Cryptic would be an understatement when describing Carl Pei’s Nothing. Until a week ago, the company was slowly creating anticipation for its next smartphone, the phone (1), feeding its audience and followers, mostly small snippets of nothing. It all changed when Nothing decided to show off their smartphone party trick at a face-to-face event. Today, we can hear a little more about the phone and its LEDs, thanks to a new video posted by MKBHD.
MKBHD gained exclusive access to Nothing Phone (1) and showed the front and back. While the front looks like your typical Android smartphone (albeit with the same bezels), the back looks unique. The most unique feature of the phone is not its clear back design, but its LEDs. The phone uses a little over 900 LEDs to make its unique pattern called Glyph Interface. There is a small C-shaped pattern surrounding the camera and a larger C-shaped pattern surrounding the wireless charging platform. There’s also a shape that looks like an exclamation mark at the bottom and a dash at the top right corner.
The Glyph interface is not only a good light show and offers functionality. The LEDs will flash every time you receive an incoming notification and may also glow when you start charging wirelessly. The lights can also show the status of your charge, giving you a visual indication of how much battery is being used without having to turn on the screen. The LEDs do not stay lit constantly and can only be reactivated by moving the phone.
The Glyph interface will have a set of ten ringtones that will also offer synchronized LED patterns. Users will also be able to link light patterns to specific contacts. Customizations can even be done in apps, giving users an idea of what kind of notification has arrived. While it may seem boring, this is important as it considers the evolution of the notification LED. The Glyph interface can even be used as a fill light when taking photos or videos. Last but not least, there is also a flashing red LED that shows people when you are recording.
This is quite a concept, but one wonders how long the honeymoon period will last. It will be interesting to see how far Nothing can take this move and see how many are left along the way. The company will hold an event on July 12th. If you’re a little anxious and can’t wait a few weeks, you can always take your chance and pick up the top 100 phones that are now up for auction. Be careful, as it appears that the phone does not offer global support, and the company claims that it may not work completely or at all in North America. You can check the Nothing website to confirm operator compatibility.