by The Nothing Phone (1) didn’t live up to the hype as expected (perhaps the expectations were sky-high) and its successor is likely to do better. That being said, a consequential version of Carl Pei’s smartphone has been spotted at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023. Carl was even seen holding the device alongside his own Phone (1) and its resemblance is undeniable.
The mobile device in question is Luna designed by the Chinese firm Unihertz based in Shanghai. On the back, there is a transparent shell with LED light strips that rose in different colors compared to the white Milky Glyph interface on the Nothing (1).
Designer: Unihertz
The 6.81-inch display smartphone has fairly rough design details, and on the inside, the hardware is also mediocre. Therefore, it cannot be highly recommended on any performance metric. If you thought the Nothing (1) Phone fell short of fan expectations with the Snapdragon 778G + 5G SoC, then the Unihertz Luna doesn’t overshadow the phone by any stretch of the imagination. It gets a below-average MediaTek Helio G99 processor.
Other specifications are good with the phone; sports 8GB RAM, 256GB internal storage, 5,000mAh battery and 18W fast charging which should be good enough for most users. On paper, the triple rear camera setup with the 108MP camera and 20MP Night Vision Camera seems to be the USP of the device along with the colorful glyph interface. Not to forget, the device also has a 3.5mm jack, so audiophiles must take note. On the front of the device is a 32MP camera loaded with Samsung S5KGD1 sensor, so it should be able to click good selfies.
The LEDs on the back can be toggled to any color which is a cool feature. On the Nothing Phone (1) it’s the glyph interface, but I’m sure Unihertz will have some fancy name for its version. Currently, they are touting it as a simplified geometric interface with minimalist lines inspired by the ancient eastern philosophy of the round sky. As they said rhetorically, “The moon moves eternally in circles around the world, and circular things in the physical world are active, just like the round moon.”
The Unihertz smartphone turned heads at MWC this year, and according to company representatives, the mobile device should cost around $300. For that kind of price, an occasional compromise or two shouldn’t hurt a budget buyer. Especially the geometric interface with a series of customizable LED lights for notifications and app calls. The phone is slated for a March 2023 release and it should be interesting to see how it fares in the global market.
