Founded in January 2021 by Carl Pei (former co-founder of OnePlus) e David SanmartinNothing today unveiled Phone (1), its first and highly anticipated smartphone, whose debut is scheduled for the summer of 2022.
Equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor, Phone (1) is the company’s second product and follow Ear Headphones (1)which we had tried here. The basic technical characteristics, such as screen size, refresh rate, memory and camera characteristics, have not been disclosed, but the company has in the meantime shown some screenshots of Nothing OS, its operating system. As explained, “it incorporates the best features of Android, reducing the operating system to the essentials, where each byte has a purpose”, and is “designed to offer a fast, fluid and personal experience”. And saw that OnePlus’ Oxygen OS was (at least until the intervention of Oppo) one of the most fluid, clean and fast Android skins in circulation, it is somehow legitimate to believe these promises.
According to the company, “Nothing OS is based on an open ecosystem, which will easily connect and integrate our products and those of other leading global brands” and is “a consistent interface with the hardware, which integrates with the software through bespoke fonts, colors, graphics and sounds “. A preview version of Nothing OS will be available as a launcher, which will be available for download on select smartphone models starting in April.
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The praise of transparency
After all, that of essentiality and “less is more” is a concept that was somehow anticipated to us by Sanmartin (also formerly of OnePlus) when we met him at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: “The packaging of our headphones, and the headphones themselves, have the design they have not by chance – he explained – For us the idea of transparency is important, so much so that we want to be identified as those with the transparent design, as well as other brands are recognized for some peculiarities of their design “.
Another feature that the company seems to care a lot about is once again linked to essentiality and the idea of not having nothing superfluous (the name Nothing was not chosen at randomafter all): “We want people to trust technology again, that progress is made for them and that on their devices there are only components that can be more useful to them than to those who sell them – he said again Sanmartin during our chat – Is it really worth changing smartphones every year? Are 4 cameras really worth the price they cost? Do people really need them? We want to be free not to put 4 cameras on our smartphone, if we think they are not useful “.
This leads to the other point of the Nothing philosophy, that of fair price: “OnePlus gave quality technology at a relatively low cost and we want to do the same, but adding the component of a quality design”. Therefore putting together with technical features, attention to detail and a non-prohibitive price list.
Pei and Sanmartin’s company, which is somehow the only real player European (based in London) in a sector dominated by Asia and the United States, it also seems to want to focus a lot on customer loyalty. Again, like OnePlus and its initial invitation-only sales policy, pushed even further: “We are involving our users in everything we can, not only in the creation of products, but also in the management of the company – Sanmartin had revealed to us. at the end of February – so much so that a community member sits on the board of the company “.
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A 10 million equity-based investment round
Another way to concretely involve fans, and get help from them, is the equity-based investment campaign announced during the presentation of the new Phone (1), with the allocation of 10 million dollars: investors will have access to the community deprived of Nothing, through which “they will obtain exclusive benefits and insights on the company”. Pre-registration for access is already openwhile the investment round will be active from 5 April.
The same Pei recalled that “after having raised 144 million dollarsbuilt a team of over 300 people and ensured the support of trusted partners such as Qualcomm, with Phone (1) we are ready to mark the beginning of the change in a now dormant smartphone market “and precisely that” we are launching a new round of community investment worth $ 10 million, so that our supporters have a chance to be part of ours journey to challenge the giants industry “.