What you need to know
- More details accidentally leak regarding Nothing's next flagship.
- The Phone (2) will likely be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
- The accidental confirmation comes from Qualcomm's senior representative.
Early this month, Nothing's CEO, Carl Pei, announced that the company's next flagship phone would have a Snapdragon 8 series chipset without detailing the exact chip. Now, thanks to a Qualcomm executive, we may know what chip it will be.
During the announcement held at MWC 2023, Carl Pei revealed that the Phone (2), the mighty successor to the Nothing Phone (1), will be powered by a flagship processor from Qualcomm. As one may have thought, it would be none other than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the current flagship SoC that powered the recent Galaxy S23 series, and OnePlus 11, among others.
The specific chipset that the next Phone (2) could ship with may have accidentally been disclosed thanks to a recent slip in a LinkedIn post from Qualcomm's SVP, Alex Katouzian (spotted by 91mobiles).
The now-deleted congratulatory message from Katouzian to the Nothing team indicates that the smartphone would come with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip from last year rather than the SD Gen 2.
If this is to be believed, it wouldn't be such bad news. To begin with, the SoC from last year has been proven successful in the best Android devices like Galaxy Z Fold 4, and current generation flagships are still launching with the ship well into 2023. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a significant step up as we would see more coming this year.
Irrespective of the aforementioned chipsets that the Phone (2) is shipping with, it is still a significant and much-anticipated upgrade from Nothing. While the Phone (1) embarked as a mid-range phone aiming for the masses last year featuring Snapdragon 778G+ processor, the Phone (2) equipping Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is yet another promising move from the company, which may also allow Nothing to keep the price competitive.
Unlike its predecessor, Nothing has already announced its plans to enter the U.S. market this year. The company's CEO confirmed that the U.S. would also be the priority market for the Phone (2) alongside other markets. Enthusiasts were anticipating that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered flagship would be an ideal choice for Nothing to debut in the premium market.
Regardless, the new market is certainly a tough one to break into, and as pointed out, Nothing needs to come up with some kind of a strategy to promote the rather Phone (2), just like with the rather niche Phone (1), which was offered as a valued smartphone for the mid-range segment.
In other exciting Nothing news, the company has announced the launch of its next-gen truly wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2). They will also have a global launch, which is scheduled for March 22.
For those looking to break the norm, the Nothing Phone (1) can definitely do that. From its unique Glyph lighting design on the back to the creative flow of its Nothing OS, the Phone (1) is designed for those daring enough to change. The device also has some pretty decent cameras to boot.
