The smart hardware brand Nothing has launched its flagship phone and a pair of over-ear headphones priced at 2,299 yuan in China for the first time.

On July 9th, the tech brand Nothing officially launched its smartphone products in China for the first time, with a price of $799, the same as that of the iPhone 16. Alongside the flagship phone, the Phone (3), Nothing also introduced its first over - ear headphones, the Headphone (1), priced at 2,299 yuan.

In terms of performance, the Phone (3) is not particularly outstanding. It is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen4 processor, which was previously mainly used in mid - to low - end models, including the REDMI Turbo 4 Pro and the iQOO Z10 Turbo Pro. Additionally, the Phone (3) features a triple - camera system with a 50 - megapixel resolution. Its battery capacity is 5,150 mAh, supporting 65W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging, which is lower than that of current mainstream flagship models.

Nothing Phone (3), Image courtesy of the company

However, Nothing has never focused on performance itself. As a startup brand, it pays more attention to individuality and design. The appearance of the Nothing Phone (3) has changed significantly compared to the previous two generations. The iconic light strip, the Glyph, on the back has been integrated into a "Glyph Matrix" monochrome LED secondary screen. This screen consists of 489 independently controlled LED lights and can display information such as incoming calls, app notifications, and battery level in a pixel - style. Moreover, users can customize the animation effects.

In terms of AI, the Phone (3) has officially launched the Essential Space and added features such as Flip to Record and Essential Search.

The mobile phone industry has long entered the stage of an arms race, and the issue of over - performance is not a new topic. To stand out in the current market, companies can only target newer and more niche user groups and conduct in - depth insights.

The babies born when the iPhone was first released have just reached adulthood. These users, who have been exposed to smart products since birth, need more than just the hardware itself. They long to express their emotions and desire to be unique. The average age of Nothing's global users is only 26, which is 10 years younger than the average age of users of similar products. More than 60% of users consider design as the primary factor when making a purchase. Compared with large manufacturers with homogeneous products, brands like Nothing can attract a group of young people.

After clarifying its target users and path, Nothing has gradually expanded its product line. In July 2025, Nothing launched the over - ear headphones, the Headphone (1). Compared with TWS earphones that are mainly functional, over - ear headphones, to some extent, reflect the user's personality, as evidenced by the success of trendy brands like Beats.

Headphone (1), Image courtesy of the official source

Nothing's market share in the global market is still negligible, only 0.2%. However, it is the only smartphone startup in the past decade that has truly achieved scale. The mobile phone industry has long been a battlefield for large companies, but there is still room for small companies like Nothing at the margins.

In this era, it is unlikely for Nothing to grow into a giant enterprise. Of course, the market does not have such unrealistic expectations. More realistically, if it can retain its niche user group, it will be quite an achievement.