What you need to know
- StockX has opened bids for the first 100 units of the Nothing phone (1).
- The online marketplace says that the phone is "not fully supported in North America."
- Nothing says it wants to focus on its home markets before expanding.
To say that the Nothing phone (1) has been hyped up is a bit of an understatement. However, with the full launch just weeks away, it looks like a major market will miss out on all the hype.
This week, StockX opened bids for the first 100 units of the Nothing phone (1). However, this came with a glaring disclaimer; the Nothing phone (1) won't be available in the U.S:
"Nothing phone (1) is not fully supported in North America. Functionality may be impacted depending on your carrier, coverage, speed and/or reliability; or it may not function at all. Purchase is not available for customers living in Mexico and South Korea."
Below the disclaimer is a list of countries and carriers supported by the Nothing phone (1). The U.S. isn't listed.
Android Central reached out to Nothing to confirm and inquire as to why the company's first smartphone launch won't include the U.S. While we did not receive a response in time for publication, Nothing explained its reasoning in a statement to PCMag.
"While we’d love to bring phone (1) to the entire community around the world, we're focusing on home markets, including the UK and Europe, where we have strong partnerships with leading local carriers. It takes a lot to launch a smartphone as you know, from ensuring the handset is supported by the country’s cellular technologies to carrier partnerships and local regulation, and as we're still a young brand we need to be strategic about it."
That seems to say that the phone may not be certified to work phone (1) on U.S. networks, and the company was likely unable to strike a deal with North American carriers. The U.S. is admittedly a tough market to make one's mark in, and Android OEMs have to go through a lot of red tape and deal with carriers if they want to have a decent shot. Companies like OPPO and Xiaomi, which make some of the best Android phones, have little to no retail presence in the U.S. For smaller companies like Nothing, it is likely much more difficult.
Nothing told PCMag that the phone (1) could still be used in the U.S., but users would experience "unpredictable" coverage on T-Mobile, limited voice capabilities on AT&T, and it would be useless on Verizon.
That said, it's a bummer that potential U.S. buyers will have to miss out on the Nothing phone (1), given all the hype surrounding the device. However, hope is not entirely lost for a Nothing phone to come to the U.S., although it may not be the phone (1).
The company told PCMag that it has "big plans to launch a U.S. supported smartphone in the future." The company also encourages fans to "call their carrier to let them know about us."
