Nothing
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Offers Bold Design for $499
Nothing has announced its newest mid-range phone for the US, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. Like most Nothing phones, it has a unique look, although this model is mostly unibody metal with the transparent features limited to the large camera plateau. For this model, the "Glyph" arrangement of customizable notification LEDs is implemented as a circle with a matrix of 137 white LEDs. The Phone (4a) Pro sports a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 5000 nits (HDR), protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It has a 5080 mAh battery and 50W fast charging. The main camera is 50 megapixel with a Sony sensor and OIS. It's accompanied by a 3.5x optical zoom periscope telephoto camera, also 50 megapixel with OIS. There's also an 8 megapixel wide-angle camera, and the front camera is 32 megapixel. The Phone (4a) Pro has decent support for AT&T's 4G/5G network and excellent support for T-Mobile's 4G/5G network. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip, paired with 8 GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 128 GB storage. That version will sell for $499, available unlocked from Nothing's web site. A step-up variant with 12/256 GB will also be available for $599. Nothing promises three years of full OS updates and six total years of security updates. It will come in black, silver, or pink. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro will ship March 27 in most markets, with pre-orders opening up March 13. Nothing also announced a non-Pro Phone (4a) today, but that model will not be coming to the US.
Nothing Spins Off CMF
Phone maker Nothing is spinning off its CMF sub-brand into an independent subsidiary company. Like Nothing, CMF makes phones and accessories with striking designs, but at more affordable price points. CMF phones sell well in India, and the new CMF will be based in India. (Nothing is based in London.) CMF will partner with Indian ODM (original design manufacturer) Optiemus for manufacturing.
Nothing Launches Flagship Phone (3)
Following the recent launch of several more affordable models, Nothing has finally launched its next flagship model, the Phone (3). It evolves Nothing's distinctive light-up "Glyph" system into a new "Glyph Matrix", a small, circular monochrome display on the back of the phone with 25 x 25 pixels. In tandem with a new shortcut button on the back of the phone, it performs a variety of functions and has its own SDK for third-party developers. The phone has four 50-megapixel cameras, including main, wide, periscope telephoto, and front. A unique red square on the back lights up when recording video. The OLED main display measures 6.67 inches and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. The phone has an IP68 rating for dust and water. It's powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip and available with either 12+256 GB or 16+512 GB of memory (RAM+storage). The phone supports fast charging up to 65W and two-way wireless charging. It has excellent support for T-Mobile's network and good support for AT&T's network. It ships with Android 15 and Nothing promises five years of OS updates + seven years of security updates. The Nothing Phone (3) ships July 15 starting at $799.
The Nothing Phone (3) Will Come to US
Nothing has previously made a series of unique phones but shied away from the US market in terms of network support, sales channels, and support. The Phone (3) will be announced July 1 and sold in the US via Amazon and Nothing's web site.
Nothing Debuts CMF Phone 2 Pro
Nothing has revealed the CMF Phone 2 Pro, its second phone under its CMF (Color, Material, Finish) sub-brand. Unlike the first CMF phone, this model has decent support for key US network frequency bands (4G and 5G). However, Nothing is still selling the phone in the US as a "test device" under its "beta program", which requires that the customer provide feedback to Nothing, and the phone only carries a 14-day warranty. The phone does have a distinctive design, and offers impressive specs given its $279 price. These include a 6.77" FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh and HDR10+, 5,000 mAh battery, 33W fast charging, MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, 50 megapixel main camera, 50 megapixel 2x tele camera, 8 megapixel wide camera, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, fingerprint reader, and IP54 dust/water rating. Screws on the back serve as attachment points for accessories. A dedicated "Essential Key" on the side provides quick access to screenshots and voice memos. The CMF Phone 2 Pro is available in orange, black, or white. Pre-orders start today, with shipments starting May 7.
Nothing Brings iMessage to its Phone (2)
Starting Friday, owners of the Nothing Phone (2) will be able to download a new app that will let them access Apple's iMessage platform. The Nothing Chats app is based on the Sunbird service, an app that currently has a 150,000-person waitlist. Nothing's deal with Sunbird lets Nothing Phone (2) users cut the line. According to Sunbird CEO Danny Mizrahi, "for the next few months the only way to get Sunbird is to have a Nothing Phone (2)." The app is a beta version, and indeed the Washington Post found several limitations, such as no message editing, limited Tapbacks and group chat support, and occasionally unreliable message sending. Still, the effort marks the first time an Android phone maker has attempted to support Apple's proprietary messaging platform.
Nothing Phone (2) Sports Upgraded Specs, More Useful Glyphs
Nothing has unveiled its Phone (2), which will be Nothing's first phone officially available in the US. The phone has good support for most of the sub-6 5G and 4G bands used by T-Mobile and AT&T. Like the Phone (1), it has a distinctive transparent back with a pattern of functional, customizable lights called "Glyphs". The Glyph interface gains many new features and third-party integrations, such as a shrinking bar that visually shows how far away your Uber driver is. The back now uses 3D glass for a curved-edge design that helps the Phone (2) feel thinner. Both the front and back are Gorilla Glass, with a 100% recycled aluminum frame between. The OLED display is larger at 6.7 inches and sports thinner bezels. It's also brighter and adds LPTO technology enabling 1–120 Hz refresh and always-on capability. The processor has been upgraded to Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and the battery is larger at 4,700 mAh. The Phone (2) supports fast charging up to 45 watts, 15-watt wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. The rear cameras are still 50 megapixel main + 50 megapixel wide, but the main has been upgraded to a higher-quality Sony IMX890 sensor capable of 8-frame HDR. The front camera is also improved with a 30% larger sensor and 32 megapixel resolution. It's available with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 128 – 512 GB storage. Other features include NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, and an in-display fingerprint reader. The phone comes with Nothing's OS 2.0 software, which has more distinctive theming of the icons and widgets. Nothing promises three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates (every two months). The Nothing Phone (2) will ship July 17th starting at $599 in dark grey, or in white (with more RAM/storage) starting at $699 ($649 via pre-order).
Nothing Phone (2) Will Come to US
Nothing CEO Carl Pei has confirmed that the company's next phone will officially be available for the US market. "We decided to make the U.S. our No. 1 priority in terms of markets," Pei says. The company's first phone, the Nothing Phone (1), has a distinctive pattern of functional light-up elements on the back, but was only sold in Europe and Asia. Even imported, it did not have good support for the frequency bands used by US networks. The Phone (2) will not only support US networks, but be certified by US carriers. The new phone will be "more premium" and launch in late 2023.
