If you read the reviews for Nothing Phone (1) last fall, you’ll notice that there are several threads similar to each review. The phone offered few extra features or big selling points, but it emerged as a great option for the price. But everyone seemed like he wanted one big thing. That’s proper network support in the US.
But here’s the problem. While it would be nice to see Nothing Phone (2) with support for US networks (much of which was confirmed this week), it definitely gets out of the way to promote the phone this side of The Pond. nothing.I wrote about the same last year (opens in new tab) And the landscape hasn’t changed at all since then.
Telcos dominate in the US and unless you’re willing to play ball with them and make some sort of deal, they’ll simply sell you unlocked phones, even if it’s a killer deal like Nothing You probably won’t have much success on your own. Phone (1) is $299.
But the company’s founder, Karl Pei, said in an interview with Inverse this week that the company is poised to do just that. (opens in new tab)Additionally, Nothing is about to release a more premium smartphone this time around. So the Nothing Phone (2) would go head-to-head with Google, Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, and Motorola if they actually made anything worth buying.
A premium in the US is not a winning strategy and it has been proven time and time again by many other manufacturers
But this is not a winning strategy and has been proven time and time again by many other manufacturers.The Nothing Phone (1) is certainly an interesting device, but I doubt Pei’s team will come up with anything just as interesting as the second device. I have no doubt that you have the ability to figure it out. A sleeve that makes a dent in the premium market segment.
Still, I doubt this will work for fledgling startups.
midrange for the win
My guess is that Nothing Phone (1) worked well for two main reasons: hype and price. The Google Pixel 6a is usually the recommended phone in the $450 price range. (opens in new tab)However, the Pixel 6a is only available in about 12 countries, while the Nothing Phone (1) is available in over 40 countries.
Given the high availability for the same price, it’s no wonder no product has ridden the hype train with a soft win.I don’t know the exact number, nothing has been sold since launch, but it’s an early report. (opens in new tab) In a strategically important country like India, it was certainly positive.
The mid-range segment is the perfect place for a small company to hit big with a new phone.
Making a good phone for $450 is a no-brainer. Not only do you have to choose hardware specs that you have to compromise on (e.g. Google received a lot of criticism for choosing his 60 Hz display), but you somehow get enough money out of that effort. must earn Support that hardware for at least 3 years of major OS updates. There’s not much going on these days, so maybe it’s time to stop now.
But despite the difficulties the mid-range segment presents, it’s a great place for small businesses to hit big with their new phones. For the most part, US consumers only buy luxury phones if they are branded with Samsung or Apple.Still, most of that pie goes to Apple, with other brands getting the majority of sales via the best cheap Android phones. (opens in new tab).
Trying to compete in the premium segment, especially at premium prices, is a losing proposition. OnePlus — Pei’s previous company — has tried this strategy with limited success. Upcoming OnePlus 11 (opens in new tab) OnePlus’ partnership with T-Mobile and the phone’s ability to support all US carriers won’t change much.
So why, given this knowledge, is Nothing so crazy that it tries to make the Nothing Phone (2), as Pei specifically put it, “a more premium device”? I’m not sure, and I’m not entirely sure that Nothing knows.
Phone trading: best buy (opens in new tab) | | walmart (opens in new tab) | | samsung (opens in new tab) | | Amazon (opens in new tab) | | verizon (opens in new tab) | | AT&T (opens in new tab)
