How does the Nothing Phone (1) compare to the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S22?

UK tech firm Nothing has unveiled what it believes could be a new challenger to Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market – the Phone (1).

It comes with a premium quality screen and cameras, but has a price starting at significantly less than either the iPhone 13 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S22+.

So how does Phone (1) compare to its rivals in key areas?

– Display

Nothing’s Phone (1) comes with a 6.55-inch OLED display that supports HDR10+ and a 120Hz refresh rate, which means smoother scrolling and gaming.

This is similar to Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro which came out last September and has what Apple calls a 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display which also supports HDR and had an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate.

Samsung’s Galaxy S22+, which was released in February, has a 6.6-inch Infinity-O display which also supports that 120Hz refresh rate, but is made with a brighter AMOLED display.

– Cameras

Nothing has said it wants to move away from the idea that more cameras on a smartphone mean better quality photos and videos and so has opted for two 50-megapixel rear cameras.

The firm says the device also supports low-light photography in Night Mode and has a Scene Detection feature automatically tailoring camera settings to the environment the device is being used in.

The company also argues its Glyph Interface of LED lights on the back of the phone could be used as a portable ring-light.

However, both its main rivals have powerful camera set-ups.

The iPhone 13 Pro has a triple rear camera system comprised of a telephoto, wide and ultra-wide camera.

That camera system supports a wide range of photo and video features including wide-angle photos, night mode, portrait photos with the background blur effect known as bokeh, the strength of which can also be controlled and edited by users, and portrait photos in night mode powered by the phone’s Lidar scanner.

The S22+ has a powerful triple camera system too, made up of a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, a 50-megapixel wide-angle and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens.

Samsung’s emphasis on better low-light photos means the S22+ also supports portrait photos in night mode, has a digital zoom of up to 30x and editing features such as an Object Eraser to remove people or objects from the background of photos.

– Battery performance

Nothing says the Phone (1) battery will last 18 hours or two days if left on standby and supports fast charging – reaching 50% power in 30 minutes – and the device supports wireless charging and reverse charging, meaning it can charge accessories such as the firm’s ear (1) earphones.

In comparison, Apple says the iPhone 13 Pro can last for up to 22 hours of video playback on a single charge, and also supports wireless charging at the same speed as the Phone (1).

Samsung says the S22+ can also handle up to 22 hours of video playback on a single charge, and the phone supports fast wireless charging and Wireless Power Share – meaning the phone can be used to charge accessories.

– Price

Nothing’s aim to be disruptive to the phone market means it has priced the Phone (1) significantly below its rival – the phone starts at £399 and rises to £499 for the highest specification model.

In contrast, the iPhone 13 Pro starts at £949, while the Samsung Galaxy S22+ starts at £769.