Probably nothing

Most days we bring you the deets on all the cool software makers are launching, so each time we see new, shiny hardware, it’s a little extra special. If you haven’t felt excited by new phone releases in a while, these announcements might do the trick.

First up, we have the highly anticipated Nothing Phone (1) from OnePlus co-founder, Carl Pei. The device stands out with its “glyph interface,” which consists of a set of light strips on its rear. These act as notifications for things like the state of your battery and incoming calls.

When the device goes on sale at the end of July, it will be available in the UK and parts of Asia and Europe, at a mid-range price of about $475. Nothing seems to be betting on its distinctive design (it’s transparent) and powerful integrations with third-party products and technologies, like Polygon, instead of costly (yet cutting-edge) processors.

Xiaomi also launched its 12S Ultra flagship phone recently, which sports an impressive, custom-built 50.3MP 1-inch camera sensor from Sony that lets you take crisp images in low light, adding depth to your shots. In contrast to Nothing’s device, the 12S Ultra comes with the new, energy-efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor.

If you’re an old soul and like to describe yourself as quirky, the Nokia 5710 XpressAudio might be a better choice. A blast from the past , the device brings back the traditional keyboard, but with a twist. The back of the phone has a built-in charging case for the earbuds it comes with.

In a world where giants like Apple and Samsung reign +40% of the smartphone market, seeing companies like Nothing try to disrupt feels exciting. Will you be snagging any of the above?

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SaaS makers and founders – join us and our friends at Snowflake for an informative webinar to discuss the rise of connected applications where you bring your application to your customer’s data.

The panel will feature the founders of Supergrain, Rudderstack, and Anecdotes.ai as they tackle questions about why this trend is arising and what this new deployment model means for them and their customers.