Even though the Nothing Phone (1) isn’t a strong candidate for phone of the year, a recent report claims that Indian retailer Flipkart has sold more than 100,000 units of the gadget in just 20 days.
The smartphone market does not frequently see the entry of new manufacturers, and the hype surrounding Nothing’s first device was undoubtedly at odds with the final retail offering. The use of a pure Nothing OS layer on top of Android, however, was a big pull for supporters who desire a Pixel-like experience without the price tag.
While global sales figures are yet unknown, Nothing India’s vice president and general manager Manu Sharma informed GSMArena that up to the end of August 2022, more than 100,000 Phone (1) units have been sold. Given the fierce competition in the Indian mid-range Android space, this is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket compared to larger companies on the market.
Given the legitimacy of firms promoting “cheap flagship” devices in the region where Xiaomi and OnePlus have frequently dominated sales charts, the price of 33,999 was perceived by many as a barrier. Sharma did affirm that Nothing Phone (1) has consistently ranked first among products priced at $30,000 or more on Flipkart’s sales boards.
The CEO went on to say that before the Indian holiday season, reductions and cashback incentives would be in place, with the 8/128GB model expected to drop to 31,999. This could contribute to an increase in sales during the upcoming months.
A number of software changes and even camera improvements are scheduled for Nothing OS 1.14’s upcoming release in the coming weeks. According to Carl Pei’s initial remarks from a few weeks ago, Sharma did confirm Android 13 is still expected to launch in early 2023. Given the pre-launch update promises, it remains to be seen how this would impact prospective sales.
Google’S VIEW, 9TO5 Given that Nothing is a startup with little notoriety outside of die-hard tech fanatics, it’s difficult to be very critical. In a market where bigger competitors are competing for market share in a race to the bottom, 100K purchases after just one month on sale is fairly impressive. More of a litmus test for the brand will be how global sales figures for the Nothing Phone (1) compare, particularly in markets where Samsung and Apple frequently rule. It will be interesting to see if Nothing can succeed where Essential and other similar projects have failed.
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