Nothing Phone series in chronological order

When Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus, left the company in October 2020, it was clear that he would start another smartphone or hardware company. However, not many would have guessed that his next venture would be called Nothing, and that the company would go on to launch many things within just four years of its existence. It is difficult to start and run a hardware company and Pei has expertise in that domain.

In addition to Pei, Nothing is also backed by iPod creator Tony Fadell, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. It also roped in Teenage Engineering as a founding partner, which has played a key role in design and product innovation.

The interesting thing about Nothing is that it didn’t launch a new smartphone directly but instead released wireless earbuds first.

Nothing Phone: All models from the brand

The first product from Nothing was called ear (1), a true wireless earbud that made a statement that transparent design will form the DNA of this young brand. It offered a fresh take on what true wireless earbuds could look like and when it launched its first smartphone – Phone 1 – it immediately showed that it won’t be another slab in the market.

Nothing Phone: History of all Nothing smartphones

With Teenage Engineering as its design partner and access to trademarks of Essential Products, Nothing is clearly on a trajectory to redesign the traditional smartphone industry. While its devices asked for a premium, the company has now ventured into the affordable devices category with a sub-brand called CMF by Nothing. 

Nothing calls itself “A new world of possibilities” and so far, it has shown that through design and software customisation. From Phone 1 to Phone 2a Plus, here is a look back at all the Nothing Phone launches.

1. Nothing Phone 1 

2. Nothing Phone 2 

3. Nothing Phone 2a 

4. Nothing Phone 2a Plus

1. Nothing Phone 1

The Nothing Phone 1 marked the foray of Nothing into a crowded smartphone market. When the Phone 1 launched in March 2022, it was met with both astonishment and dismay. The dismay was primarily due to its specs since many expected Nothing’s first phone to be a flagship killer like the one Pei engineered at OnePlus.

The Phone 1 did show that all slab phones need not look the same and even though smartphone makers had tried to make transparent phones before, Nothing’s iteration was better. In terms of specifications, the Phone 1 featured a 6.55-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support.

ALSO READ: Nothing Phone (2a) vs Nothing Phone (1): What’s new?

The display was protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and offered an always-on display. Powering the device was a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G chipset with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. There are dual 50MP rear cameras with one acting as a wide-angle lens and another being an ultrawide shooter. For selfies, the Phone 1 uses a 16MP sensor with support for 1080p video recording. 

Other features included an under-display fingerprint sensor, a 4,500mAh battery with 33W wired charging, 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless charging.  It was a game changer, but the smartphone caught attention with its unique 5 LED light strips on the back that acted as notification indicator, and camera fill light. There was nothing quite like it and the design has become the brand’s backbone.

2. Nothing Phone 2 

The successor to the Nothing Phone 1, the Nothing Phone 2, launched in July 2023 and this time, it was a proper flagship device. With the Phone 2, Nothing stuck to the design first seen with its predecessor but improved it meaningfully.

It upgraded the device by including 11 LED light strips with 33 addressable zones that worked as notification light and camera fill light and integrate with select apps like Zomato. There is also a new blinking red light on the back that acts as a video recording indicator and the phone has also been updated to IP54 water and dust resistance.

ALSO READ: Nothing Phone (2) wallpapers: Elevate your device’s look

On the hardware front, there is a larger 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with Full HD+ resolution, Gorilla Glass 5 protection, and support for an always-on display. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with Adreno 730 GPU and up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. 

It retains the dual rear camera setup seen on its predecessor but adds support for 4K at 60fps. The selfie camera has also been updated to a 32MP shooter. There’s support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX Adaptive, NFC and an under-display fingerprint sensor. There is also a 4,700mAh battery with faster 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. While the Phone 1 came in white and black, the Phone 2 comes in white and dark grey colours.

3. Nothing Phone 2a 

In March 2024, Nothing launched its first budget smartphone – Phone 2a. The Phone 2a was a statement device that proved that its transparent design can be scaled across price segments. It features 3 LED light strips on the back with 26 addressable zones and uses a plastic frame and plastic back.

ALSO READ: Nothing Phone (2a) review 

Specs-wise it is IP54 certified and sports a 6.7-inch Full HD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone uses MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip and 8GB or 12GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. It features dual 50MP rear cameras and a 32MP front camera. There is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. It comes in blue, black, white, and a special edition colour.

4. Nothing Phone 2a Plus 

At the end of July, Nothing added a new variant of Nothing Phone 2a to its smartphone lineup. Called the Phone 2a Plus, this device is essentially a Phone 2a with a minor spec bump. The Phone 2a Plus uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chip as opposed to the Dimensity 7200 Pro found on Phone 2a.  

It also uses a 50MP front camera and supports 50W wired charging while Phone 2a has a 32MP selfie shooter and 45W wired charging. It comes with 8GB or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Rest of the hardware is the same and it comes in black and grey colour options. Both Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus run Nothing OS and the young company is promising three major Android updates.

With its first four smartphones, Nothing has proven its intent to disrupt the smartphone industry where you can not tell devices apart if you are only looking at their displays. Its iPhone-esque design with a clear back design and clever use of LEDs show that the company is focussing more on design than its rivals. While there is room for improvement in software and camera performance, Nothing Phone has shaken the status quo.