, because the majority of smartphones in this segment generally offer one or two additional sensors. But if Nothing preferred to play the quality card instead of quantity, we are takers.

Module principal : 50 Mpx, f/1,8

Oppo Find X5 Lite (16 Mpx, f/1,7 éq. 25 mm, ISO 230, 1/50 s)

Nothing Phone (1) (f/1,8 éq. 24 mm, ISO 104, 1/100 s)

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By day, the main module delivers a very good result for the mid-range. The photo is correctly exposed, the colorimetry is good, as is the level of detail. The software processing applied by Nothing is quite good during the day and does not crush the image too much, which is quite rare in this price range.

Oppo Find X5 Lite (16 Mpx, f/1,7 éq. 25 mm, ISO 6902, 1/10 s)

Nothing Phone (1) (f/1,8 éq. 24 mm, ISO 4777, 1/20 s)

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At night, it’s a little different. The software processing is then a little too strong and digital noise covers the scene. Everything is a little dull, but the sharpness remains correct.

Mode 50 Mpx

50 Mpx nuit, crop 100 %

50 Mpx jour, crop 100 %

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By default, the Phone (1) shoots in 12.5 Mpx thanks to the technique of pixel-binning. It is obviously possible to take shots in full definition, i.e. 50 Mpx. However, the contribution is quite low. The photo is not necessarily more detailed, whether it is day or night.

Module ultra grand-angle : 50 Mpx, f/2,2

Oppo Find X5 Lite (8 Mpx, f/2,2, éq.15 mm, ISO 288, 1/100 s)

Nothing Phone (1) (f/2,2, éq.14 mm, ISO 288, 1/100 s)

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For the ultra wide-angle, Nothing has also chosen 50 Mpx, which makes it possible to do better than the competition in this field. Indeed, despite a slight colorimetric problem, exposure and sharpness are good. The image is a little smoothed, but nothing too disturbing.

Oppo Find X5 Lite (8 Mpx, f/2,2, éq.15 mm, ISO 7812, 1/20 s)

Nothing Phone (1) (f/2,2, éq.14 mm, ISO 5312, 1/15 s)

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In low light, it’s not really the same, because the image is overwritten by software processing. The colorimetry and exposure remain correct, however, but it is difficult to shoot something clean with the ultra wide-angle at night.

Front module, portrait and video mode

At the front, Nothing has decided to house a 16 Mpx module. The photo quality is quite good, the smartphone managing to produce good brightness and good sharpness. For portrait mode, it’s pretty decent too. The clipping is done correctly and the background blur doesn’t look too artificial.

For video, the Phone (1) can shoot up to 4K at 30 fps. The optical stabilization (OIS) present on the main module allows tremors when you film – the images will manage not to move too much.