Five years in, is Nothing moving in the right direction?

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

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When Nothing was launched in 2020 by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, the sentiment surrounding the firm was quite positive. OnePlus fans who felt that the previous flagship killer pioneer was losing its way were hopeful that Pei would cultivate some of those original values in the new company. Initially, it all looked rather promising. Five years later, though, I’m unsure if these consumers got what they were hoping for.

There has been plenty of chatter on Android Authority and various forums about Nothing’s current state and whether the young company is heading in the right direction. I want to know what you think about this sentiment.

So, what evidence is there to support Nothing so far? Well, I don’t believe the company has produced an outright bad device in its brief history, which is more than can be said for several fresh start brands. Nothing also has a clear identity, evident in its devices’ minimalist futuristic aesthetics and the introduction of unique design features, like the instantly recognizable Glyph system.

That said, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, especially over the past year.

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Despite Nothing branding the Phone 3 as a “true flagship,” many questioned its credentials in that regard. While its price certainly supported this claim, Nothing’s hardware choices suggested otherwise. Granted, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 it launched with is by no means a slouch, but it doesn’t align with the company’s heavy-handed marketing.

Redditor u/Papa_Bear55 summarized the problem rather succinctly: Terrible design, and way too expensive for the specs. What were they thinking? Then there’s the revised Glyph system on the new phone. Many users are still annoyed by the switch from the Phone 1’s system to the Glyph Matrix screen on the Phone 3. Nothing argues that the latter is more customizable, but it trades that for the charm, identifiability, and simplicity of the original interface. Arguably, it’s also a regression from a system many phones already offer.

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