What you need to know
- The first alleged image of Nothing’s first smartphone has leaked.
- Nothing is expected to announce the device sometime next month.
- The startup is believed to have shown off a prototype at the Mobile World Congress last week.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Carl Pei’s consumer tech startup Nothing is readying to launch its first smartphone. While no other details regarding the phone have surfaced yet, reliable leaker Evan Blass has now posted a photo that shows Pei showing off a prototype of the upcoming device to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
The photo appears to have been taken at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and could be the same one that TechCrunch had referred to in its report. Unfortunately, the photo doesn’t actually reveal much.
It looks like the device is inside a case and features a squared camera bump on the back. The upcoming phone is tipped to share a similar design language and “elements of transparency” as the Nothing Ear 1 wireless earbuds.
Like the Ear 1, you can also expect Nothing's answer to the best Android phones to carry a highly competitive price tag and offer a ton of features.
Nothing was first rumored to be working on a smartphone in October, shortly after it announced that it would collaborate with Qualcomm to power its tech ecosystem. Earlier in 2021, Nothing acquired Andy Rubin’s Essential brand, including all its trademarks and logo.
While Nothing’s first pair of true wireless earbuds have proven to be popular among users in India and several other markets, it remains to be seen if the London-based startup can successfully take the fight to big names such as Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus in the smartphone market. As noted by our very own Alex Dobie in his recent editorial, Nothing would find it highly challenging to match the likes of Apple and Samsung in key areas like imaging.
