Nothing’s next smartphone will be ‘more premium’ than Nothing Phone (1)

Nothing’s upcoming smartphone is definitely coming to the U.S. in 2023, and it will be more premium than Nothing Phone (1).

This is according to Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei, who spoke with Inverse(Opens in a new window). Pei said that the upcoming device, which will (unsurprisingly) be called the Nothing Phone (2), will launch “later this year.”

Careful not to spill the beans on the upcoming phone, Pei wouldn’t elaborate on the device’s specifications. He did tell the outlet that the new phone will be “more premium” than the first one, and that software will be a “big focus” for the company.

The original (and only) phone launched by the company was the Nothing Phone (1), which had a distinctive, semi-transparent design, decent hardware specs, and a $299 price tag in the U.S. (but no support(Opens in a new window) for 5G on T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon). The phone also ran a beta version of Android 13-based Nothing OS; Pei says that the next version of the software will run faster and smoother.

All of this should spell a very different experience for U.S. customers when the Nothing Phone (2) launches. In the interview, Pei said that the U.S. will be the company’s “No. 1. priority in terms of markets.” He also described how the company went from $24 million in revenue in 2021 to more than $200 million in 2022, as well as growing from 200 to 400 employees last year. All of this positions Nothing better for a proper U.S. launch; the company also plans to open more retail stores globally.