Nothing says it won't be launching the Phone (1) in the US

[midian182]

TL;DR: If you were looking forward to seeing Nothing's Phone (1) land in the US this summer, prepare for some disappointment. The company has confirmed that its first handheld will not be getting a widespread release in the United States or Canada when it launches on July 12. Only a limited number of private community investors within these locations will be able to get their hands on the device via a closed beta program.

Nothing confirmed its plans to launch the Phone (1) back in March, with CEO Carl Pei promising it would ignite a change in the "sleepy" smartphone market and be "the most compelling alternative to Apple."

But it seems those in the US and Canada won't find out if the Phone (1) lives up to Pei's bold claims when it arrives on July 12. In a statement to PCMag, the company said, "While we'd love to bring phone (1) to the entire community around the world, we're focusing on home markets, including the UK and Europe, where we have strong partnerships with leading local carriers. It takes a lot to launch a smartphone as you know, from ensuring the handset is supported by the country's cellular technologies to carrier partnerships and local regulation, and as we're still a young brand we need to be strategic about it."

Sounds like Nothing is skipping the US with respect to Phone (1) availability and network compatibility. Disappointing, but understandable. Hard for young brands to achieve carrier adoption here, and without those deals, not really worth negotiating retail channels at all...

— Ev (@evleaks) June 21, 2022

The news doesn't come as a total surprise. It's difficult for new arrivals to break into a US carrier market dominated by handsets from Apple and Samsung, and increasingly demanding requirements have made it even more difficult for startups like Nothing in recent years.

Nothing did say that it has plans to launch a US-supported smartphone in the future, though when that might be is unclear. And while it will be possible to try an upcoming Phone (1) in the States before then, the company said to expect "unpredictable" coverage on T-Mobile, no voice-over-4G on AT&T, and no service on Verizon at all.

If you want to see the Nothing Phone (1) reveal, make sure to sign up in advance to watch the livestreamed event.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/95034-nothing-phone-1-isnt-coming-us.html

 

[hahahanoobs]

The clear back and lights are of nice quality, but I personally use opague cases and never turn my phone on its face.

The notification light on the back of my current phone goes unused. I'd actually prefer a method that uses a small portion of the screen to light up to give me notifications without using a seperate app.

Nothing Phone Notification Lights Demo:

 

[letsgoiowa]

Can an expert on this topic weigh in on what's going on? It almost sounds like carriers are trying to lock it out.

 

[tskacoustic]

The clear back and lights are of nice quality, but I personally use opague cases and never turn my phone on its face.

The notification light on the back of my current phone goes unused. I'd actually prefer a method that uses a small portion of the screen to light up to give me notifications without using a seperate app.

Nothing Phone Notification Lights Demo:

I am still using a Galaxy S8 (looking to upgrade soon) which has a notification light on the front by the camera, as well as the always on display. I also don't put my phone face down on a desk (probably through fear of microscratches).

I guess with the development of under-screen cameras/tiny notches, major phone brands chucked the idea of a front-facing notification light in the bin pretty quick.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I am still using a Galaxy S8 (looking to upgrade soon) which has a notification light on the front by the camera, as well as the always on display. I also don't put my phone face down on a desk (probably through fear of microscratches).

I guess with the development of under-screen cameras/tiny notches, major phone brands chucked the idea of a front-facing notification light in the bin pretty quick.

I had a really sick app called AOD or AOE something with amazing customizable effects that I couldn't get to work consistently.

Front side notification lights left when they removed the bezels for bigger screen ratios. I'm hoping Android or phonemakers makes one that uses the top or bottom edge of the screen. That would be how I could see myself finally use always-on screen tech.

 

[psycros]

Can an expert on this topic weigh in on what's going on? It almost sounds like carriers are trying to lock it out.

Domestic carriers have started forcing phone makers to pay a large fee to get their device "certified" on American networks. Thanks to the network "triopoly" they can get away with this. If the telecom doesn't certify a phone to work on its network (even it meets every current standard) its effectively blacklisted. This even blacklists the device on MVNO providers.

 

[p51d007]

Gee, almost sounds like HUAWEI is building it, since they won't release it in the USA/Canada LOL
Almost sounds like this is going to be another Essential phone.

 

[Gars]

Redmi note 2 still rocking lol
go buy useless (for you) tech, just to show off

M1 is insane in terms of productivity and power usage, then the iPhone is the opposite - cos you dont produce anything, the phone do it for you - go create