Nothing Accused of Promoting Stock Photos as Phone 3 Camera Samples

Nothing is making the headlines again, blame its latest smartphone, Phone 3. The company has been accused of sharing stock images as the Nothing Phone 3 camera samples, drawing flak from users who were quick to identify the alleged samples. According to a report, Nothing licensed these images from their proprietors and showed them as ed using the Phone 3.

Android Authority, which spotted the discrepancy in Nothing’s claims, claims to have spoken with two of the photographers who shot those pictures. The photographers told the publication that they did not use the Nothing Phone 3 to take those pictures, refuting the company’s promotional pitch.

How did the controversy begin?

A Nothing Phone 3 demo unit at a retail store in New Zealand showed off a set of five photos, with the company claiming that they were shot using the phone’s cameras. These photos were clubbed together under a section that read: “Here’s what our community has captured with the Phone (3).” The showcase of these photos on the Phone 3’s promotional deck does not show the names of the community members, but what is obvious is that the company intended to promote these photos as Phone 3’s camera samples.

One of the photographers allegedly reached out to Android Authority, informing the folks that all five of those images are available for license on a stock photo marketplace called Stills. After the Android Authority’s team independently verified it, the claim was found to be true. One of the photos shows a car headlight, with its photographer, Roman Fox, coming out to admit that he did not use a Nothing Phone 3 to shoot the photo. Instead, he employed a Fujifilm HX2s to take the photo in Paris in 2023. That is way before the Nothing Phone 3 was launched. This photo is also available on Fox’s personal Instagram account.

According to the report, Fox and other photographers were paid for these photos by Stills, and even though Nothing had the full right to buy these photos, promoting stock photos as camera samples is a clear case of deceptive marketing. And Nothing is not even denying it.

Nothing's clarification

In a statement to Android Authority, the Carl Pei-led company said, “Accuracy in how we represent our product capabilities is important to us. Phone (3) demo units are being updated to feature only images captured with Phone (3).”

While the statement shows the company has good intent, it is an unsatisfactory clarification. Nothing has had a fair share of controversies with the Phone 3 launch, including criticism over the absurd pricing. The company has touted the Phone 3 as a “true flagship”, but multiple reviews have pointed out that it is just an overpriced mid-range phone. Then there is an entirely different debate on the Phone 3’s attention-seeking design. Even if these incidents are considered as the company’s deliberate decisions to make people talk about the phone, deceiving customers by showing them false images should be unacceptable by all means.

Read more: Vivo's Next Flagship X300 Pro Could Launch Sooner Than Expected