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Nothing phone (1) specs and Nothing OS release unveiled, Carl Pei says it'll shake 'sleepy' industry

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: Mar 23, 2022, 9:43 AM

Nothing phone (1) specs and Nothing OS release unveiled, Carl Pei says it'll shake 'sleepy' industry

Ever since they teased Nothing's first Android phone back in February, the OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei and his Nothing company have been scarce on details about it. Until today, when Nothing announced the Nothing phone (1), a handset that will be powered by the latest Snapdragon chipset and will run on a minimalist Nothing OS when it is released in the summer.

The new operating system will be predominantly based on the stock Android experience - you know, like OnePlus used to do it before it merged with Oppo and appropriated its feature-rich ColorOS overlay - and will be available for a test drive as an Android launcher as soon as next month.

Nothing OS captures the best features of pure Android, distilling the operating system to just the essentials, where every byte has a purpose. It is designed to deliver a fast, smooth and personal experience. A coherent interface, the hardware seamlessly integrates with software through bespoke fonts, colours, graphical elements and sounds. A first preview of Nothing OS will be available via its launcher that will be available to download on select smartphone models from April.

This is not Nothing's first product to market, as it already sells the unorthodox transparent Nothing ear (1) wireless buds and if their design is any indication, we'd expect a similar minimalist and cool looking phone from the company, too. After all, Carl Pei says Nothing is locked and financially loaded to be the "sleepy" phone industry disruptor this year:

Having raised $144M, built a team of over 300 people and secured support from trusted partners like Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, we are ready for phone (1) to mark the start of change for the sleepy smartphone market. We are also doing a new $10M round of community investment, so that our supporters get the chance to be part of our journey going head to head against the giants of the industry.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.