Qualcomm Partners with Nothing to Power Device Innovation
For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Ron Westfall and Shelly Kramer assess the partnership between Qualcomm and Nothing, a start-up founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei and dedicated to building a world without barriers between people and technology. Their conversation focused on: The 5G ecosystem implications of Nothing’s first device launch of a transparent earbud - ear (1) - in August 2021that comes with active noise cancellation and a retail price of $99, selling more than 100,000 units in the first two months. Why Qualcomm’s alliance is much ado about Nothing, especially in how the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform can power innovation of Nothing 5G products down the line. Nothing raised in $50 million in a new Series A round extension backed by strategic and private investors setting the stage for speculation on Nothing portfolio development direction. Ron and Shelly see Qualcomm’s collaboration with Nothing as a solid bet that Nothing can beat something alternatives setting the stage for Snapdragon-fueled device innovations across the 5G mobile ecosystem.