It was a sad day when Essential closed its doors after the ceramic PH-1 launched to critical reviews but became something of a bargain after numerous software updates and significant price cuts. Enter Nothing, or rather, Carl Pei, the former OnePlus director who has apparently purchased ownership of the Essential brand, logo, and trademarks.
Having recently announced that his new company, called Nothing, would soon announce its first products, Carl Pei has been coy about the upcoming products other than saying that it would focus on smart home technology and integration, and that wireless earbuds would be involved.
While Nothing is the owner of Essential now, there’s no evidence (yet) that points to the brand entering the smartphone market but who knows what the future holds. The acquisition of Essential by Carl Pei’s Nothing comes as a surprise but 9to5Google found recent filings at the UK Intellectual Property Office showing that Andy Rubin had signed ownership over, with the transaction being completed on January 6, 2021.
While the idea of Nothing using Essential’s smartphone IP to launch its own handset is a logical one, perhaps the Home smart hub and a speaker that was planned by Essential that never made it to market is the more likely reason behind the acquisition.
Nothing is expected to announce more details on its plans in the next few days, hopefully it will be essential reading.
Source: 9to5Google
