I'll just add this post to our weekly discussion links too next time. Kinda want to get the buying guide done first so we can get more cool people here.
this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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They're really nothing. If it wasn't for the marketing, there'd be nothing of interest. I'm honestly tired of hearing about this brand all the time.
Want to make a phone for techies? Make one with a relockable bootloader, documented hardware features, available spare parts, removable battery and SD card.
It's literally just the OnePlus business model from scratch and people are eating up like it's new as if they won't be hating the brand 5 years from now. The founder is even the exact same guy. I don't get how people are falling for it a second time.
I mean there's really no reason to stay loyal to a phone brand of all things. All phones are pretty much the same so pick the one you like. OnePlus used to make some decent phones. Nothing might too. So why not? And when they fuck it up you can buy something else.
i don't think that's necessarily falling for it, it's appreciating it for what it is. i personally don't see the nothing as equivalent to oneplus[^1], but if it was the modern equivalent to the op1 or op3 i think it'd be worth getting. i have no brand loyalty to 1+ (i doubt i'll ever buy another 1+ phone) but damn if the op1 wasn't the best value for money phone i ever bought.
[^1]: the only similarity is the "close-to-stock" rom as far as i can see, and oneplus didn't even do that until all the issues with cyanogen
Nothing isn't for the techies, its for people who think they are techies but actually they are middle managers who like apple but have a shred of self-respect.
They're OK phones but tbh making an OK phone in this stagnating landscape is not exactly rocket science. The lights are cool, I guess. The current landscape basically has everyone trying differentiators to get sales from people who have a 5+ years old phone and are pushed to upgrade by software. Samsung is going on screens, apple has their walled garden and everyone besides the giants needs to figure out something that will keep them relevant in a sea of latest snapdragon chips and high-res Samsung or LG screens. Lights are that for Nothing.
Lights are for nothing. I like it.
Apparently I'm going to be a bit of a dissenting opinion, but I think they're interesting as an option. The appeal of "as-stock-as-possible" Android on a mid-high range phone is where I land in what I want. It's why I had a 1+ 5T and now a 1+ 8Pro, but continued software and OS issues with their version of Android and just continued price climbing and parity with the shitty OPPO OS they are using has me searching elsewhere.
I left Samsung with the...Galaxy S3? I think? And have had no will to return to their bullshit. I had an LG Nexus 5x that bricked itself, which isn't a glowing review of the brand in my eyes. Pixel is the next closest competitor, but I don't care for camera power, so it's large selling point is way down on my priority list. Nothing is as good an option as any for what I am usually looking for, tho I may wait for this cycle to complete and see what Phone 3 looks like.
The 5x brick event was what put me off LG for good. I was happy to see them exit the market.
I'm ok with my pixel 7 but I really want a phone that does USB c video out so I could make my commute less annoying. Hmds have come a long way and watching a 1080p movie on a large screen while riding the train sounds great.
Apparently the Pixel 8 will support USB-C video out.
https://9to5google.com/2023/06/24/google-pixel-8-display-out-usb-c/
Amazing! I like my pixel and will probably trade in for a new 8 ASAP. Cause that would make a huge difference for me commuting 1.5hrs a day
just out of curiosity, how are you getting a large screen on a train?
I've been very pleased with the xreal air. I originally picked one up to play games sitting next to my partner and would love to expand their usage.
I'm not finding enough worthwhile things to do on any smartphone. Can't be bothered to buy any new phone. Lights and marketing gimmicks just aren't working.
I think of them as "design" company, although they are really an aesthetics company. They simply make bog-standard devices with outstanding aesthetics and "features" and custom icon/widget packs for the Pixel Launcher that ships with the phone, for people that want something "different". I have always contemplated the innovative-ness of the glyph system and if it even makes the phone experience any better.
Here's why I bought the Phone (2):
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Didn't want to buy a Chinese smartphone because of privacy issues, shitty UI, bloatware, ads, update policies and the lack of any brand value really. I know Google isn't any better but tackling a single devil is easier than two. OnePlus, RealMe, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola are out.
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Pixel with GrapheneOS looks ideal but the G2 chip has some serious thermal efficiency issues leading to poorer battery life. I've seen my friend's phone stop video recording due to overheating lol. Heat aside, it isn't even powerful enough to beat the older 8+ Gen 1, let alone competing with Apple's A-series chips. Plus, no 120Hz or LTPO.
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Around this budget, you'll get Samsung's A73 not their flagship S-series. Apart from the plasticky back, a snapdragon 788 processor?! No 4k 60 fps recording? Ads and bloatware?! Sorry.
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Went with Nothing because it checked all the right boxes for me. Good software, good build, good hardware, good update support, some party tricks. Degoogled it the old fashioned way. It's something different and a head turner. They've really managed to create that brand value somehow in such a short time. I've had 3 people ask me to check my phone in just a week.
Motorola seems to be making a comeback. Read the Motorola post in the community.
Even though they might not be for the techies they feel much more transparent than other companies. I don't think Nothing is even trying to be for the techies. They are just going their own way.
Looks good (wife has one, bought because of looks + marketing campaign involving birds), and it works well too. But it's still a phone that works well at the end of the day, albeit nothing special on its own. Like many things it'll come down to features and performance vs price; the Phone 1 was on a good deal a few months back.
It's not for techie people, and the price isn't either cheap. In my country, the price differences between Nothing 2 & S23 ultra 256GB are ~$100.
I love it for all known reasons, already posted in here. But one big con is left: no LineageOS support.
I stuck at Paranoid Android atm and degoogled it as much as possible. I really love it, feels snappy and stable. But i hope Lineage will come to this device some day.