CIOInsider India Magazine
'Nothing' Here!
Ever since Nothing launched 'ear (1)', the company's flagship Bluetooth earbud that uses Clear Voice Technology and three high-definition mics to make sure you come through sounding like you, the consumer-tech world hasn't kept quiet. Recently, Nothing hosted its most-awaited, first major event, 'The Truth Event,' and has revealed the roadmap for its upcoming products. While the company hasn't revealed the product categories it is planning to launch, some teasers and leaks suggest that Nothing will unveil its first smartphone in the coming weeks, that occurred on March 23 reveals that the company plans to add an Android phone.
Expectations After the Truth Event
Apart from a smartphone, the fans and tech-enthusiasts expect Nothing to launch as many as four products this year. There are chances that we might get to see an upgraded version of the ear (1) wireless earphones. There are no leaks or teasers as of now in this regard.
"For our way forward, our mission is to build for the future. We are speeding up very rapidly in terms of building a pipeline of products, we already have five products in development that we are speeding up to meet our mission of launching iconic products and we are excited about that," expressed Manu Sharma, Vice President and General Manager, Nothing India.
Until now, the company has launched one product, and that is in the audio category, that is, ear (1) transparent wireless earphones. The company has claimed that it received a good response for its first ear (1) transparent wireless earphones, even in the Indian market. In fact, the brand has cleared that India was one of the most significant contributors to the 180,000 ear units that it sold globally.
Rumors suggest that Nothing has plans to launch its first smartphone in April. This could be true as Nothing's co-founder, Carl Pei, has dropped several hints in the past. A few weeks back, he posted a few puzzling tweets such as ‘Back on Android 12’ and ‘Android 12 is nice.’ In the same thread, one can also see tweets from official accounts of Android and Snapdragon, suggesting that the company might have partnered with Google and Qualcomm for its upcoming phone.
We have a lot of products in the pipeline. Earlier this year, we did a community crowdfunding round where we allocated $1.5 million to our community
The company has been working on a phone for over a year now. While not much is known about Nothing’s first smartphone, the new product will have a unique design like the ear (1) earbuds, which means that the device will have ‘elements of transparency.’
Nothing’s New Smart Phone Launch
However, it is not surprising that Nothing is planning to launch a smartphone. Carl Pei had given several hints about the same, including posting a series of cryptic tweets. Furthermore, Android and Snapdragon also replied to the same, hinting at a three-way partnership. Pie also asked his followers about their favorite Android OS a few weeks back. All this suggests that a new phone is already in the making, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset could power it. The launch could also take place sometime this month. The company has posted a tweet on its official Twitter handle saying that March will be fun. This comes just days after the brand asked its followers on Twitter to guess the upcoming product. The company has not disclosed any details about the products and the price. The device could come to India sooner, considering Nothing launched its first pair of wireless earbuds in the Indian market without much delay.
Nothing’s New Smartphone and Features
The most commonly speculated USP of Nothing's smartphone is its transparent design. The company also entered into a partnership with Qualcomm last year.
Pei noted that the company had several different devices on its roadmap before teasing out the earbuds. “We have a lot of products in the pipeline. Earlier this year, we did a community crowdfunding round where we allocated $1.5 million to our community. That got bought up really quickly. But as part of that funding round, we had a deck with some of the products in development. Our products are code-named as Pokémon, so there are a lot of Pokémon on that slide. We have multiple categories that we’re looking at, but we haven’t really announced what those are.”
Nothing works on crafting intuitive, flawlessly connected products that improve lives without getting in the way. Making better products is at the heart of its mission, and that doesn’t just mean better looking or better to use. It means doing better. That starts with the first product, ear (1). The company worked with internationally recognized third parties to assess ear (1)’s environmental impact. To completely neutralize its 1.78kg carbon footprint, the firm started by offsetting the electricity used in the manufacturing process. Then, it purchased carbon credits from Verified Carbon Standard (managed by Verra) – a globally recognized standard for certifying carbon emissions reductions – to offset the remaining emissions. The company is trying to keep going beyond having a carbon-neutral product. This is just the first step in the company’s journey toward becoming a carbon-neutral company.
