Nothing Phone (3) In-Store Demos Caught Showing Fake Photo Samples

Showing fake photo samples to impress isn't something new among smartphone makers. It's hard to believe in photo samples made for promo materials, but when the actual product hits the shelves, we actually start to see the real deal. It seems that Nothing has put itself amidst a new controversy involving fake photo samples. It seems that some in-store demo units of the Nothing Phone (3) had pre-loaded sample images with the note "Judge for yourself". The problem? Those images weren't captured with the Nothing Phone (3).

The images were quickly discovered as originally stock photo marketplace images: a person by the window, a full glass, a rounded headlight, a spiral staircase, and a woman wearing a scarf. None of those were captured with the Nothing Phone (3).

One of the images can be seen on Snapsbyfox's Instagram account. This particular still was taken in 2023, well before the Nothing Phone (3)'s announcement, and with a Fujifilm X-H2S. The photographer made a long-term review of this particular camera.

Nothing's co-founder, Evangelidis, explained the situation on X. According to him, these images were placeholder styles added around 4 months before launch. The brand's goal was to replace them closer to launch. “Once we enter mass production, those placeholder images are replaced with photo samples through a new version of the LDU (Live Demo Units), along with final product renders and videos. In this case, it was brought to our attention that some live demo units' stock imagery was not updated. We are actively rectifying this and working with our promoters to ensure all LDUs reflect the latest version,” wrote Evangelidis.

In addition to this, an international investigation is going forward. Apparently, the company's previous approach was to use photos from older Nothing phones as placeholder images. This would have avoided the issue, even if they don't get replaced. After all, they would still showcase images with Nothing cameras. This year, however, a new team opted to use stock images for the launch. This proved to be a mistake.