Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis said smartphones had become ‘quite boring’ before the UK-based start-up entered the market – and said the phone industry was ‘confused’ about AI
Smartphones were “quite boring” until a UK company entered the fray, says its founder.
Akis Evangelidis, co-founder start-up Nothing, says that phone manufacturers are “confused” about how to effectively utilise AI. His comments came as Nothing unveiled its latest mid-range Phone 3(a) Series.
The London-based firm, which launched in late 2020, aims to provide an alternative to tech giants like Apple, Google and Samsung with its distinctive design and unique features, such as LED light patterns on the back of its phones indicating different types of notifications.
Mr Evangelidis said: “Back then, four years ago, it was quite boring to be honest. All the devices looked the same. They were just minor iterations; on camera module, more megapixels, all that kind of stuff – there wasn’t much happening. There wasn’t any grander vision.”
He also noted a growing negativity around technology, citing concerns over data privacy and social media consumption. “Whereas, when we were growing up, with the launch of the first iPhone, I still remember interacting with it and feeling super excited. You would stay up late to watch the Apple keynotes and so on… but that kind of sense of magic around tech has gradually disappeared.”
The latest Phone (3a) Series just ramped up the game with its upgraded camera system and a cutting-edge AI feature known as Essential Space. This hub gives users a “second memory” for their text and voice notes, screenshots, and more—smartly organising details they need when they need them.
Priced from £329, Nothing’s fresh launch comes hot on the heels of Apple’s new mid-range iPhone 16e, although that will set you back £599.
Nothing is taking the plunge into the ultra competitive world of smartphone AI tools, joining the likes of Samsung, Google and Apple who all rolled out new features in 2024. Mr Evangelidis stated that Nothing is bringing its signature unique approach to both AI tech and overall phone design.
He says that too many major players have been swept up in a “specs race” rushing to deploy similar gadgets. “AI is coming into play and we definitely think it will disrupt the overall user experience when it comes to smartphones,” he remarked, before noting the current confusion among consumers regarding AI’s true potential.
“I think there’s been a lot of buzz around AI but I think users are confused. The market is confused in terms of, what’s the end game? We’ve seen camera features and so on but we think that the opportunity is drastically, much bigger than that, yet people don’t see or don’t understand what their opportunities are.
“If you think about it, ever since really the first iPhone was introduced, this kind of app-based user experience hasn’t really changed. But we’re super dependent on smartphones, we do everything on them – watch media, we work, we connect with people.
“But having this very siloed experience actually brings a lot of clutter in terms of how all these things interact.”
In contrast to this, he suggested that Essential Space could act as a “second memory” for users when they opt to store items there. It would be capable of “pulling any kind of action or further insights” from screenshots and other items placed within it.
He argued that the constant switching between apps and services offered by many AI-powered phones creates “too much friction”.
“I think what’s most important is a clear-use case, and is that this (AI) can be leveraged to really improve your smartphone experience,” he stated.
“All the information is on your phone, and there is no reason why this shouldn’t be organised for you and presented to you in a very seamless way in terms of actioning those things – I think that’s where AI is going to lead us, redefining the experience.
“The idea is to gradually introduce that into user behaviour and how they interact, and then gradually start merging closer and closer with our overall software experience.”
Mr Evangelidis has expressed confidence in the company’s progress, highlighting that it was the “fastest growing smartphone brand across quite a few countries” last year. He revealed that the firm had seen a significant increase in sales, with seven million products sold by the end of 2024, a leap from two million at the end of 2023.
“As basic as it sounds, we started this company from a user standpoint, thinking from a user standpoint, actually a lot more people are like us, and that it was more about this excitement, and then everything we’ve done when it comes to product features, we keep ourselves in mind,” he explained. “There is no product we haven’t tested or features we don’t understand, or features we do for other reasons than just purely enhancing the user experience.”
He went on to suggest that larger companies may be more resistant to change due to their established business models. “I think bigger companies have more to lose, they have a running business and eventually they don’t see the need to change – and you see that all kind of have a similar approach to things, it’s why all the features are quite similar across all of them, they follow each other in a way.
“Whereas I think our strength is just having started from a blank sheet, and having that agility and forcing ourselves to look at things in a different way.”
