What you need to know
- In an interview, Carl Pei told Android Central the company is working on special cases for its first phone, the Nothing Phone (1).
- Pei said these cases would help enhance the look of the phone rather than hide it.
- Some of the cases will launch alongside the phone while others would make their debut later.
Folks who pick up Nothing's first phone sometime in the near future will be able to put a case on it without hiding the unique design of the phone itself. Nothing's CEO and co-founder Carl Pei told Android Central the company was "designing a range of cases" for the company's first phone when it's expected to release this Summer.
Based on details from an earlier interview and questions posed to Pei since then, it sounds like Nothing's cases will feature some sort of visual elements that enhance the transparent look of the Nothing Phone (1) rather than hiding it behind traditional opaque case materials. This could look something like a subway map (seen below) overlayed on the actual electronics underneath the phone's transparent shell.
The question of cases and the overall design of the upcoming phone was discussed in an interview with Carl Pei on the Android Central Podcast. In the interview, Pei talked a bit cryptically about the phone's design and potential cases that are being designed for it, specifically that Nothing itself would be the folks to release cases for its first phone when it releases on July 12. That comes at odds with many other great Android phones, which often rely on third-party manufacturers to release cases.
Pei said Nothing wanted to be "more thoughtful" with how cases were designed for its phone. That was in response to questions posed about the Nothing Phone (1)'s purportedly unique design and how the company would take special care in ensuring that it "doesn't look like every other phone on the market." Pei said they wanted to offer a range of cases that not only enhanced the look of the phone but would also serve a range of customers, including both customers that want to be "low key" and ones that prefer to "express their individual style more."
Nothing won't be partnering with other case manufacturers or big-name designers out of the gate though because, as Pei told Android Central, "[Nothing] is the designer brand" that people will be looking to buy. In a recent interview with Wallpaper, Pei talked to the outlet about the Nothing Phone (1)'s unique design, revealing the idea that Nothing will be sticking with the transparent qualities launched with the Nothing ear (1) earbuds last year.
