It has been over a month since Carl Pei’s Nothing launched its unique-looking phone (1) with the Glyph Interface and transparent back. When Google rolled out the Android 13 update, phone (1) users were naturally curious to know when the device — which runs a near-stock version of the OS would — get the update. Well, now they have an answer — not before "eary 2023", so a wait of at least five to seven months.
On Wednesday, Pei took to Twitter to clear the air, saying that the company will only release its version of Android 13 when it deems it complete for the sake of user experience.
This would be the first in the promised three years of major OS updates for the Nothing phone (1), apart from five years of security patches. In the same thread, Pei also mentioned that Nothing has released three system updates so far “with continuous improvements on camera quality, battery life, as well as new features”.
This appears to fly in the face of pre-release marketing which leaned heavily on the fact that the Nothing phone (1) would deliver a best-in-class user experience.
In fact, when CNBC-TV18, while reviewing the phone (1), reached out to Nothing, we were assured that the company, having partnered with Google, will be releasing timely OS updates.
However, last week, when a Twitter user asked Pei, when the phone (1) would get the Android 13 update, the response was cagey, at best. See for yourselves.
When Android 13 started rolling out to the Pixel devices on August 15, CNBC-TV18 once again reached out to Nothing, only this time to be told that "there is no update (on the release) as yet".
The Nothing phone (1) is a remarkable phone, with a premium look, unique features and excellent performance. But if it receives Android 13 only in January or later, then that would put it
behind other smartphone makers in terms of Android OS release schedule, at least going by recent experience.
Recently, Pei also took a dig at Lenovo, tweeting “Nice headphones @Lenovo XD” after the company released some images of its latest earbuds called ThinkPlus that sport a transparent aesthetic.
The a design was unique to the Nothing ear (1), its Truly Wireless Stereo earbuds and also its first product.
