As expected, Carl Pei’s company, Nothing, made its entrance into the smartphone market last year. The device in question was the Nothing Phone (1), a handset that was different from everything we had in the market. The phone tried to innovate with a different rear composed of a fancy design and LEDs that will light up for different reasons. The brand also bets on a consistent software experience in the form of Nothing OS. The Nothing phone (1) probably was not the most popular phone of 2022, but certainly left its mark on the market. The success was enough to ensure a sequel that will come soon as Nothing Phone (2). According to Carl Pei, unlike the first phone, the Nothing Phone (2) will hit the United States.
During an Interview with Inverse (via), Carl Pei stated that Nothing would make the U.S. its No.1 priority in terms of markets. However, the Nothing Phone (1) was absent from this targetted market. The phone can be acquired by anyone with knowledge, but it won’t work with US carriers. The Nothing Phone (2) will fix things up and will embrace the US.
Nothing Phone (2) will be an alternative to consumers in the US
According to Carl Pei, the Nothing Phone (2) will fly to higher heights. The device will be more premium than the original, but still, it’s hard to say if it will be a flagship. Pei doesn’t calls it a “flagship” and states that Nothing aims to offer a refined software experience and innovative hardware design. However, they won’t push the best hardware at any cost. Pei also explains why the Nothing Phone (1) was absent from the US.
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According to the CEO, Nothing did have enough resources at the time of the Nothing Phone (1) development. The US carriers demand phones go through a certification process. Moreover, they require certain features in the software. Pei states, that in the beginning, there were only 5 engineers working on Nothing. For that reason, Nothing OS development was outsourced. After the release of the phone, things started to change. The team now has more than 100 people working on the software. As a result, Nothing OS based on Android 13 is a full in-house development.
By the time of the Nothing Phone (2) release, we expect the software to mature even further. The company has up to 400 employees nowadays. Also, its revenue grew from $24 million in the first year to $200 million in 2022.
Nothing has enough resources to go to the US with the Nothing Phone (2). Carl Pei says that this is the right time, after all, US consumers are starting to get bored with Apple and Samsung duopoly. With LG’s demise, they have to go for Motorola and OnePlus. Nothing will soon be a fifth offer.
Right now, it’s hard to determine the specifications of a possible Nothing Phone (1). But if we’re here to dream, it would be interesting to see it coming with Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Apparently, we may see the Nothing Phone (2) arriving this year, despite some old rumors.
