What you need to know
- The first 100 units of the Nothing phone (1) will be available for auction ahead of launch.
- Nothing has partnered with StockX to auction off the phone.
- Each unit will be serialized 1 to 100 and matched to the corresponding winning bid.
Last year, Nothing devised a unique way to build hype for its first product: auctioning off the Nothing ear (1). The tech startup founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei wants to do the same for its first smartphone.
The first 100 units of the Nothing phone (1) will be auctioned off on June 21, just a few weeks prior to its official unveiling. To conduct the auction, Nothing has teamed up with StockX, the same online marketplace it partnered with for the ear (1)'s auction last year.
While this is the first opportunity for consumers (or at least those with a lot of money to spare) to buy the phone early, there's no guarantee that those who participate in the bidding will get it much sooner than the others. StockX specifies that the product may take up to 35 business days to arrive at your doorstep. This means that shipping could take roughly the same amount of time as purchasing the device after its July 12 debut.
Nonetheless, it's a rare opportunity to grab a limited edition of the phone with a few extra embellishments to boot. The first 100 units will be serialized 1-100, matched to the corresponding bid that wins it.
"Like everything made by Nothing, phone (1) is designed with intention and passion," StockX said in a blog post. "The idea was to bring joy back to smartphones. And to make people see them as a source of richer, more human experiences, instead of as a toxic distraction."
Customers in Mexico and South Korea, however, will be unable to participate in the auction. You will also not be charged if your bid is not among the top 100.
The bidding will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday and will end at 8:59 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 23. To place your bid, all you need is a StockX account or to log in to your existing one.
The auction is clearly part of Nothing's effort to maintain the hype machine for its first challenger to the best Android phones. The device has been featured in a slew of marketing stunts recently, the most recent being a public display of the phone at an event in Switzerland, where it showed off its flashing LEDs at the back.
