Nothing founder Carl Pei has revealed that there will be a Nothing Phone (3) and it will debut a new AI experience.
But, will the handset be released in 2024 or 2025?
Nothing has finally given us some details about the Nothing Phone (3), thanks to a post and video on Twitter / X, talking about the company's plans for AI.
In the video, Carl Pei confirms that there will be a Phone (3) and that it will be the starting ground for some of the AI experiences that his company is building.
It's commonly said that Nothing is the master of the big tease and this mention of Nothing Phone (3) isn't an accident, it's designed to get tongues wagging about the next-gen phone. It's also worth paying close attention to the exact words that Carl Pei uses, because if we know anything about Carl Pei, it's that he chooses his words carefully.
There's been a lot of hype around AI. Some great, some confusing. It’s great to see new companies rethinking the user experience and form factors. However, there is no doubt that smartphones will remain the main consumer AI form factor for the foreseeable future. With over 4… pic.twitter.com/ERJc7xhwBaJune 5, 2024
Talking about the AI experiences that have just been shown on video, Pei says: "And expect to see some of these features starting to come out with the Phone (3) next year".
In the accompanying text of the post it again says "starting with Phone (3) next year".
The immediate response, on seeing and hearing those words is that Nothing Phone (3) is coming next year, ie., in 2025. That's one interpretation and that's certainly the message that seems to have been picked up by commenters on the thread.
But the wording is wonderfully ambiguous, leaving enough space for there to be a different interpretation. What Carl Pei actually says is that the AI experiences will start with Nothing Phone (3) next year. In this interpretation, all we know is that the user interface that Nothing is building to incorporate these AI experiences will be released next year.
It's perfectly reasonable that the Phone (3) could be launched in 2024, before getting the AI update. Nothing recently teased a new product and again, it's worth remembering that the previous two Nothing phones were released in July, so it would fit with an annual cycle if Nothing Phone (3) was announced next month.
What will the Nothing AI experiences do?
Nothing – just like Oppo – sees the smartphone as the principal device for AI interaction. Carl Pei talks about the post-app era, where your phone can do everything without you having to open a load of different apps.
To facilitate this transition from the app-based experience of today into a more seamless experience where the phone knows what you want to do when, Nothing is going to be using AI to get to know you better and surface those things you want, for a more personalised experience.
The brand goes on to demonstrate some of the experience, talking to the phone about basic things as it gets to know you and creates a personalised companion. This is while showing off a new approach to the home screen, where contextually relevant information is surfaced so you don't have to go hunting for it.
At this point it's fairly basic stuff and seems to be doing some of what Google Assistant set out to accomplish over the past few years – until Google flipped the switch and started moving everyone over the Gemini, that is.
The QR code for the flight appearing on the home screen also isn't a big step: if you have a QR code or ticket in Google Wallet, it will already appear in the notification area of an Android phone, so we're not really looking at anything new here.
But, as Carl Pei says, these are early days and we won't see this appear for Nothing Phone (3) users until some time in 2025.
