Phones kind of look same-y. Headphones don't look that visually different either, whether it's a Sony or a Bose. UK-based tech company, Nothing, took it upon itself to change things up again, giving us a smartphone with a design the likes of which we haven't seen before, and headphones that are sure to turn heads.
Today, the company announced the Phone (3), its third-generation flagship smartphone, and the Headphone (1) at an event in London. The smartphone starts at $799 for the 256 GB model, and the headphones—made in collaboration with renowned audio brand, KEF—cost $299. That pricing undercuts the competition in both categories. Preorders kick off July 4, with official sales starting July 15. Here's everything you need to know.
Courtesy of Julian Chokkattu
Nothing founder Carl Pei says the company only has a 0.2 percent market share in smartphones, but it has achieved more than $1 billion in revenue since its founding in 2021. While the company initially delved into mature categories like earbuds and smartphones, Pei says he wants Nothing to “shift from being followers of the market to lead the way and explore how people interact with technology in the future.” Last year's Ear (Open) was one such risk since it's a relatively nascent category within the broader earbuds market, but it was successful; they're some of our favorite open earbuds right now.
Headphones are hardly a new market, but Pei says Nothing wanted to create something radically different as “current designs on the market are uninspiring.” The over-ear headphones are visually distinct and are a noise-cancelling collaboration with acclaimed British audio brand KEF. I’ve spent a few days with the gorgeous Headphone (1) and have been impressed with the build and physical controls. A pair of nickel-plated 40-mm dynamic drivers work with acoustic damping technology from KEF to keep everything crisp, clean, and without flabby low-end.
They have a clickable volume wheel and an excellent paddle you can push left or right to skip tracks (you can hold it to scrub at speed!). A button on the outside of the earcup activates voice assistants by default, but if you have a Nothing phone, it'll trigger a feature called Channel Hop. This cycles through recent audio apps or favorites, like a Spotify Playlist or your favorite podcasting app. It'll work with 25 apps at launch.