The Nothing Phone was the subject of much publicity for the company during 2022. (1). It built anticipation for the product by following the OnePlus marketing strategy and teasing users with tidbits of information and new features in the run-up to the launch. Once upon a time, we were rather enthusiastic about it. Nearing the debut date, though, Nothing said, “Oh yeah, it’s not going to the US, hah…hah.”
They claimed (again, at the last minute) that joining the US market would require navigating the difficult US carrier system, hence they needed to prioritise their home markets in the UK and Europe. As they are a new, little company, it is understandable that the cost of undergoing certification and signing up with carriers in the United States could be too much to bear until they have proven themselves abroad.
We’re now into this week, and the Phone (1) still hasn’t arrived. However, Nothing’s Carl Pei did speak with CNBC, where he elaborated on the company’s decision to forego a US launch and “possibly” hinted at a future US release.
Why didn’t they bring Phone (1) here? Because “you require a lot of additional technical support, to support all the carriers and their specific adaptations that they need to do on top of Android,” as Pei put it. Now that Nothing has sold 500,000 Phone (1) units in other countries, the United States may be the next market in which they invest since they believe there is “substantial growth” to be had there.
Whether or if they will visit the United States is not addressed in Pei’s remark. A future product launch in the United States is being discussed with several carriers, he added. Ending 2022 with the debut of a phone that was widely expected to be released in the United States but ultimately wasn’t, the company is now in discussions with carriers about bringing the Futurephone to the United States for sale. What you just said is a bunch of maybes without actually stating anything.
Even if the US is on Nothing’s radar, we have no clue which phone they might release or when. Pei appeared to try to get ahead of the article by CNBC by denying any future plans to discuss a Nothing Phone (2) in a Tweet made only minutes before the news outlet published their report.
Phone (2) isn’t launching anytime soon. We’re focused on doing a few things well, and won’t churn out dozens of products a year like many others.
Phone (1) is our main focus. We’re cooking something really great in terms of software, Android 13 and beyond.
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) December 5, 2022
Right now, all of Nothing’s attention is being directed at Phone (1) and the (far overdue) installation of Android 13. Perhaps he meant further down the line with Phone X when he stated they are “possibly” introducing a phone here in the United States in 2023. (2).
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