Nothing faces backlash for faking Phone 3 camera samples with professional stock photos

The Nothing Phone 3 isn't a true flagship, as it doesn't feature the top-of-the-line SoC. Of course, the smartphone does come with some flagship-grade specs, and the camera department is a good example of that. It features triple 50 MP cameras on the back, which, on paper, appear to be capable of taking great shots.

As we have noted in our review, the triple 50 MP camera setup can capture detailed pictures even in challenging lighting conditions. However, it seems that Nothing has taken a different route to advertise the photography capabilities of the Phone (3) (128 GB curr. $719 on Amazon).

A retail demo unit in New Zealand has been spotted with fake camera samples that are marketed as pictures taken by the Nothing Phone 3. As it turns out, they are actually stock photos and were taken by professional photographers long before the smartphone came into existence. To be specific, the window picture is by GS & Co, the glass photo is by Alina Nechaeva, the headlight image is by Roman Fox, the staircase photo is by Henry Han, and the image of the woman is by Abdullahi Santuraki. All of them are available to purchase on Stills.

After the company faced backlash for misleading claims, the co-founder of Nothing, Akis Evangelidis, provided a detailed explanation on the issue. Akis notes that companies need to offer demo units to retailers months before the launch. As the phone was not formally launched yet, the company had to load it with placeholder content, which happens to be the stock photos on the said demo unit of the Phone 3.

Akis further notes that the content was supposed to be updated with something more accurate for the Phone 3, but as in the case of the said retail unit in New Zealand, that didn't happen. The co-founder says that the company is looking into the issue and claims that there was no ill intent behind it.

While the reply from Akis seems convincing, this incident is yet another example of why the camera samples from manufacturers should be taken with a grain of salt.