Nothing Phone (1), the first smartphone from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s tech startup Nothing, was a breath of fresh air in the somewhat stale Android phone scene when it launched this summer. With a cool, transparent design, decent specs, several unique features, and a fair price, it was an interesting alternative to far pricier flagships from renowned phone makers.
But the Nothing Phone (1), which was available in Europe, Middle East, and Asia, never officially came to the U.S. and Canada.
This might change by the time Nothing launches its second smartphone. Company founder Pei spoke to CNBC and explained why the Nothing Phone (1) never reached America.
“The reason why we didn’t launch in the U.S. is because you need a lot of additional technical support, to support all the carriers and their unique customizations that they need to make on top of Android. We felt that we weren’t ready before,” he said.
The good news is that Pei claims the company is “in discussions with some carriers in the U.S. to potentially launch a future product there.”
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Nothing’s recently launched Ear (stick) earbuds are available in the U.S. and they’re doing quite well, according to Pei, who claims a third of Ear (stick) sales come from the country. According to CNBC, Nothing has sold half a million Phone (1) units, and 600,000 Ear (1) earbuds — the company’s other noise-cancelling, wireless charging earbuds — globally so far.
Pei’s goals for Nothing are to become profitable in 2024 (the company is still losing money, he said) and, ultimately, to challenge Apple’s iPhone in the U.S.