- Nothing, a brand focused on consumer technology, will be based in London
- Nothing will launch its first range of products during the first half of this year.
- OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei introduced the brand after raising $ 7 million in funding in December.
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OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei on Wednesday unveiled the name of his new venture Nothing, a London-based consumer technology-focused brand.
“Nothing’s mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a seamless digital future,” Pei, the brand’s CEO, said in a press release. “We believe the best technology is beautiful, yet natural and intuitive to use. If it’s advanced enough, it should feel like nothing in the background.”
Nothing will release smart devices within the first half of this year, reads the press release.
Read more: More people lined up at T-Mobile’s flagship store to buy a new $ 580 Android phone than the iPhone
The new company raised $ 7 million in funding in December and includes investors such as iPod inventor Tony Fadell, YouTuber Casey Neistat, co-founder of Twitch, Kevin Lin, and Steve Huffman, CEO of Reddit.
Pei has not announced the range of products that will be launched or with whom it will compete. But he told The Verge that nothing is currently focusing on simpler categories as it builds up his team aimed at connecting multiple product categories.
According to Pei, there is no plan to make a profit from selling hardware instead of software subscriptions. In the long run, however, a ‘healthy business’ requires good hardware and software, he told The Verge.
Looking out in the market, nothing will use ‘tailoring’ in its products, Pei said. Nothing might focus on music and include headphone production, Wired reported in December.
Read more: The OnePlus 8T is an excellent phone with some minor drawbacks that will appeal to the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE at a lower price.
Pei left OnePlus in October. He launched the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturing company in 2013. OnePlus first sold phones by invitation and later adapted to a newer business model that offers affordable and competitive phones. The company also manufactures other products such as headphones and TVs.
In 2018, long queues of people outside T-Mobile’s store in New York City were waiting to buy OnePlus 6T smartphones than there were for new iPhones. The smartphone has an excellent design, specifications and performance for less than $ 600.
Earlier that year, few Android phones received as much hype as the OnePlus 6 when it was released. OnePlus reported that more than 15,000 people in 26 cities in 11 countries were on the phone.