Is Nothing Making A Smartphone? Here's What We Know | Screen Rant
Nothing Inc., the tech startup founded by former OnePlus co-founder, Carl Pei, launched its first product in 2021, the Nothing ear (1) earbuds. The company has confirmed that it is planning to launch more products this year, and while the identity of these products is currently unknown, there is speculation that one of them may be its first smartphone.
Carl Pei was not only the co-founder but also the face of OnePlus, at least on the international scene. Thus, it came as a surprise when he announced he was leaving the smartphone company in 2020. Shortly afterward, he disclosed he was starting his own company, called Nothing, and has investors including the YouTuber Casey Neistat and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.
A tweet by Pei has raised rumors that Nothing may be making a smartphone. The tweet, posted on Feb. 15, by the tech entrepreneur read "Back on Android" and had comments from the official Android and Snapdragon Twitter accounts which further fueled the speculation that it was a hint at the brand's upcoming smartphone. While that tweet might have a double meaning, the more plausible one is that the tweet is just him announcing a switch back to Android after being an iPhone user since he left OnePlus. Regardless, the question 'Is Nothing making a smartphone?' still stands.
In Nov. 2021, Nothing announced a giveaway to celebrate its first anniversary. The winners, five in total, would win the Nothing earbuds and all of the products it has planned for release in 2022. The image for the giveaway included a teaser for the upcoming products in the form of an outline of three Pokémon. Before this tweet, Pei revealed in an interview with Android Authority that all Nothing products would have a Pokémon codename. The earbuds have the codename "Aipom," It has been revealed that the company's second product would go by the codename "Abra." In the teaser image for the giveaway, one of the outlines is of the Pokémon "Abra" while the other two are "Aerodactyl" and "Azelf." One of these devices is believed to be a smartphone, even though there is no proof to back it up.
Despite the lack of evidence that Nothing is developing a smartphone, it does have the resources to do so. In Feb. 2021, Pei confirmed a report that Nothing had acquired the trademarks of Andy Rubin's Essential Inc., whose only product was the Essential PH-1, but didn't share any plans it had for the acquisition. In October of the same year, it announced a partnership with Qualcomm, best known for its Snapdragon processors that power several smartphones. Those mentioned above, and its Jan. 2022 hiring of Adam Bates, former head of design and product experience at Dyson, make for the perfect mix for a smartphone.
While a smartphone cannot be ruled out of the potential products from Nothing, there are still hurdles it will need to cross. Last year, the launch of its earbuds was affected by supply chain issues, one reportedly caused by a competitor. With the ongoing chip shortage, it might run into difficulties getting a smartphone to market in time or sufficient quantities. While the wait for a Nothing-branded smartphone is not over, if and when it does arrive, they can be sure it will stand out from the competition.
Source: Carl Pei| Twitter, Nothing, Android Authority