The Nothing Phone (1) didn’t live up to its hype as expected (maybe the expectations were sky-high) and better is likely to come in its successor. That said a knock-off version of Carl Pei’s smartphone got spotted at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2023. Carl was even seen holding the device alongside his own Phone (1) and the similarity is undeniable.
The mobile device in question is Luna designed by Shanghai-based Chinese firm Unihertz. On the back, there’s a transparent shell with LED light strips that glow up in different hues as compared to the milky white Glyph interface on the Nothing (1).
Designer: Unihertz
The 6.81-inch display smartphone has a comparatively rough design detail, and on the inside, the hardware is also mediocre. Hence, one cannot praise it on any performance metrics much. If you thought the Nothing Phone (1) 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; sporting 8GB RAM, 256GB internal storage, a 5,000mAh battery and 18W fast charging which should be good enough for most users. On paper, the rear-facing triple camera setup dominated by the 108MP camera and a 20MP Night Vision Camera seems like the USP of the device along with the colorful glyph interface. Not to forget mentioning, the device also has a 3.5mm jack, so audiophiles need to take note. On the front the device has a 32MP camera loaded with the Samsung S5KGD1 sensor, so it should be able to click good selfies.
The LED lights on the back can be toggled to any color which is a kind of cool feature. On the Nothing Phone (1) it is the glyph interface, but I’m sure Unihertz is going to have some fancy name for their version. For now, they are touting it as a simplified, geometric interface with minimalistic lines inspired by the ancient oriental philosophy of the round sky. As they very rhetorically put it, “The moon moves eternally in circles around the earth, and circular objects in the physical world are active, just like the round moon.”
Unihertz smartphone did turn heads at MWC this year, and according to company representatives, the mobile device should cost around $300. For that kind of price, the odd one or two compromises should not hurt a budget buyer. Especially the geometric interface with a customizable array of LED lights for app notifications and calls. The phone is slated for March 2023 release and should be interesting to see how it’s positioned in the global market.
The post Unihertz Luna is a Nothing Phone (1) clone that turned eyeballs at MWC 2023 first appeared on Yanko Design.
