Nothing is a company founded by Carl Pei, who pioneered the extensive teaser campaign for a new product while at OnePlus. Unsurprisingly then, the upcoming Nothing phone (1) is getting an extended teaser campaign of its own. We’ve already learned about some carrier partnerships, and today it’s time for a new nugget of information.
The Nothing phone (1) will have a transparent back. This was revealed today by Pei and Tom Howard, Nothing’s head of design. Howard says they really “wanted to bring the inside out”, which understandably created some hurdles, as there are over 400 components in a smartphone.
Nothing phone (1) design sketch
Furthermore, the Nothing team wanted to celebrate those which they think are really interesting to emphasize. That means things like the camera and wireless charging coil. “From an industry perspective, you’re looking at components that the end user normally never sees, so you almost have to overhaul the entire manufacturing proces in order to highlight them”, Howard says.
Pei says Nothing wants to have its own, very recognizable, iconic design language right from the start, so that when you look at all its products, you can immediately see a coherent vision. “Phone (1) and Ear (1) will clearly be from the same family, and as we fill in the rest of our product portfolio, we will maintain the same philosophy”, Pei said. He thinks no other tech company aside from Apple has such a consistent way of designing products, and so Nothing should be able to stand out.
In fact, one of the unique selling points of his company would be the intrinsic beauty and intricacy of consumer electronics. “I think a really strong principle that we have is that design is not just ornament but that there needs to be marriage between form and function”, says Howard. The Nothing phone (1)’s frame will be made from recycled aluminum to reduce its initial carbon footprint.
