Nothing's Charli XCX Play and the Apple Readthrough

Nothing is trying to sell phones by making tech feel cool again. The London startup, founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has bet its brand on design and cultural partnerships rather than spec sheets. The latest move: a collaboration with pop star Charli XCX, whose "Brat" aesthetic matches Nothing's transparent, neon-tinged hardware.

Charlie Smith, Nothing's head of marketing, told Business Insider's CMO Insider podcast that the company targets people who are "tired of the same old black slab." The Charli XCX tie-up, he said, is part of a broader effort to position Nothing as the anti-Apple. The goal: offer something different from the iPhone's polished uniformity.

That is a high-risk bet for the smartphone sector. Apple and Samsung together control roughly 80% of the premium market. Nothing sold about 2 million phones in 2024. Apple shipped 230 million iPhones in the same period. Competing on specs is a losing game. Nothing's phones use mid-range MediaTek and Qualcomm chips, not the latest Snapdragon or Apple Silicon. The camera systems are good, not great. The selling point has to be something else.

That something else is design and culture. Nothing's phones use transparent backs, LED glyph interfaces, and a software skin that strips away bloat. The Charli XCX collaboration extends that into music: a custom ringtone pack, limited-edition packaging, and social content that leans into the "Brat" aesthetic. Smith said the idea is to make the phone feel like an accessory, not just a device.

The strategy has worked in specific markets. Nothing has a strong following in India and the UK, where its phones are priced aggressively. The Phone (3a) starts at £329, undercutting the iPhone SE and Samsung's Galaxy A series. The brand remains niche in the U.S., where carrier subsidies and Apple's iMessage lock-in make switching hard.

Smith acknowledged the challenge. "We are not trying to beat Apple on their terms," he said. "We are trying to build something that feels different enough that people want to switch." The question is whether cultural cachet can overcome network effects. iMessage, AirDrop, and Apple's ecosystem are sticky. Nothing's phones run Android, which means they lack the blue-bubble status symbol that keeps many younger users on iPhones.

Nothing's approach mirrors what OnePlus did a decade ago: build a passionate fan base through design and community, then scale. OnePlus eventually became a mainstream player in India and parts of Europe, never cracking the U.S. market. Nothing faces the same wall.

For now, the company is focused on staying small and distinctive. "We don't need to sell 100 million phones to be successful," Smith said. "We need to sell enough to keep making things that people love." The Charli XCX partnership is a bet that a phone can be a cultural object, not just a utility.