Is Nothing's Phone 1 coming to the U.S.market despite not including US wireless carriers?
Skipping North America
Unfortunately, the new phone will not be hitting the US shelves after Nothing was confirmed to PCMag that the company would not be releasing the phone in North America for its July 12 debut.
The company stated that even though they want to make the Phone 1 accessible globally, it will only focus on its home markets, which include the UK and Europe.
Although the brand-new phone could be obtained in the US through a restricted beta program, it was noted that it will only be available to a small number of Nothing's "private community investors."
Following a tease by inventor Carl Pei, Nothing debuted the device for the first time last week on Twitter. The most prominent feature is a translucent rear that reveals a wireless charging coil and an enigmatic lighting pattern. Along with the pure Android Nothing OS, the startup has also promised an open and varied "product ecosystem."
Renowned leaker Evan Blass became aware of the issue early since Nothing provided a set of wireless carriers that are supported, and neither US nor Canadian carriers are included.
"Disappointing, but understandable. Hard for young brands to achieve carrier adoption here, and without those deals, not really worth negotiating retail channels at all," Blass wrote in a tweet.
Will Nothing Provide US Supported Phone 1 Someday?
Nothing further explained that it takes a lot for them to develop a new phone, especially from carrier relationships and local laws to ensure the handset is compatible with the cellular technologies of various countries.
The company also stressed that they are still a "young brand" and need to be more "strategic."
Individuals included in the limited beta program are also expected to have troubles with coverage and insufficient support of services like voice over LTE, as noted by PCMag.
However, Nothing does have aspirations to launch in North America. The company expressed its intentions to "introduce a US supported smartphone" in the coming years.
The company's translucent Phone 1 will make its debut in London on July 12.
In recent years, US carrier standards have become more stringent. Industry standards throughout the 3G era mandated that AT&T and T-Mobile would embrace any phone that was technically capable of working with their networks. Since there is no similar need for 4G and 5G, the carriers are free to "white list" or only let approved phones on their networks, according to PCMag.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
