No smartphone startup will sell its next flagship model, The Nothing Phone (3), in the US through its website and Amazon. TechCrunch is an exclusive learning experience.
Nothing will be unveiling new phones in London early next month, but since its inception in 2020, it has released eight phones, but one phone (2) has so far won general sales in the US. Before that, users had to sign up to buy the phone via the beta program, but there was no after-sales support, but they were able to return the device within 14 days to receive a full refund.
“We’ve always said we’re building for the long term, but now that we’re ready to take the next step on the US phone (3) isn’t another launch. It’s a signal to where we’re a company. The US smartphone market is dominated by two players, but many people are hungry for something different.”
“We’ve already switched anything strong conversion rate from users. On the phone (3), we’re catching up on that opportunity in a much more focused way. This is the right product to start scaling in North America, and the right moment,” he added.
PEI banks on the fact that it doesn’t focus on distinguishing smartphone designs, which allows it to attract people looking for alternatives to Apple, Samsung and Google.
Out of the box, the phone (3) supports AT&T and T-Mobile coverage with 4G and 5G multiband support. This is a step up from the limited carrier compatibility of previous model models phones (2A), phones (2A) Plus, and CMF phone 1.
Also, no Canada has partnered with Best Buy to sell new flagships. Also, the new over-ear headphone model, Headphones (1), is on retail channel for the first time.
In a video in March, PEI said there is nothing on the Phone 3 that has premium materials, major performance upgrades, and “software that actually level things up.” He also said the device costs around £800. This could convert the phone (3) directly to around $1,000 in the US to compete directly with the iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25+.
According to a research firm’s counterpoint study, shipments in 2024 were nothing “low digit millions.” India was the largest market.
Maurice Crane, a senior research analyst at the company, told TechCrunch that Google and Motorola have invaded the US in the premium devices market controlled by Samsung and Apple. He added that PEI’s former company OnePlus also sells unlocked devices in the US, but it has low transport. This means there are no difficult climbs in the North American market.
None of the two rounds have raised more than $250 million so far.