When Nothing was unveiled early last year, founder Carl Pei promised the hardware startup had a full roadmap. Early stories about the London-based company hinted at a pitch deck full of Pokémon characters, each representing a different product in the pipeline.
About a year and a half later, Nothing has delivered two important products: the Ear (1) and Phone (1). It’s an impressive achievement in a world where young hardware companies are used to playing it safe.
As has been common with all of its product launches until now, Nothing was just teasing a new addition. It’s a new pair of earbuds, but apparently they’re different from the $99 ear (1). Housed in a cylindrical charging case, the new headphones also go a bit against the company’s naming conventions, such as the Ear (Stick).
As always, the teaser asks more questions than it answers, although this confirms summer’s rumors that the company was working on a similarly priced successor to the Ear (1). A spokesperson confirmed that we are looking at a “new charging case and new button”[s].”
At this point, however, it’s not entirely clear whether this is intended to completely replace the original transparent buttons, although it seems unlikely that the company would replace the Ear (1) so early in their life cycle. Nothing promises a lightweight and “extremely comfortable design” when they are officially unveiled later in the year.
Until then, very much nothing.