The Nothing Launcher made its debut last month. At the time, the beta release was only available for a select number of handsets — namely some Pixel devices, some OnePlus devices, and the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S22 series’. It looks like things have changed, with the launcher’s compatibility being expanded to all Android devices running Android 11 or higher.
So, what does the Nothing Launcher offer? At the moment, it’s more of a preview of what’s to come. You get to check out unique graphics and animations, along with what Nothing is calling Max Icons and Folders. These two features give users the ability to enlarge individual apps or app folders by using a tap and hold action. There is also a clock and weather widget, presented in Nothing’s dot-matrix style. Finally, the launcher has a custom wallpaper and a link to download additional wallpapers and three ringtones.
If you’ve never heard of Nothing, the company was founded by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. Its initial backers included the likes of Tony Fadell (father of the iPod), Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and more. Less than a year after its launch, the company would debut its first product, the ear (1). The earphones were unique in their design, created in partnership with Teenage Engineering, but turned out to be nothing special. Despite this, it gave a glimpse at the company’s direction and desired design aesthetic.
Nothing would go on to announce its next product, the phone (1), though didn’t give any additional information. It’s unclear exactly what kind of phone it will create, but the company did purchase Andy Rubin’s Essential brand and its trademarks. The Essential PH-1 was quite interesting for its time and it’s partially because of this that there is a heightened interest in the phone (1). For now, you’ll have to be content with the Nothing Launcher, but you won’t have to wait long, as the phone (1) is expected to launch in the summer of 2022.
Source: Nothing (Twitter)
