Many know the Nothing brand because of Carl Pei. Did you know there is another former OnePlus executive who also developed Nothing together with Carl Pei? He is Akis Evangelidis. Akis Evangelidis previously worked as the vice president of OnePlus in France and has served this BBK Electronic sub-brand for over 5 years.
During the launch of Nothing Phone (2) in Malaysia, I had a chat with him and the question I asked was about why Nothing took over Essential, the manufacturer of the Essential PH-1 smartphone?
Thecekodok – Why did Nothing take over Essential two years ago?
Akis Evangelidis – We believe in the mission and vision that Essential is trying to bring. Among them is an open ecosystem that is not limited to own brands but also third-party accessories. In addition, the concept of Essential means "essential" or "basic" in accordance with what Nothing is trying to bring. For example Nothing OS 2.0 which is simple but packed with features and functions.
Nothing just wants to make technology fun again. By bringing back basic features on smartphones such as the Glyph Interface which is an alternative to the LED notification lights that were once popular on most Android devices and the polyphonic ringtone composer on the Nokia 3310 – but in a more unique use and can be the talk of the crowd.
Thecekodok – Nothing now owns all Essential patents, what technology have they integrated into Nothing products?
Akis Evangelidis – Nothing more than the stock Android concept. Essential used to run stock Android with only a few built-in apps. Nothing is the same with more standalone apps without requiring users to download third-party apps.
Thecekodok – Does Nothing plan to launch products that Essential has never launched, for example speakers? A few months ago the Nothing speaker leaked, does that have Essential tech?
Akis Evangelidis – That's right we own all the Essential patents now. But for now we have no plans to launch the product that Essential failed to launch. An example is Essential Home, a smart speaker with a round screen.
For the leaked speakers we still can't share anything else for now. But you can continue to follow us to stay tuned for more information. If you see a similar design to Teenage Engineering's audio stuff it's because they are still our collaborators like we did before on Nothing Ear (1).