Nothing, the company started in 2020 by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has so far launched only one product: the Nothing Ear (1) earbuds, best known for being partially transparent.
Now, TechCrunch reports that the company is working on its first smartphone. Pei has reportedly shown a prototype of the phone in meetings with key executives during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The report doesn’t offer many details about the actual device, aside from it being similar in design to the Ear (1) earbuds, and likely at least partially transparent.
In February, Pei implied that he’s working on an Android-based device in a few cryptic tweets, saying that he’s “back on Android” and that “Android 12 is nice.” He also praised a fan’s drawing of a possible Nothing smartphone featuring transparent design elements.
Phones with transparent elements aren’t unheard of. Xiaomi’s Mi 8 Explorer Edition, launched in 2018, had a partially transparent back, as did HTC’s Exodus 1, launched in 2019. It’s a cool look, though it remains to be seen whether Nothing can offer something genuinely new in the smartphone space.
