Tech company Nothing has been accused of using stock images from professional photographers, misrepresenting them as photos taken with their Phone 3. Specifically, five images that were presented as examples captured by the device have been identified as licensed photographs taken with different cameras.
One of the photographers, who wishes to remain anonymous, has confirmed to The Verge that their image was not captured using the Phone 3, and that Nothing obtained a license for the image through the Stills stock photo marketplace. Verification of the image’s EXIF data indicates it was taken in 2023, prior to the Phone 3’s release this year.
Another photographer, Roman Fox, also confirmed to Android Authority that Nothing had purchased his image of a car headlight, which was taken in 2023 using a Fujifilm XH2s camera. The promotional materials for the Phone 3 included a message stating, “Judge for yourself. Here’s what our community has captured with Phone 3.”
In response to the situation, Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, stated on X that the stock images shown on live demo units were intended as placeholders that were not updated in time. He described the inclusion of these images as “an unfortunate oversight” and emphasized that there was no ill intent behind the mistake. Evangelidis explained that an initial version of the live demo unit is submitted with placeholders approximately four months before the product launch, which should ultimately be replaced with actual photo samples and final product visuals.
The decision to use images not intended for public use raises questions, particularly given that Nothing’s previous methods involved using photos taken with earlier models. This incident is not isolated; other phone manufacturers have faced similar scrutiny for misleading photo representations.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/report/766543/nothing-busted-using-fake-phone-3-photo-samples