by According to company founder Carl Pei, mid-range phone brand Nothing wants to make its US debut but faces some logistical problems — not to mention competition from big rivals.
in one Conversation with CNBC (opens in new tab)According to Pei, the company is currently in “early discussions with American airlines…” but didn’t name any specific ones. Each carrier has a specific suite of software to add to smartphones, and according to the founder, “a lot of additional technical support” needs to be provided. All of this has contributed to nothing delaying an American launch. It’s also unknown if the phone (1), currently Nothing’s only smartphone, will launch or if it will be something else. But it won’t be the phone (2) as Pei shot down quickly this idea on Twitter (opens in new tab). He explains that according to the post, Phone (1) will be the company’s main focus as it creates the device’s software.
Nothing has succeeded in the United States with that Ear (1) Headphones. Pei says a third of total sales come from the US, so there’s at least some interest in the company’s products. It seems that the success of Nothing has given them the confidence to make their way to the western hemisphere.
speculation and competition
While it’s unknown what will be released, we can take a look at the phone (1) to get an idea of what’s possible.
That telephone (1) is a pretty decent mid-range device that CNBC compares to the iPhone SE in terms of price and specs. From £399 you get a 6.55-inch Full HD OLED display, powered by a tuned (but still slightly dated) Snapdragon 778G Plus chipset. The glowing glyph interface on the back gives the smartphone a unique look that can be fine-tuned for notifications and calls. However, the battery life leaves a lot to be desired. You can buy an unlocked phone (1) in the US for $489, but it only works with certain carriers.
When it comes to iPhones, Pei says he wants to take on Apple in the mid-range game, but it’s tough competition. Current reports (opens in new tab) Show iOS devices have effectively taken over the US as more than half of all smartphones in the country are iPhones. Luring iPhone owners to Nothing’s Android-based platform might prove difficult, as Apple customers are not only locked into their iPhones, but also into the deeply integrated App Store (and hosted apps). Nothing founder Pei believes this, too, will be a problem for future endeavors. He noted to CNBC that this will “put a cap on our growth.”
Nothing has certainly cut his work out for it. According to CNBC, the company has had to deal with numerous manufacturing issues, from Covid restrictions in India hampering production to being turned down by Foxconn, “Apple’s biggest iPhone supplier,” to make its devices. We asked Nothing if they could tell us what they plan to launch in the US or at least give us a hint. This story will be updated at a later date when we receive feedback.
If you’re interested in exploring budget devices, be sure to check out TechRadars Recently updated list of cheap phones.
