5 Alternatives to the Nothing Phone (1)

The Nothing Phone (1) is now available in the Philippines, and despite the hype about the young brand’s first phone, its reception was divided. Looking through all of our Facebook posts on the Nothing Phone (1), and the common sentiment is that it falls short when it comes to price-to-performance. While it has its fair share of features to justify the price–and we’re not just talking about its Glyph interface–there’s no denying that the Nothing Phone (1) is up against tough competition from both current and previous-generation upper mid-range phones. That being said, we carefully curated good alternatives to the Nothing Phone (1) if you are not biting into the hype and prefer a phone that offers better value.

5 Alternatives to the Nothing Phone (1)

realme GT Neo3
POCO F4 GT
Xiaomi 11T Pro
Samsung Galaxy A52s
OPPO Reno6

realme GT Neo 3 – Php 29,999

realme GT Neo 3 Philippines Specs

Dimensity 8100 processor
8GB RAM
256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate, HDR10+
50-megapixel f/1.8 IMX 766 main camera with PDAF and OIS; 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera; 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
16-megapixel selfie camera
Dual SIM
4G, LTE, 5G
WiFi 6, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
In-display fingerprint scanner, Stainless steel vapor cooling
Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
5000mAh battery
80W charging
Android 12, realmeUI 3.0

Launching at roughly the same time as the Nothing Phone (1), the GT Neo 3 sacrifices the ultra-wide-angle camera, premium build, and other gimmicks for a more powerful Dimensity 8100 processor that trumps the Nothing Phone (1)’s Snapdragon 778G+ processor. The battery is also bigger at 5000mAh, and realme does believe that wireless charging is not necessary since 80w wired charging is the better option.

POCO F4 GT – Php 27,990

POCO F4 GT Philippines Specs:

Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor
8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate, 480hz touch sampling rate, support for HDR10+ and DCI-P3, 10-bit color
64-megapixel f/2.0 IMX 686 main camera with PDAF, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera
20-megapixel IMX 596 selfie camera
4G, 5G
WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
IP53 rating, JBL-tuned stereo speakers, physical shoulder triggers
4700mAh battery
120w fast charging
Android 12, MIUI 13

One of the complaints about the Nothing Phone (1) is its processor of choice–especially if you have brands like POCO that can give you one of the latest flagship processors at under Php 30k. Its cameras may not be as impressive as what the Nothing Phone (1) offers, but the POCO F4 GT is a serious gaming beast with its physical shoulder triggers and crazy fast 120w charging.

Xiaomi 11T Pro – Php 27,990

Xiaomi 11T Pro Philippines Specs

Snapdragon 888 processor
8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate
108-megapixel f/1.75 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 5-megapixel telemacro camera with AF
16-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera
4G, 5G
WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Harman Kardon-tuned Stereo Speakers
5000mAh battery
120w wired charging
Android 12, MIUI 13

Sometimes, the latest offerings are not necessarily the best. Take the Xiaomi 11T Pro for example: despite being a year old and recently receiving a price cut, it still remains to be one of the best phones you can buy for under Php 30k in 2022. The Snapdragon 888 is more powerful than the Nothing Phone (1)’s Snapdragon 778G+, and the Xiaomi 11T Pro gets premium Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers and the ability to shoot 8K30 and 4K60 video–two video recording options that the Nothing Phone (1) lacks.

Samsung Galaxy A52s – Php 24,990

Samsung Galaxy A52s Philippines Specs:

Snapdragon 778G processor
8GB RAM
128GB/256GB storage, expandable via MicroSD
6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display, 120hz refresh rate
64-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF and OIS, 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera, 5-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor
32-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera
4G, LTE, 5G
WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, in-display fingerprint scanner
Stereo speakers, IP67 rating
4500mAh battery
25w charging
Android 12, OneUI 4.0

Even if it’s a generation old (we would have included the A53 if we did not have reservations over Samsung’s use of an Exynos 1280 processor), we feel that the Galaxy A52s is one of the closest rivals of the Nothing Phone (1) if the internals is the basis. Despite only having a polycarbonate build, the Galaxy A52s one-ups the Nothing Phone (1) by having an IP67 rating and a headphone jack–which is also the other reason why we recommend the Galaxy A52s over the A53.

OPPO Reno6 – Php 24,990

OPPO Reno6 Philippines Specs

Dimensity 900 processor
8GB RAM
128GB storage
6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display, 20:9 aspect ratio, 90hz refresh rate
64-megapixel f/1.7 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
32-megapixel selfie camera
4G, LTE, 5G
WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, in-display fingerprint scanner
4300mAh battery
65w fast charging
Android 12, ColorOS 12

If you are a fan of the Nothing Phone (1)’s looks but find the Glyph interface gimmicky, you might want to consider the Reno6 instead for its premium build that includes anodized aluminum for the frame and a well-built polycarbonate back panel that you’d probably mistake for glass. The Dimensity 900 processor of the Reno6 is roughly at par with the Nothing Phone (1)’s Snapdragon 778G+, though the specs of the Reno6 are inferior to the Phone (1) save for charging speeds.

That rounds up our top alternatives to the Nothing Phone (1). Did we miss any other good alternatives? Let us know!