Nothing Phone (3) has come under fire after it was revealed that the in-store demo units displayed pre-loaded images that were neither captured with the phone nor taken by community members. These images, which were meant to show off camera samples, were sourced from a stock photo marketplace.
The images in question, including scenes like a person by a window and a spiral staircase, were quickly identified as stock photos. One of the images, featuring a rounded headlight, was even traced back to a 2023 Instagram post by a photographer using a Fujifilm X-H2S camera. The discovery raised concerns, as these images were presented as if they were taken by the Nothing Phone (3).
Nothing’s Response
Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, explained the issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He clarified that these stock images were initially placed in demo units four months before the phone’s launch. They were meant to be replaced with actual photo samples closer to the release date. However, some demo units had not been updated, which led to the confusion.
Evangelidis stated that Nothing is taking steps to correct the situation. An internal investigation has been launched to prevent similar mistakes from occurring in the future. The company is working to ensure all demo units show the actual camera performance of the Phone (3), with updated images now being implemented.
Evangelidis further acknowledged that using stock images from previous Nothing phone models could have been a better approach. These images would have better represented the camera’s capabilities, even if they had not been replaced in time.