You might not have heard of Nothing before, but you’re about to see a lot more of it. Best Buy is now carrying Nothing phones, earbuds, and headphones in over 500 U.S. stores and online, giving the mobile startup its largest-ever American retail presence.
7/10
SoC
Qualcomm Kryo, 8-core, up to 2.8 GHz
Display
flexible AMOLED
The initial selection includes the Phone (4a) Pro, Phone (3), Ear (3), and Headphone (a). Nothing CEO Carl Pei casts this as a chance to try his company’s design-centric devices “first-hand.” That is, you’re more likely to buy if you can see and hold the hardware yourself.
The brand already sells its products through its website and channels like Amazon. However, going through the largest electronics store chain in the U.S. exposes it to a considerably wider audience. While most Americans still buy their phones through carriers (about 75 percent as of 2023), shops like Best Buy typically swallow up the rest — and you’re more likely to know Nothing exists if you see it while browsing the aisles
The move represents a changing of the guard. Pei’s former outfit OnePlus is leaving Best Buy as it scales back its international presence. Nothing may become the practical alternative to iPhones, Galaxies, and Pixels for US shoppers simply by having a major retail footprint.
What and who is Nothing?
A tech brand focused on design, not just specs
Carl Pei co-founded OnePlus (an Oppo badge) in December 2013 in a bid to shake up the smartphone space — the original OnePlus One was a “flagship killer” phone that offered high-end performance for $300, or roughly half the price Apple and Samsung were asking for their models.
The company grew rapidly, but a combination of rising prices, occasional missteps, and market consolidation took away its early thunder. Pei left OnePlus in October 2020 to found Nothing in a bid to “make tech fun” again. It focuses heavily on design and brings a fashion industry-style approach to its products, to the point where pop star Charli XCX is an ambassador.
Related
Samsung and Google, wake up—Nothing is making phones fun again
Galaxy and Pixel phones can’t match Nothing’s creativity.
Nothing’s first release was the Ear (1) earbuds in July 2021, followed by the Phone (1) in July 2022. The company has since expanded to offer a much wider range of devices, including lower-cost phones and audio gear in the (a) series. It also has a budget brand, CMF.
Critics have argued that Nothing’s emphasis on design comes at the expense of specs, such as camera quality and speed. However, the company has grown rapidly. It grew 150% in 2024 alone, and in September 2025 raised a $200 million funding round that made it worth over $1.3 billion. Nothing U.S. sales jumped 120 percent in 2025.
That still makes the firm tiny compared to mobile heavyweights. Apple, for instance, has a market cap of $4.3 trillion and made a $29.5 billion profit in just the first quarter of 2026. Even so, it stands out in a phone market where sales are shrinking for giants like Samsung and Xiaomi as affordability becomes a major issue. The Best Buy deal potentially keeps that momentum going, especially when Nothing’s devices are usually aimed at cost-conscious buyers.