Nothing CEO Refuses to Embrace Foldable Phones: Here’s Why

Nothing has no intention of entering the foldable device market, according to CEO Carl Pei. In a recent interview, Pei was asked about the company’s plans in this segment, which already includes established brands such as Samsung, Oppo, and Motorola.

But much to everyone’s surprise, Carl’s opinion suggested that foldable is not the direction he wants to take his brand. He didn’t seem enthusiastic about the product, in fact he felt that brands are introducing foldable devices as a “forced innovation”.

Carl makes this statement clearly implying that the company is staying out of the segment, which no doubt shows innovation, but he is probably looking at the business sense of getting such a product to consumers. He’s also skeptical of the strategy behind these devices, where it’s hard for you to tell one brand’s form factor from another. “If you can’t see the logo anymore, you hide the logo in the folding parts, I don’t think the consumer can really tell them apart,” Carl said.

Brands like Oppo, Motorola and Samsung have a strong portfolio of products that have been manufactured for decades, giving them the opportunity to experiment and work with multiple iterations of these devices. But for a new company like Nothing, making a foldable product is capital and resource intensive, which may not bring immediate returns.

The company has launched the second-generation Phone 2 in the premium mid-range segment, and bringing a foldable phone might not be the right move for a brand that wants to build itself as a premium alternative to iPhones and others. Android peers. He’s clearly focused on making the Phone 2 a success for now, but while Carl has quashed plans for a foldable, his plans can’t be ruled out in the next year if their funding and business remain intact.