Phone (4a): A New Chapter

· hardware · Source ↗

Summary based on the YouTube transcript and episode description.

Nothing CEO Carl Pei announces no flagship phone in 2026, a Phone 4a upgrade, and warns RAM prices will stay high through H1 2028 due to AI demand.

  • Nothing crossed $1B in sales, 2M devices, raised $200M, became a unicorn in 2025.
  • No flagship phone in 2026; Phone 3 remains the flagship; Phone 4a (A-series) is the year’s main smartphone release.
  • RAM prices up several hundred percent in fluctuation — Carl Pei expects them to stay elevated through H1 2028 driven by AI demand.
  • Nothing will raise smartphone prices and upgrade storage to UFS 3.1; brands competing on value-for-money face the hardest squeeze.
  • New Bangalore store opens February 14; Tokyo and US stores are in active search.
  • New London HQ is the former Heatherwick Studio (designer of the Vessel NYC, new Google campus, new London buses).
  • Charlie Smith, ex-CMO of Loewe, hired as Chief Brand Officer to grow Nothing from “brand 1 to 10.”
  • Essential Apps (AI-generated apps/widgets via natural language) moving from alpha to beta as a Phone 3 exclusive feature.

2026-01-29 · Watch on YouTube

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