The original OnePlus was a watershed moment in smartphone history.

By stripping down the smartphone to its essentials — performance and value — the company clenched its claim to fame as the maker of the first affordable flagship.

Related: Nothing reminds us that smartphone design innovation isn’t dead.

The man is a master of hype, and the casually reserved OnePlus “OG” has an uncanny ability to create mystery through obfuscation.  How Pei along with the original OnePlus team succeeded at drip-feeding information, all while creating a rare sense of privilege at being chosen to purchase a product through an invite system could very well be a case study in a marketing course.

In fact, as part of a recent office chat, I debated with my colleagues that design truly is the last frontier where a smartphone can genuinely innovate.

The Nothing Phone 1 is bold through its selective use of Bauhaus and even Brutalist design sense.

The Nothing Phone employs a series of 900 LEDs laid out in design patterns across the length and breadth of the phone.

Pei has talked about creating an ecosystem of interconnected devices, and the ability for the phone to interact with connected peripherals made by other manufacturers too.

The sheer economics of introducing a brand new phone make this venture even harder for a startup.

Additionally, the smartphone brands have certainly moved the needle forward when it comes to software.

Compared to the early days of OnePlus, today, software, is more about consumer preference than a case of choosing the less inherently bad or intrusive skin.

While Nothing could still serve as a home for jaded OnePlus fans, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that Pei has made the right call by opting to design a phone for cool trendsetters instead of PUBG addicts.

It’s an exciting and refreshing take on what a phone can look like.

I’m also well aware that I’ll forget all about the design the moment I put a case on it, but unlike the monolithic piece of metal that is my Galaxy S22 Ultra, removing the case of the Nothing Phone 1 would still evoke some emotion and even a sense of community if you will

Ultimately, the success or failure of the phone is going to depend entirely on how well the brand executes the launch, the pricing, and post-sales support