To me, smartphone brand Nothing has always stood out as a slick outsider – the perfect alternative to those resistant to the Apple vs Android rivalry – so it came as a surprise to me when it was recently in the throes of controversy. It turns out the brand was caught using stock photos to promote its Phone 3 camera, and some fans were understandably dissapointed.
While Nothing makes some of the best camera phones for those on a budget, promoting their capabilities with stock imagery clearly left some fans feeling deceived. While the brand has acknowledged the fault, it comes as a stark reminder to check your work and own your mistakes.
Re the Phone (3) live demo units (LDU) in some stores using stock imagery - let me explain. An initial version of the LDU needs to be submitted with placeholders around 4 months before launch, to be implemented and tested as we ramp up towards mass production. Once we enter mass…August 27, 2025
The controversial stock photos in question appeared alongside demo units of the latest Phone 3. In a statement via X, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis claimed that the images were supposed to be temporary placeholders, but through an "unfortunate oversight", they were not changed in time.
Evangelidis continues, "We are actively rectifying this and working with our promoters to ensure all LDUs reflect the latest version," and claims, "We are also investigating internally to make sure such an issue doesn’t happen again."
Historically, Nothing has championed transparency, showcasing photos from the community rather than professionally shot images. Its candid and measured response to the situation proves that the brand is willing to admit to its mistakes and, more importantly, grow from them – a hopeful sign that it will continue to evolve in the right direction.
For more Nothing news, check out our initial reaction to the Nothing Phone 3 or take a look at our Nothing Headphone (1) review.
