The tech company Nothing has come under scrutiny for presenting stock images, sourced from professional photographers, as samples purportedly taken by its Phone 3. Five images that the company claimed were captured using the new device were found to actually be licensed photographs taken with other cameras.
One photographer, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed to The Verge that their image was not taken with the Phone 3, but rather sold to Nothing via the Stills stock photo marketplace. The Verge has reviewed the EXIF data of this image, verifying it was actually shot in 2023, well before the release of the Phone 3.
“Judge for yourself. Here’s what our community has captured with Phone 3,”
the promotional message accompanying the demo samples stated.
Another photographer, Roman Fox, also corroborated to Android Authority that his image, which depicts a car headlight, was licensed to Nothing for a payment. This photograph was taken in 2023 with a Fujifilm XH2s camera.
Company Response
In a statement on X, Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, described the use of stock images on live demo units as placeholders that should have been updated. He emphasized that the company is “actively rectifying” the issue and characterized the incident as “an unfortunate oversight” without any “ill intent.”
“An initial version of the LDU [live demo unit] needs to be submitted with placeholders around 4 months before launch, to be implemented and tested as we ramp up towards mass production,”
Evangelidis explained. “Once we enter mass production, those placeholder images are replaced with photo samples through a new version of the LDU, along with final product renders and videos. In this case, it was brought to our attention that some live demo units’ stock imagery were not updated.”
Industry Context
The decision to use photos not intended for public display raises questions, especially since Nothing’s previous approach involved showcasing images actually captured using their earlier phone models. While this incident marks another occurrence in the industry of phone manufacturers utilizing fake photography examples, it certainly highlights the need for greater diligence in handling promotional material.
