Nothing is launching a smartphone for its next act, which is a giant leap from its first product, the ear (1) earbuds. The phone (1), as it will be called, will be arriving in the summer of 2022, and Nothing has provided new details about it, but it begets the question, “Will it be coming to the U.S.?” The U.S. smartphone market is dominated by leaders such as Apple and Samsung. However, despite its size and importance, several brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are not available in the region.

The Nothing phone (1) will be an Android-powered smartphone with a custom skin called Nothing OS on top. It will also have a Snapdragon processor powering it. In addition, Nothing says the phone will be a part of an ecosystem it is building that will not only include its products but those from other brands.

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Nothing has revealed new details relating to the availability of the upcoming smartphone. According to an official blog post, the launch date is still unknown, but the phone (1) will be available via O2, Telekom Deutschland and Flipkart. The first two are carriers in the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively, while Flipkart is one of India's biggest online retailers. According to Nothing, O2 will be its exclusive network partner in the U.K., and the phone (1) will be sold via the carrier's online and retail store network. This also applies to Telekom Deutschland, the exclusive carrier for the phone in Germany. Where is the U.S. in all of this?

Nothing Is Certain

Nothing launcher official screenshots

Carrier partnerships are essential to the success of a brand, especially in a market such as the United States. Phone companies such as Apple and Samsung have partnerships with carriers to exclusively sell their products. Even OnePlus, a company once led by Carl Pei, Nothing's founder, sells its new Nord N20 5G as a T-Mobile exclusive. However, Nothing doesn't seem to have one established in North America, judging from the omission in its press release. There is also no mention of a partnership with any retail giants like Amazon and Best Buy. Does this mean the Nothing phone (1) won't be sold in the U.S.?

Nothing sells its earbuds in the U.S. via its official website, so there is a chance it plans to offer its first smartphone through the same channel. If that is the case, buyers will be purchasing an unlocked version of the phone and will have to pay full price for it if there is no option for monthly financing. Another possibility may be that Nothing has no intention of launching its first smartphone in the U.S., at least until it has established a foothold. As a new company in the highly competitive smartphone market, Nothing will want to focus on regions it can be sure of achieving success with its limited resources compared to established brands.

Nothing is certain at this point, but it is best not to keep hopes up that the phone will be available stateside. Several established brands don't sell their phones in the United States even though, like Nothing, they aim to take on Apple's iPhones. So, while fans await the confirmation of the Nothing phone (1)'s U.S. availability, there is another new smartphone to look forward to, and that's the OSOM OV1. The phone has been confirmed will be available in the U.S., Canada, and Europe when it arrives in Q4 2022.

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Source: Nothing