It’s hard to believe, but nearly 10 years ago, OnePlus started its journey, emerging from nowhere as a “shaky startup” that eventually evolved into a familiar global name. Through it all, Carl Pei has been the dominant face of the company, presenting at launch events, interacting with the media, and interacting with fans. At some point, or maybe even from the beginning, Pei was able to create something unique with OnePlus, and build a brand that people will genuinely relate to.
Bee would eventually walk away from the company he had worked so tirelessly to build and within a few months, he would announce his new company, called Nothing. While the brand didn’t have a product or identity at that point, Pei clearly had a plan. The company started small, introducing its wireless earbuds and eventually launching its first smartphone, the Nothing Phone 1. While its specs weren’t the best, it managed to win over the crowd thanks to its strategic marketing, price, clean design, and high-end look. Glyph’s unique interface.
While it hasn’t been a year since the launch of the Phone 1, many are already wondering what’s next. Fortunately, we already have some pieces of the puzzle thanks to an interview last month that revealed more about the follow-up.
new beginning
At Mobile World Congress 2023, nothing was revealed that the Phone 2 would make a proper version in the US, however, the most underrated announcement was that the upcoming phone would make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 chip. These bits and pieces look like regular fare, but they’re actually steps Huge forward for the company.
With efforts to release the phone in the US and move to a more powerful high-end chip, nothing indicates it’s moving into the big leagues. While creating products for a niche market is exciting, most for-profit companies want to shoot for mass appeal, expand to accommodate an influx of new customers, and then sell in bulk. If all of this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the exact same path that OnePlus took.
Without a doubt, Pei has the grit for Nothing’s success, and if you have experts in the tech industry backing your company, he shared a clear vision that could convince them to invest. This year’s Phone 2 release will be a big one for the company, and since Pei has already been through and snagged by (the OnePlus 2), you can bet he’s paving the best possible path to success for this upcoming product. But what kind of product are we going to get with Phone 2, and will it have as much impact as the first Phone of Nothing?
What will it take?
As mentioned earlier, there are key elements that have made the Phone 1 such a popular product – strategic marketing, clean design, price, and Glyph’s unique interface. And for Nothing Phone 2 to be successful, it could follow this strategy. When it comes to marketing, I think the team at Nothing will roll out a strategy that, like their previous campaigns, will slowly feed their audience to keep the track as warm as possible. Regarding the design of the Phone 2, this can be anyone’s guess. But if the past is any indication, we can expect to see similar types of design aesthetics implemented.
This brings me to my next point: there is no GUI. Although this was a new idea upon release, we are all used to it, and I don’t think it will ever be out again. Of course, there is a possibility that the company will abandon its Phone 2. Still, it’s hard to believe the company would take some time to build the feature and integrate its controls into the app, only to let it fall by the wayside in future products.
It probably doesn’t matter that Phone 2 will use an older chip, cost more, or have a similar design to Phone 1.
Finally, and perhaps the biggest part, will be the price. The Phone 1 was a price most people could afford. It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t very expensive either, and I think it hit the consumer appeal, which made it worth the risk to buy it. But with the next phone moving to the Snapdragon 8 series chip, things could get a little more expensive.
Of course, Pei was tactful when announcing the chip. He said there was nothing going for the Snapdragon 8 series rather than sharing if it was a Gen 1, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, or Gen 2. While nothing has been confirmed (although a now-deleted LinkedIn post appears to imply that it’ll be the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1), if the Phone 2 will use the latest processor, Pei has said it flat. It’s too hot not to get involved and would have been a perfect way to start some excitement. But we all know that once “old” technology is mentioned in a future product, the wind can easily be taken out of the product’s sails, making it a DOA.
Will the brand be enough?
Ultimately, I think this will be another case of the brand raising the bar on the actual product. It probably won’t matter that Phone 2 uses an older chip, is more expensive, or has a similar design to Phone 1. Carl Pei’s talent for brand building and market understanding is likely to prevail, and Phone 2 can be a hit. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, because more competition is a good thing, especially when it comes to Android phones. Hopefully nothing will be able to bring some real innovation to market when the company is ready.
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