Nothing has definitely tried to make a splash since OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei started it. We’ve only seen one product from the company so far, the Nothing Ear (1) wireless earbuds, and to be fair, the ear (1) has been pretty good. So this is a solid start.
But none held an event where – and I’m generous here – provoked an upcoming smartphone, the Phone (1). We’ve got a mysterious name and diagram, as well as a look at Nothing’s dot matrix-heavy Android theme. Nothing promises that it will talk more about the phone this summer in an unimpressive “advertisement” I’ve seen in the smartphone industry for a very long time.
Nothing strongly reminds me of the old OnePlus. While this company no longer resembles the brand many loved, I see Carl Pei’s influence on how nothing acts right now. It’s trying to make noise for a product that doesn’t exist yet. It can certainly be an effective tactic, especially if you are trying to break into the smartphone market.
But it’s a double-edged sword, and at the moment, the noise of something badly wanted only annoys me. For example, nothing made the beta version of its launcher, and despite the PR spin on its very limited feature set, I found myself quite frustrated after practicing it on the Pixel 5. It’s far from a revolution — I’d better install any Another thing from the best Android launchers list.
I realize I’m feeding into nothing strategy by writing this, but someone should contact the company over this nonsense. Phone (1) has a lot to prove to be among the best Android phones and I want to see more about the device rather than vague hints about it. The phrase “Put or shut up” comes to mind.
I can’t tell if nothing is the next OnePlus or is as doomed to fail as the Essential.
Hype is dangerous if you let it go, and it can easily backfire on the person or company behind it. Pei has a good reputation for this, and to his credit he has succeeded in OnePlus. Just take a look at where this company is now, regardless of whether you like its current direction or not.
It looks like nothing wants to be like the old OnePlus, but the last noteworthy upstart we’ve seen, the Essential, fails. Many factors contributed to OnePlus’ success, and from all appearances Essential also had the same tools of success: a famous founder, a very powerful product (I still love PH-1 to this day), and a roadmap for the future. However, this company died very slowly, finally closing its doors in 2020.
So, is none the next OnePlus or the next essential? We have to see. Phone (1) may be the best phone we’ve ever seen and anything can still go wrong. I want to know more about the device than I do – I’m still annoyed that “nothing” happened “the truth” and how much of a waste of time it was.
Nothing seems to want to create an ecosystem, more than just a smartphone, and for that, I’d say you’re going to lose yourself. Just remember Essential wanted to do the same.
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