The Nothing Phone could be right around the corner

We knew it was coming, and it was just a matter of time. According to a report from TechCrunch, Carl Pei’s Nothing plans to unveil a new smartphone sometime next month.

Details about the phone are scarce, with the report only stating that “the product will share a similar design language and “elements of transparency” seen in Nothing’s first product.” There’s no indication as to whether this will be a flagship phone, or a mid-range option just to get Nothing into the market. 

• Nothing Ear 1 Review: Redefining the average earbuds

Considering the recent hiccups out of the OnePlus camp, there have been more than a few questions as to what company would pick up the mantle as the “phone for enthusiasts”. Given Pei’s past history with OnePlus, and the excitement that he brings to pretty much every project he’s involved in, it would make perfect sense for the Nothing phone to fill the void.

Nothing has been working on a smartphone for over a year and plans to unveil it by next month, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told TechCrunch. The entrepreneur has shown off a prototype of the device in meetings with several key executives from the industry at this week’s Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, according to a source close to the company. TechCrunch has viewed a photo of one such meeting.

Last year, Nothing launched its first product with the Ear (1) earbuds, and the company revealed that it has shipped around 400,000 units “as of late-January”. Nothing also performed a community crowdfunding round which brought in about $1.5 million to go along with the other investments that have been made totaling around $70 million.

Additionally, Nothing India GM Manu Sharma confirmed that the company is working on a total of five new products, with some expected to launch sometime in 2022. Nothing also purchased the remnants of Essential, including trademarks, branding, and some of the companies patents. 

There are a lot of questions that remain for the potential launch of the Nothing Phone, and it’s more than just what components will be used. What regions will the phone be available in? Are we in store for another “invite system”? And many more, but no matter what the case is, we’re excited to see what Carl Pei has been up to behind the scenes.