What you need to know
- CEO Carl Pei has not confirmed that the Phone (1) successor will launch in 2023.
- The Nothing Phone (2) is set to debut in the US, a priority market for the company this year.
- And nothing touts the premium quality of the upcoming phone as better than the previous model.
The Nothing Phone (1) never made it to the US due to the complexity of the US market, but that’s not the case with its successor. CEO Carl Pei has not confirmed the release of the company’s next Android phone in the US.
Inverse interview (opens in new tab), Pei has revealed that Nothing Phone (2) is in the works and will arrive later this year. Unlike the Phone (1), the next-generation device will also debut in the US. This is Nothing’s number one priority.
Revelation comes over a month later Pei tweeted (opens in new tab) The company said it would not release the Phone (2) anytime soon as it wanted to focus on its first smartphone. Nothing’s CEO says the company is “preparing for really great things when it comes to software for Android 13 and beyond.”
Software will also be a big focus of the phone (2), Pei said, but it’s not like the exclusive beta membership that nothing was announced earlier this month. (opens in new tab)For $299, Nothing fans in the US get a Phone (1) running Nothing OS 1.5 based on Android 13, but with limited carrier support in the country. Worse, AT&T and Verizon customers miss out on his 5G support.
Pei also explained why his company had to skip the US launch of the phone (1). According to interviews, none encountered logistical problems or many other obstacles.
“When you make a smartphone for the US, you have to work with carriers to get certification and adapt some of its features to the OS,” Pei told Inverse. “We didn’t have the resources for that before, but now we do.”
So it seems that Nothing Ear (1), which became available in the US, was only intended to test the waters. Pei said the phone (2) will be carrier certified upon arrival in the country.
“We couldn’t do it before because we were only in our second year and our hands were tied to build the team when we were building the product,” Pei added. “Now that we have a stronger foundation, we can take a step forward.”
According to Inverse, Nothing has doubled its workforce to 400 in two years.The company also plans to open more retail stores, including its first in the US.
However, Pei shared nothing about the Phone (2)’s specs, stating that the next best budget Android smartphone could be more than the Phone (1), which has garnered praise for its unique LED-equipped back design. I just said it would be more premium. Above all, incredible battery life.
Nothing Phone (1) is the first mid-range smartphone with a glyph interface on the back. Backed by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, the device stands out for its unique see-through design on the back and houses the Snapdragon 778G+ underneath.
