Nothing's Carl Pei shows interest in launching a US smartphone

What you need to know

• Nothing CEO Carl Pei expresses interest in releasing a Nothing Phone in the U.S.
• The company is beginning to solve its carrier issue that plagued the Phone (1) by initiating talks early on for support.
• U.S.-based consumers have shown interest in the Nothing brand as the country has accounted for one-third of the 600,000 Nothing Ear (stick) sales.

Nothing's CEO has recently expressed interest in releasing a new smartphone in the U.S. market.

According to a conversation with CNBC, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has expressed interest in releasing a new Nothing Phone in North America. Those in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia can purchase a Nothing Phone (1). However, this leaves out those interested in purchasing one for themself in the U.S. 

One of the issues that plagued a Nothing Phone (1) launch in the U.S. was its lack of carrier support. Through Pei's comments, it looks like Nothing is beginning to rectify this issue for a potential release in the future. Pei stated, "now we are in discussions with some carriers in the U.S. to potentially launch a future product there."

It's not like there was never an interest in Nothing's first smartphone. People found the phone's design and Glyph interface (the lighting on the back) to be quite unique and different from other devices. Additionally, there has been more interest in the brand as the U.S. accounted for one-third of the sales for the Nothing Ear (1) and Nothing Ear (stick), as they sold 600,000 units globally. Combined with its global phone sales, the company says it has sold over one million devices to date.

Carl Pei went on to speak about the U.S. Nothing phone's potential challenger: Apple. Nothing's CEO stated, "there's a challenge with Android where iOS is just becoming more and more dominant. They have very strong lock-in with iMessage, with AirDrop, especially among Gen Z. So that's a rising concern for me."

He mentions a possible future where Apple could hold 80% of the total market, creating a potentially more difficult environment for Nothing's growth in North America. The Nothing Phone (1) was previously compared to the Apple iPhone during its teasers and release. This was even a topic Carl Pei discussed during his honest review of the iPhone 14 Pro.

We still have a ways to go, as it most likely will not be the Nothing Phone (1) that U.S.-based consumers receive.

Meanwhile, Nothing has been moving along with its Android 13 beta phase for Nothing Phone (1) owners as the device preps to receive a stable build of the latest software early on in 2023.