A UK firm called Nothing has so far released three products: the Nothing Phone (1), Nothing Ear (1), and Nothing Ear (Stick). However, the business is still making new products, and it just announced that it will soon introduce a new Nothing Phone. This time, we’re taking a look at a gadget that will contend with the iPhone in its own backyard.
Though it looks like an iPhone replica running Android, complete with a rear-facing lighting system that serves more purpose as a marketing gimmick than a useful feature, the Nothing Phone (1) is not an iPhone rival due to its mid-range processor, which is not powerful enough to compare to any of Apple’s iPhones of the past few years.
The Nothing Phone (1) already resembles an Android-based iPhone and has a rear-facing lighting system that serves more as a marketing ploy than a functional utility. That smartphone isn’t an iPhone competitor, though, as its mid-range processor isn’t even close to that of any recent Apple iPhone model.
However, Nothing intends to export its phones to the US in the near future. Asia, the Middle East, and Europe all have access to the Phone (1). The initial launch wave did not include North America.
CEO of Nothing Carl Pei has experience taking on the iPhone because he co-founded OnePlus years before Oppo acquired the company. Nothing is in preliminary discussions with American carriers about introducing a new handset in the US, he said CNBC.
Even if it were possible, a device like this couldn’t be a Phone version (1). As 2023 approaches and the iPhone 14 Pro rules the smartphone industry, that device is considered to be “ancient.” Pei’s Nothing must thus function on the phone (2).
“There’s a problem with Android since iOS is just taking over more and more market share. Particularly among Generation Z, they have very high lock-in with iMessage and AirDrop. I’m getting more and more concerned about that, he said to CNBC. There might come a day when Apple controls 80% of the market, at which point Android-based manufacturers will simply not have enough room to compete.
Pei, in an interesting turn of events, also addressed the limitations on the Apple Software Store and the 30% charge that app developers must pay Apple. The head of Nothing expressed sympathy for Elon Musk and suggested that Nothing “take a serious thought about this challenge and how we solve it.”
It will put a cap on our growth, he replied perplexingly.
For the time being, nothing produces anything other than hardware. It’s unknown how the expansion of Nothing may be impacted by Apple’s App Store policies. The business might also wish to release in-app purchase-compatible apps for its devices.
