Why Carl Pei Believes Phone Specs Alone Can’t Win Anymore

When Carl Pei left OnePlus in 2020 to start Nothing, he wasn't chasing bigger numbers on a spec sheet and had one philosophy in mind - experience over everything. Six years on, as rising memory costs are forcing brands into tougher compromises, Pei is once again making the case for why experience and not specs has always been at the heart of Nothing's core values.

Nothing is banking big on delivering experience over specs

In a new post made on X, Nothing founder Carl Pei decided to remind everyone about the ongoing RAM crisis and how Nothing phones will be expensive in 2026. However, the biggest takeaway from his candid post is not about the price hike, but more about how Nothing is going to affirm its experience over specs mantra.

Pei mentions that from the early onset of Nothing, the brand knew it couldn't win on "spec sheets alone". That is why every Nothing product, from the very first Ear (1) to Nothing's flagship Phone (3), the brand has given heavy emphasis on how their product looks and feels. Even its sub-brand CMF has carried forward the same idea into the budget and mid-range segment.

It has helped the brand distinguish itself from the pack, build a niche audience and create a consistent product philosophy. He has confirmed that 2026 is going to be a tough year as the brand has no choice but to raise prices of their upcoming phones. However, it also promises an elevated user experience.

Moreover, it's not like the brand is abandoning the spec sheet entirely. It has confirmed to offer better value to customers, the upcoming Phone (4a) series will be upgraded to UFS 3.1 storage speeds, up from the UFS 2.2 on the Nothing Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro.

So, packed with design, experience and specs, Nothing wants to create the perfect trifecta, which Pei believes will propel Nothing to new heights. He claims that as brands will need to make hardware compromises to manage costs, experience will become "the only real differentiator."

That said, it is high time we come to terms with the fact that tech, especially smartphones, is going to be expensive. The wheels are already in motion and they are not stopping anytime soon. However, it is up to brands like Nothing to strike the perfect harmony between hardware and software. As the industry preps for this reset, Pei's endnote reads: "The era of cheap silicon is over. The era of intentional design is just beginning."