Nothing Phone (1) launches in the US via a beta program

Last week, in an interview with CNBC, Nothing’s Carl Pei confirmed that his company is trying to bring US carriers onboard and finally bring the Nothing Phone (1) to one of most competitive smartphone markets in the world.

Today, Nothing announced that its first-ever smartphone will be available in the United States via a beta program. To enroll in the beta program, customers must pay $300, but they will receive the phone and they are not obligated to provide any feedback as members of the beta program.

“The reason why we didn't launch in the US is because you need a lot of additional technical support to support all the carriers and their unique customizations that they need to make on top of Android. We felt that we weren't ready before. Now we are in discussions with some carriers in the US to potentially launch a future product there,” said Carl Pei last week.

Unfortunately, it looks like Nothing is still trying to convince carriers to offer support for its smartphone because the device available via the beta program will only work on T-Mobile 5G network. Also, Nothing announced that coverage on Verizon will be “very limited” (via The Verge). Here is the official carrier support for the Nothing Phone (1) in the US:

AT&T

• LTE Bands: 2/4/5/12/17/26/66
• 5G Bands: not supported

T-Mobile

• LTE Bands: 2/4/5/12/26/66
• 5G Bands: N5/N41

Verizon

• LTE Bands: 2/4/5/66
• 5G Bands: not supported

The reason Nothing is selling the phone through a beta program is because it ships with beta software, and it packs unsupported hardware. Apart from that, should you decide to go for it, you’ll be receiving the same retail unit that you would get in other markets where the Nothing Phone (1) has already been released.

Keep in mind that while Nothing Phone (1) is available in multiple versions, only the 8/128GB model is up for grabs via the beta program. One other thing worth mentioning is that you’ll have 14 days to return the phone if you don’t vibe with it.