Nothing issued an apology after it was revealed that it had used professional stock photos as camera samples for the Phone 3. It was determined that these photos, shown on the brand’s demo devices in stores, were not actually taken with the Nothing Phone 3.

Nothing issued an apology

Last month, the company launched the Nothing Phone 3 with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor and detailed its new camera system. The device features a 50MP main camera, a 50MP periscope camera, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera on the rear, along with a 50MP front-facing camera. It was recently revealed that photos displayed on a demo device in a store were licensed stock photos.

The photographer behind one of the photos contacted authorities and confirmed that the photo was not taken with the Phone 3, but that Nothing had purchased the license from the stock photo website Stills. Experts examined the photo’s EXIF ​​file and confirmed that it was not taken with the Phone 3. According to the EXIF ​​data, the photo was taken in 2023, long before the Phone 3’s release.

Another photo was revealed to have been taken by Roman Fox using a Fujifilm XH2s camera in 2023. The fact that the demo devices, along with these photos, included the message, “Judge for yourself. Here are photos our community took with the Phone 3,” drew attention.

Responding to user outrage, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis issued a statement on X, calling the incident an “unfortunate oversight” and apologizing. Evangelidis stated that the first version of the demo software should have been released with temporary photos four months before the phone’s release.

Smartphone manufacturers using professional photos in camera promotions without disclosing this is not new. Previously, a scene in a Huawei Nova 3 ad that appeared to have been shot with a phone was revealed to have actually been shot with a DSLR. Similarly, Samsung used a DSLR in its Galaxy A8 camera promotion.