Carl Pei’s Nothing Could Be Working on Transparent TWS Earbuds as Company’s First Product, Teaser Suggests

Nothing from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei today revealed the design principles that it would follow for its “first wave of products” that are set to debut in the coming future. The company, that recently brought now-defunct smartphone maker Essential, also released an image showing off a concept design that it calls Concept 1. It appears to hint at the company's first true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds with a transparent build and minimal aesthetics. Nothing said that while it wanted to work on future technologies that wouldn't include screens and dedicated devices, it would start working with existing product categories for now and interpret them through its vision.

Although Nothing is yet to reveal a concrete timeline, the company has now announced that its first products will arrive this summer. It also said its design principles revolve around three elements – weightless, effortless, and timeless.

“We peel off everything superficial, like unnecessary branding on the surface, to focus solely on what adds true value to the user experience. We spend as much time thinking about what it can remove from a product, as what it can add to it,” the company said in a press statement.

Nothing noted that it worked on “countless millimetre and pixel iterations” while developing its products and is aiming to simplify the user experience. Further, the company hinted that it wanted to bring its products in shapes that look natural and warm.

The concept design shared by Nothing is claimed to be inspired by a grandmother's tobacco pipe. However, it appears to be associated with TWS earbuds and looks quite similar to the design of Apple AirPods. However, it should be noted that the concept design may not be similar to the final products coming from the Nothing factory.

Carl Pei exited OnePlus in October to start working on Nothing. The company was in the news for acquiring the ownership of Andy Rubin's Essential in February. It also partnered with Sweden industrial design firm Teenage Engineering for building its initial products. The company also appointed former Samsung Vice President Manu Sharma as its Vice President and General Manager for India operations.

What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.