NOTHING BEATS A GOOD NAME

He is one of five people who founded the mobile company Nothing in 2020. When we meet him during the first week of March at the MWC mobile trade fair in Barcelona, the company certainly stands out when it comes to its exhibition area. The fact that this is simply a container placed between the exhibition halls may also be because they are only launching their new products the following week; the Nothing Phone (4a) and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro handsets, as well as the Nothing Headphone (a) headphones. We will return to these.

– Where does the name Nothing come from?

– The name was not obvious, and there were differing opinions among us. In the end, Akis Evangelidis and I persuaded Carl Pei and some of the other co-founders to go with this name, David Sanmartin Garcia tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

He describes the name as an “anti-name” that opened the door to playful wording.

A different philosophy

– It is a bit like: What are you doing? Nothing. Thank you for investing in Nothing. These were fun things we could do, also in the investment rounds, he says.

– How would you describe your position in the mobile market?

– Difficult. That is probably the word I would use. But we are the newcomers. We have a unique offering. We are not trying to be the cheapest or have the highest specifications. Our ambition is different, says Sanmartin Garcia.

Design is central to the company’s approach.

– We value design very highly, and so do our users. We have a different philosophy around user experience. It is not about the most megapixels or the most cameras, but about a holistic experience, he says.

He describes how Nothing assesses each camera based on what actually provides the best user experience, and not on the number of pixels alone.

Users first and foremost

– Is it because you can, or because users need it?

– We do not do it because we can put in anything at all as long as price does not matter. We want to build a device that we ourselves want to use. We are users first and foremost. It is about people like us, Sanmartin Garcia tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

Much of the design work takes place in London, while parts of development take place in China. Production depends on the market.

– We are a bit like Apple in that way. We do not own any factories. We produce where it makes the most sense.

Nothing has its parent company registered in the United Kingdom.

– The UK is a very good place for attracting talent. I would say we are quite British in the way we do marketing and design. But there is also a hint of Scandinavian taste in what we do, he says.

Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro

Now to the products, and first Nothing Phone (4a) and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro.

– These are the successors to the (3a) and (3a) Pro. It does not make sense for us to make a new flagship model now. We are focusing on the mid-range, because we believe we can deliver a better experience, says Sanmartin Garcia.

The camera is one of the areas he highlights.

– I think we have one of the best camera packages in this price range. And for the (4a) Pro, the materials will be something new, as we are moving towards metal. We started this in our third year of operation, it continued in Headphone Pro, and now you will see the same design language in the (4a) Pro, says Sanmartin Garcia.

According to a press release, the Phone (4a) series redefines the mid-range segment with premium design, new colour options and camera technology inspired by flagship models. Phone (4a) Pro has a metal unibody construction, a slim 7.95-millimetre profile and improved cooling, as well as an IP65 rating. The transparent signature design is carried forward in both models, and Phone (4a) gets a new Glyph Bar with 63 mini-LED lights. Phone (4a) Pro introduces Glyph Matrix with 137 mini-LED lights that cover a larger area and provide double the brightness.

Sony LYT700 main sensor

Phone (4a) Pro has a Sony LYT700 main sensor with OIS and a 50 MP 3.5x periscope telephoto with up to 140x zoom, while Phone (4a) combines a 50 MP OIS camera, ultra-wide angle and a 32 MP selfie camera. Both support Ultra XDR images via TrueLens Engine 4 and advanced AI photography. Nothing OS 4.1, based on Android 16, provides improved multitasking, widgets and new customisation options through Playground and Essential Apps.

The Phone (4a) series is powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (Pro) and Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (4a), with faster CPU, graphics and AI performance. The displays deliver up to 5,000 nits HDR and high sampling for gaming. The 5,080 mAh battery supports 50 W charging, and is said to retain more than 90 per cent capacity after 1,200 cycles. According to Nothing, the entire series has a lower environmental footprint, with increased use of recycled materials and plastic-free packaging.

Phone (4a) costs NOK 4,500 (8+128 GB) and NOK 5,300 (12+256 GB). Phone (4a) Pro costs 6,000 (8+128 GB) and 6,800 (12+256 GB).

Nothing Headphone (a)

The headphones sit around the ears (over-ear), and feature Nothing’s signature design, in pink, yellow, white and black. The weight of 310 grams, together with ventilated memory foam ear cushions, is intended to provide comfort throughout the day. The IP52 rating is designed to protect internal components against dust and moisture in everyday use.

Battery life is up to five days, equivalent to 135 hours of listening without active noise cancellation. Fast charging provides five hours of playback after five minutes of charging. The model uses Roller, Paddle and Button for physical controls without a touch interface. Channel Hop makes it possible to switch apps and functions via The Button, and Camera Shutter mode allows the user to take pictures or start video on the phone.

Headphone (a) supports Hi-Res Wireless Audio and LDAC. A 40 mm driver with titanium coating is said to provide powerful, stable sound with low distortion. Adaptive ANC has three levels and uses dual microphones and AI to adjust noise cancellation. Transparency mode lets ambient sound in. For calls, three microphones are used along with AI trained on 28 million noise scenarios. Price: SEK 2,000.

Swedish partner

Nothing started in London with five founders, and early on collaborated with the Swedish company Teenage Engineering as a “founding partner”. Since then, the number has increased sharply through several investment rounds.

– We have had Series A, B and C, and also a seed round (start-up financing). We have received investments from many interesting people, such as Tony Fadell, one of those who invented the iPod, and YouTuber Casey Neistat. We have more than 12,000 or 14,000 ordinary people who have invested via crowdfunding, says Sanmartin Garcia.

He himself has several areas of responsibility in the company.

– I am a spokesperson in some markets, and I am currently working with parts of the sales operations.