Smartphone startup Nothing tries to stir market out of 'sea of sameness' with $400 phone

BARCELONA — British smartphone startup Nothing on Tuesday debuted a new handset it hopes can shake the mobile industry out of a perceived innovation slowdown. Nothing launched its new Phone (3a) device, a budget phone that comes with an unusual design featuring multiple different shapes and so-called "Glyph" lights on the back that light up to preset ringtones and notification sound effects. The Phone (3a) will retail at a starting price of £329 — or about $414 — while Phone (3a) Pro, a souped-up version of the device with better camera features, will start at £449. The Nothing brand was founded in 2020 by Carl Pei, a co-founder of Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus, with the aim of bringing some "warmth" back to consumer tech products. "In the past, people were so optimistic about technology. But now people are indifferent. And there must be a way of breaking the cycle," Pei told CNBC in an interview in 2021. Pei's old company OnePlus gained something of a cult following in its ear ... Read full article.