Last week, we got to see the Nothing Phone (1)’s weird light strips in action thanks to a YouTube video. Well, thanks to another YouTube video, now we know more about the light strips, including why they work the way they do.
YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) put up a short video (above) with an initial look at the Nothing Phone (1), including a deep dive into the lights. According to Brownlee, the Phone (1) uses over 900 LEDs to make up the light strips seen on the back of the device. Further, Nothing calls these lights the “Glyph Interface.”
As for function, Brownlee describes the lights as an “exaggerated, all-out” version of the notification light seen on many older Android phones. In the video, Brownlee shows off the Glyph Interface settings and explains some of the ways people will be able to use them.
First, the glyphs can light up to let users know about incoming notifications. This can be customized with different patterns — for example, each ringtone has a corresponding Glyph Interface pattern that flashes different sections of the lights. Moreover, users can set different ringtones for their contacts, and thus get different light patterns to easily see who’s calling.
The Glyph Interface also lights up when charging. The big ring around the wireless charging pad glows when you wirelessly charge — this includes reverse wireless charging, such as when you juice up your Nothing earbuds.
The exclamation point at the bottom glows when you charge the Phone (1) via wire. However, this light is extra-neat because it doubles as a charge indicator, showing how full the battery is.
Finally, all the lights can glow to act as a fill light for the camera (there’s also a red LED that glows when recording a video).
This all looks really neat, although for me, it’ll take more than some fancy lights to get me to open my wallet. I’m curious to learn more about the Phone (1), and there will likely be more information shared in the lead-up to the July 12th reveal.
And for those too impatient to wait, Nothing is auctioning off the first 100 Phone (1) units this week — check that out here.
Images credit: MKBHD (YouTube)
Source: MKBHD (YouTube)
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