Nothing Phone launch date – here's when Phone (1) will be revealed

The Nothing Phone (1) reveal date is almost here, as officially announced by Nothing in the company's 'Return to Instinct' invitation – an image of which you can see above.

So when exactly will the Nothing Phone (1) launch? The precise release date still isn't known – only that it's this "summer" – but the 12 July event, which kicks off at 16:00 BST (17:00 CEST / 11:00 EDT / 08:00 PDT) will surely reveal all. 

There's been a lot of expectation around the Nothing Phone, which is the company's second device launch following its Nothing Ear (1) in-ear buds, because its founder Carl Pei was co-founder of OnePlus – a brand which started small and went onto big things. 

Can the Nothing Phone (1) bring the UK-based brand the same level of success as OnePlus? That's the big question. But it'll need to do things in its own way if that's to be the case. 

• Why Nothing Phone excites me more than iPhone 14 or Samsung Galaxy S23
• Why OnePlus and the Samsung Galaxy should fear the Nothing Phone

What's unique about Nothing?

We've already seen the Nothing Launcher, as revealed at the end of April this year, which presents an individual take on design that'll help the brand stand apart. How out-of-this-world the actual (1) Phone may look, however, is anyone's guess right now.

It's not going to be a niche launch either, as big carriers are already on board, including o2 in the UK, so anticipate SIM-only and contract plans to be available when the handset launches in the summer. 

Otherwise it's as if Nothing has bottled a little magic, bringing more hype to a brand than I've seen in recent years, despite very little about its product being known. 

In a world of leaks and never-ending rumours, however, I find it rather refreshing that we'll just have to wait and see. That said, the Phone (1) is going to be a mobile phone first and foremost, so I'm not expecting something so outlandishly different that it'll turn the general public off. 

We'll find out just how disruptive and unique the Nothing Phone (1) is (or isn't) come 12th July. So set your watches now, as this promises to be one of the more interesting tech reveals of the early second half of 2022.

• Is Nothing going to take Android phones to heaven or hell?
• Can the OnePlus lightning strike twice with Nothing Phone? I hope so