Nothing opens preorders for its Phone 1, but there’s a catch

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Nothing has increased the exclusivity of the Phone 1, by opening preorders for private community members only.

These members have 48 hours to put down a £20 (roughly $25) non-refundable deposit. That then gives them the chance to order once the Phone 1 launches on July 12.

That deposit will be taken off the eventual price of the phone if you order. We say ‘eventual price’ because Nothing hasn’t said what it is yet. We’ll likely find out on July 12. You will also get a £20 credit to use for an accessory or the Ear 1 earbuds.

If that sounds like a lot of work, you’re not wrong. Anyone who isn’t an existing community member can sign up for emails, which might include a chance to purchase. A chance.

Let’s not forget that the Nothing Phone 1 isn’t coming to the US or Canada. Nothing says that a few devices will be shipped here, but only as a closed beta for a select number of community investors.

Maybe that’s for the best, as it won’t work at all on Verizon, have “unpredictable” service on T-Mobile, and VoLTE (Voice over LTE) won’t work on AT&T.

Nothing has already sold 100, individually numbered, Phone 1’s through StockX. These went through an auction process, and the last one sold for $3,100. That’s multiple times the estimated MSRP of the Phone 1.

The invitation system is a favorite of Nothing’s founder, Carl Pei. He used the same system with his previous company, OnePlus, for many years. Can he make a success out of Nothing, using the same marketing strategies? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, the hype over Nothing isn’t going away.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.