Brady Snyder / Android Authority
It’s no secret that the North American smartphone market is far smaller than the rest of the world. I have a drawer full of Android phones I’ve purchased or reviewed over the years, but they’re all made by the same handful of companies.
Apple and Samsung dominate the US smartphone industry, with Google and Motorola being the only other brands with significant market share. To be even remotely competitive with these giant players, small phone brands need to think outside the box. That means giving users something the big conglomerates can’t. It could be a niche feature, novelty design, or clever value proposition.
Right now, the intriguing options in the US come from Nothing and Fairphone. Nothing handsets are fun, but after using the latest Fairphone 6, it’s apparent that Fairphone’s approach is what the US smartphone market really needs.
What feature would make you most likely to switch to a smaller phone brand? 4 votes A clever design 0 % A privacy- or security-focused OS 50 % Novelty features 25 % Cost 25 % Repairability 0 % Something else (comments) 0 %
Why Nothing phones fail to pull me away
Brady Snyder / Android Authority
Aside from the transparent design, there’s not much tying the Nothing lineup together. Some Nothing phones, including the Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, make value and affordability their primary selling points. Others, such as the Nothing Phone 3, are priced like flagship phones without flagship-caliber hardware. That makes quirkiness and vibes the selling point for models like the Phone 3 — you’re buying one because you think the design is cool, or because of the Glyph Matrix, not because of features or an enticing value proposition.
There’s a big jump from the value-focused Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro to the flashy and overpriced Phone 3. The one thing tying the lineup together is the phones’ design. The problem is that the transparent look is simply a facade.
Brady Snyder / Android Authority
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