Nothing Clarifies Fake Phone 3 Photo Accusations

Nothing, the London-based tech brand known for its transparent gadgets, got caught displaying misleading as camera demos for the Nothing Phone 3.

Some images displayed on demo units in retail stores were not actually taken with the device. Instead, they were professional photographs available online.

According to an anonymous photographer, Nothing bought the rights to use their photo. The data associated with the image showed it was captured in 2023, one year before the launch of the Phone 3.

Photographer Roman Fox’s Instagram photo, shot on a Fujifilm camera, was also used.

Nothing’s Response

Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, responded to the matter on X, stating it was an unfortunate mistake.

According to Evangelidis, demo units require placeholder images prior to their launch. The final camera samples are meant to replace them before they are sold in stores.

The Nothing team accidentally included the stock photos in the retail demo units.

Other Smartphone Brands Caught Using Misleading Images

Other phone makers have also faced criticism for using images that were not captured by the device they were promoting.

Several major brands have been caught doing the same:

• In 2018, Huawei was exposed for using a DSLR photo in a Huawei Nova 3 commercial, passing it off as a selfie from the phone’s front camera.
• A year later, the company was criticised when promotional images for the P30 Pro turned out to be images from a professional camera.
• Back in 2013, Samsung admitted to using DSLR-shot photos in marketing for the Galaxy NX camera.

Mistake or Marketing

In the past, Nothing has used photographs captured by its previous devices when promoting new ones.

Although many users report great camera performance, this incident raises crucial concerns about marketing and transparency. For now, Nothing promises to fix the issue in future devices. However, with so many competitors, losing credibility may affect Nothing Phones negatively.