Challenging Apple and Samsung... UK Startup Gains Attention with 'Transparent Phone'

Transparent Back and LED Design in Spotlight
Praised for Solid 'Value for Money'
Founded by Carl Pei, Former OnePlus Executive
"Tired of Tech" - Criticism Directed at Apple and Samsung

The UK-based home appliance startup 'Nothing' unveiled its first smartphone, the 'Phone One.' / Photo by Song Hyundo, Asia Economy intern reporter

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung, Intern Reporter Song Hyundo] A smartphone that appeared like a comet is shaking up the IT industry. It is the 'Phone (1)' designed by the UK-based second-year startup 'Nothing.' Thanks to its unique rear design that seems to reveal the inside clearly, it has already earned the nickname 'transparent phone.' However, Phone (1) has become a hot topic not just because of its design. Since its product launch, attention has been focused on the confidence of this emerging company, which has declared a direct challenge to industry giants like Apple and Samsung Electronics.

Nothing's Phone (1) was actually first unveiled last March. The founder, Swedish entrepreneur Carl Pei, declared at a presentation called 'The truth' held in London, UK, "We are tired of tech." He criticized the smartphone market dominated by giants like Apple and Samsung, the increasingly similar designs and functions, and the closed ecosystems, proposing Phone (1) as an alternative to today's 'stagnant' smartphone market.

Since then, Pei deliberately maintained a mystique strategy by hiding the actual design of Phone (1), and only fully revealed it with the official launch on the 21st. First of all, the design is radical. The rear design that looks like the internal smartphone structure is visible, and the LED lights arranged along a distinctive pattern (comprising about 900 LED lights, called the 'Glyph Interface' by the developer) were enough to capture consumers' attention. In Korea, it began to be called the 'transparent phone.'

Nothing 'Phone One,' which captured consumers' attention with its so-called 'Glyph Interface,' featuring a design that appears transparent on the back and LED light sources that blink / Photo by Internet Community Capture

The specifications themselves are described as a 'cheap and ordinary phone.' The AP is Qualcomm's 'Snapdragon 778G+,' a processor suitable for mid-range smartphones. The memory is 8GB RAM and 128GB storage by default, with RAM expandable up to 12GB and storage up to 256GB depending on the price. The operating system uses 'Nothing OS,' which is based on the existing Android but developed independently. The price starts at 399 pounds and goes up to 499 pounds in the UK, where Nothing's headquarters are located, roughly 630,000 to 800,000 Korean won.

Currently, Phone (1) has not been officially released in Korea, but it can be purchased through overseas direct purchase via some delivery companies such as Coupang. Actual user reviews from domestic and international users who have obtained the smartphone are emerging. While there are positive reviews such as "For a startup, the performance and price are decent," and "A design not found in other brands," there are also skeptical evaluations like "It's too ordinary," and "Considering that after-sales service like that of large companies is impossible, I don't see how it's better than Samsung's budget smartphones."

◆Carl Pei, founder who launched 'OnePlus'... Interest in future roadmap grows

The person attracting more attention than Phone (1) is Nothing's founder, Carl Pei. Pei co-founded the Chinese smartphone company 'OnePlus' in 2013 and led OnePlus product development for several years. In 2015, he made headlines by posting on his personal blog, "I want to become a Samsung intern. It would be an honor to learn about business expansion, operations, and management."

Nothing founder and CEO Carl Pei is an industry veteran who co-founded the budget smartphone brand 'OnePlus' in 2013. / Photo by YouTube Capture

It was revealed later that Pei left OnePlus in 2020, and in the same year, he returned by founding a new company called 'Nothing' in London. He raised $200 million (about 260 billion won) in investment from famous IT industry investors such as Google Ventures and continued bold moves, including recruiting Adam Bates from the UK home appliance company Dyson.

The reason he, who had a successful career at OnePlus, decided to start a new company in unfamiliar UK soil is to bring 'innovation' to the IT industry. In an interview with a media outlet last year, he said, "Since the 1980s, computers have stagnated as cold gray boxes," adding, "People used to be positive about technological progress, but now they have become indifferent. We must break this cycle."

Fans of Nothing are placing their hopes on Pei's 'vision' and 'confidence.' Before receiving investments from large ventures, Nothing raised $1.5 million (about 1.9 billion won) from tens of thousands of fans through crowdfunding.

Nothing's real challenge and its success depend on the roadmap after Phone (1). Pei is attracting attention as a figure who will bring new innovation to the smartphone industry that global giants like Apple and Samsung have not achieved. All eyes are on whether he can accomplish achievements worthy of his claim to break the 'cycle of stagnation' that has reduced computers to 'gray boxes.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.