Nothing will launch its first smartphone, the Nothing Phone 1, in India soon, possibly alongside global markets. Ahead of launch, the London-based consumer tech startup led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has revealed that the Phone 1 will be sold on Flipkart, just like its debut product, the Ear 1 wireless earphones. Pricing, availability, and partner incentives will be announced closer to launch which is slated for later this summer.
“From selling out Ear 1 in under two minutes during our first Flipkart sale to breaking into the top three brands in the premium true wireless earbud segment in our debut quarter, we have demonstrated that India is excited for a new consumer tech brand to emerge from a stagnant industry,” Manu Sharma, Vice President and General Manager, Nothing India said, adding “we want to continue this successful partnership streak with our highly anticipated smartphone Nothing Phone 1 which I am certain will disrupt the smartphone space as we know it.”
Nothing announced the Phone 1 earlier in March 23, during a virtual event called “The Truth.” The phone will be powered by an unspecified Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and boot Nothing OS, a proprietary operating system based on Android.
“As a customer-centric platform, we always bring new innovative products and brands that fulfil ever evolving customer aspirations,” Ajay Veer Yadav, Senior Vice President, Flipkart said. “We are delighted to bring Nothing’s much awaited Phone 1 to Indian consumers, and we are confident that it will be another exciting milestone in the smartphone industry.”
O2 will, similarly, be the exclusive network partner for Nothing in the UK while in Germany, Telekom Deutschland will be the exclusive operator for Phone 1 with customers getting the option to purchase it both online as well as offline. Nothing is expected to announce more such partnerships, in the future.
Software will be one of the most highly anticipated features of the Nothing Phone 1. Pei was instrumental in shaping one of the most revered Android skins, OxygenOS, at OnePlus before leaving the company last year. It seems, he is bringing the same vision to Nothing giving the global tech enthusiast community another shot at getting the “best of Android.”
Nothing isn’t going after OnePlus, though. Rather, it wants to become “the most compelling alternative to Apple.”
Watch this space for more coverage around Nothing and the Nothing Phone 1.
| Carl Pei’s Nothing announces its first smartphone, the Nothing OS-based Nothing Phone 1
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