Nothing Phone 1 'Beta Membership' Available for Some Users in the US at $299: Report

Nothing Phone 1 was not officially launched in the US and may not work with all US carriers.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 11 January 2023 19:19 IST

Nothing Phone 1 'Beta Membership' Available for Some Users in the US at $299: Report

Photo Credit: Nothing

This isn’t a formal US launch of the Nothing Phone 1

Highlights

Nothing announced the launch of its Open Beta programme in December 2022
The beta membership will last through late June of this year
It is unclear if Nothing will launch a formal US variant of Phone 1

Nothing Phone 1 is reportedly available in the US, but only as part of a "beta membership." Customers in the United States can purchase the "Nothing OS 1.5 Beta Membership," which allows them to test out the Nothing Phone 1 with Android 13 in the country. Participation in the programme costs $299 (roughly Rs. 24,400) and includes a black version of the Nothing Phone 1 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.

The phone was only officially sold in European and Asian markets when it was released last year by Nothing. This however is not an official US launch, and it's not just because the devices are being made available to test Nothing's beta Android 13 software. The company's website warns that the phone "may not work with all US carriers," so it doesn't sound like you can rely on it for day-to-day use. T-Mobile is the only carrier that supports 5G on this device, while AT&T and Verizon users will only have access to 4G connectivity. Nothing indicates that Verizon coverage will be "very limited."

The beta membership will be valid until late June, but it's unclear whether that implies Nothing will introduce a formal US version of the Phone 1 at that time, or if this is simply an opportunity for enthusiasts to get their hands on the smartphone and provide feedback on the Android 13 update.

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“Phone 1 was not originally released in the US but it's set to be an important market to us. By giving our American audiences access to the Nothing Beta Membership, we can get to know them better and incorporate their input,” Nothing explains.

The Nothing Phone 1 devices will not be required to be handed back once the beta period has ended. The device is expected to ship and arrive in five to seven days. However, beta testers in the US won't have access to support from the company, or a warranty if something goes wrong with the handset.

Nothing CEO Carl Pei previously stated in an interview with CNBC that the company is “in discussions with some carriers in the US to potentially launch a future product there." He explained that the company did not at first launch the phone in the US due to the "additional technical support" required to accommodate the country's different networks, as well as the "unique customisations that [carriers] need to make on top of Android." “It's definitely a market where there's already a lot of interest for our products,” he added. “And if we launch our smartphones there, I'm sure we could obtain significant growth.”

Is the Nothing Phone 1 worth it beyond its design choices? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Nothing Phone 1

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium build quality, unique design
Vivid 120Hz OLED display
Wireless charging and IP53 rating
Decent battery life
Clean software, snappy performance
Very good primary camera

Bad
Secondary cameras struggle in low light
No bundled charger

Read detailed Nothing Phone 1 review

Display 6.55-inch

Front Camera 16-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4500mAh

OS Android 12

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Nothing mobiles Nothing mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Nothing Phone 1, Nothing

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More