Few devices launch with as much fanfare as London-based startup Nothing, which is set to launch the Nothing Phone (2) on 11 July. And I've already got one in hand for review. Except I'm not allowed to talk about that due to a series of embargoes – save for one pretty major caveat, as signed off by the company CEO, Carl Pei, on Twitter.
The big boss shared his Nothing Phone (2) camera experience, saying: "The Phone (2) camera is turning out to be pretty good. Other brands use pro photographers or even pretend DSLR photos are shot on phones. To keep things real, I encourage everyone testing the Phone (2) to share unfiltered images right now." I've shared his full Tweet below so you can see his snaps.
The Phone (2) camera is turning out to be pretty good. Other brands use pro photographers or even pretend DSLR photos are shot on phones.To keep things real, I encourage everyone testing the Phone (2) to share unfiltered images right now.I'll go first. 📸 #NothingPhone2 pic.twitter.com/cEUQaFlkPqJuly 3, 2023
But as the Tweet says, those with a Nothing Phone (2) on test are free to share their images as shot with the phone. Just that I can't describe, comment or compare those images to other competitors' devices as yet, nor talk about the experience of using the phone. You'll have to be the judge by thumbing through my Nothing Phone (2) early camera samples gallery below.
I can't talk about the Nothing Phone (2)'s design yet either, which I'm super eager to discuss. As we all know, the handset's unique selling point is its Glyph lights, with a teased update already revealing a Swedish House Mafia collaboration using the new Glyph Composer function. Lights, cameras, action, eh? But anyway, here's my gallery of Nothing Phone (2) shots, delivered without comment:
At this stage, I've only fired up the Nothing Phone (2) for a single day thus far, whilst travelling to Berlin, Germany, for a work event. A little wander through Berlin's streets at night and some daytime snaps are as far as I've got in using the phone in a variety of conditions so far, but there's plenty more use and testing yet to come, which I'll need for the full and final review. Y'know, the piece with commentary and critique.
As the former CEO of OnePlus, Carl Pei's step by step pre-launch teases are no surprise, as his former affiliated company took a similar approach in the run-up to a device launch. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more Nothing Phone (2) features and design elements revealed before the actual launch event. But here's hoping a little bit of something is saved, to deliver some sense of surprise come 11 July...