Update: Tom's Guide reached out to Nothing PR for comment on if the AI enhancements would arrive on older devices, and was told "more information will be shared later."
Nothing has already staked out a place at the front of the budget smartphone race with devices like the Nothing Phone (2) and Nothing Phone (2a). Now it's ready to increase the presence of AI in the Nothing Phone lineup.
In a new video posted across different social networks, Nothing CEO Carl Pei sat down to highlight his thoughts on AI, most notably going over how it can better serve the customer as well as be better served across his company’s products.
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
Pei discusses everything from his opinion on what the best AI form factor is to likening Nothing to gaming giant Nintendo. On the cusp of Apple’s WWDC event next week, in which we're expecting to see Apple announce a new partnership with OpenAI while previewing this year's AI-focused iOS 18 update, Pei’s words distill the overriding importance of the technology in our daily lives.
In closing, Pei also denoted when to expect the highly anticipated Nothing Phone (3), which to no one’s surprise will be injected with a slew of AI entreats that should, in theory, make it stand out in the ever-growing crowd of AI-infused smartphones.
Nothing like Nintendo
Nothing’s new video touches on a slew of important points pertaining to consumer AI, with Pei explaining that his ideal AI form factor is the smartphone. But before this ideal product can be realized, the 34-year old co-founder and CEO noted how the smartphone user experience (UX) necessitates a dramatic makeover.
Pei describes a future where smartphones won’t even need apps to function like they do today, as the phone’s operating system will be capable of leveraging all the same services and pulling them together in a way that will “make your day easier.” This is where Nintendo enters the equation.
“So how can we be more like Nintendo?”
Carl Pei
In describing the Japanese video game maker, Pei notes how the best Nintendo Switch games are ones bred out of a drive to “create the most human and most fun experiences.” It’s here where Nothing aims to shape its own AI formula in a way that sees the company making things fun and more personalized for the end user.
This AI exploration starts with a fully redesigned home screen. In place of all the best Android apps you might find the moment you pick up your Nothing device that there's a dynamic screen guiding you through all the same app-based functions, like automatically showing the QR code for an upcoming event or news updates tailored to your interests.
Nothing Phone companions
In tandem with the home screen redesign, Pei says Nothing Phones will also implement an AI companion that is tailored to you and your needs — “like a best friend,” as a software engineer named Walid describes. In Nothing’s video, Walid shows the AI asking several questions pertaining to your personality and interests when you first set up your device.
These companions will vary across users and can serve you in far more improved ways thanks to being unshackled from certain apps and containers. This AI companion can make itself known practically anywhere across the device; on the home screen, lock screen, through the Glyph interface, and even through voice and audio via earbuds, like the Nothing Ear.
Pei rounds out the video with the most exciting news yet — a sneak peek at the Nothing Phone (3) debut. The aforementioned AI upgrades will first be realized on the upcoming device, which the CEO notes will be launching sometime in 2025. Such AI enhancements will put it up against other AI-heavy smartphones, like the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24, though Google and Samsung could have new phones by next year such as the Pixel 9 and Galaxy S25, respectively.
