Nothing, the startup behind one of the best wireless headphones, revealed the back design of its next smartphone (1). The company, led by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, plans to unveil the Android device in its entirety at a July 12 event.
Until then, we have a snack snack and, as you can see in the image above, Nothing makes transparency a design element characteristic of its growing product portfolio. Illuminated strips of light are placed through the transparent back panel placed in a layout that was mysteriously mocked earlier this year. We don’t know the purpose of these strips yet, but our best guess is that they serve as notification indicators.
Underneath the transparent back panel are also exposed screws, a small “Nothing” mark with dots, a large wireless charging plate, and a rather strange logo that reminds me of Trolli Cherry Bomber candies. When the Nothing Ear (1) has a contrasting black and white design, the back of the Nothing Phone (1) is light white.
Dare. warm. Full of soul.
A return to instinct.
This is the phone (1).
Tune in on July 12th to find out: pic.twitter.com/5XUbvo8dwZ
– Nothing (@res) June 15, 2022
Aside from the design, this teaser image reveals a dual tablet-shaped camera configuration similar to that of the iPhone X. We don’t know much about these cameras, but it’s safe to assume that there will be a zoom or an ultra-wide-angle lens. which raises a main standard camera. The device will run on Android (with a simple Nothing OS skin), run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (most likely a mid-range chip), and support wireless charging.
Earlier this year, Nothing released a handful of screenshots of the Nothing operating system, showcasing its unique design language consisting of custom fonts and graphics. The backgrounds contain the dotted, futuristic lettering found on their products along with monochrome hues.
Nothing has promised a smartphone “designed to deliver a fast, smooth and personal experience” and one that will “effortlessly connect and integrate Nothing products and products from other world-leading brands.” The latter goal is especially important for Nothing, a brand that tries to compete against Apple with its own “garden” of products that will be sold under the Nothing brand or used to help other companies launch their own devices.
It’s a steep hill to climb, and a downward slide could put Nothing on the same course as Essential, another Android startup that had a similar goal of distilling products in their minimal forms. Nothing even acquired the rights to the Essential Phone brand, although Pei told The Verge that the acquisition was to acquire the name, not to copy the product.
We’ll find out if Nothing will become a thing when the company officially unveils the phone (1) on July 12th.