Nothing takes on Apple and Samsung with stylish budget phone series
British startup Nothing has launched its latest Phone (3a) Series, aiming to disrupt the mobile industry's stagnation with bold design choices and high-end features at a competitive price. PHOTO: ZDNET
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British startup Nothing has launched its latest Phone (3a) Series, aiming to disrupt the mobile industry's stagnation with bold design choices and high-end features at a competitive price.
The Phone (3a), starting at £329 ($414), introduces a unique design with distinctive shapes and Glyph lights on the back for customizable notifications. The higher-end Phone (3a) Pro, priced at £449, enhances the camera experience with a 50MP triple-lens setup and optical image stabilization. Both devices run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, a shift from the MediaTek chipset used in the previous generation.
CEO Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus, envisions Nothing as an alternative to the "sea of smartphone sameness". The brand has grown rapidly, with 557% year-over-year growth in India in 2024. However, the Phone (3a) Pro will not be available in India, as the company focuses on price-sensitive markets.
Despite its premium design and gaming enhancements like a 4,500 mm² vapor chamber for cooling and RAM Booster for up to 20GB memory, analysts suggest that Nothing will need to be extremely price-competitive to succeed against giants like Apple and Samsung.
With over 7 million units sold across its product lineup and $1 billion in revenue, Nothing is betting big on its latest launch, hoping to carve out a niche in an increasingly saturated market.
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