Nothing Phone (4) won't be here for a while, but that's not a bad thing

If you're a fan of Android phones, you're almost certainly already aware of Nothing. The brand – led by former OnePlus founder, Carl Pei – set out to challenge the landscape of the tech industry back in 2020, and hasn't really looked back.

Since then, we've seen a slew of different products from the brand. That includes a range of earbuds, as well as its first over-ear headphones in the Nothing Headphone (1) last year.

The brand also makes a lot of phones. That's headed up by the flagship Nothing Phone (3), but includes just about every different variant you could possibly imagine in the midrange market.

Now, a new video shared on the brand's YouTube channel addresses what is coming from the brand in 2026. Most notably, that includes an assertion that there won't be a new flagship phone this year.

Pei says, "We’re not just going to churn out a new flagship every year for the sake of it, we want every upgrade to feel significant. Just because the rest of the industry does things a certain way it doesn’t mean we will do the same.”

Phone (4a): A New Chapter - YouTube

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If you're new here, that does sound like a positive. But I'm long enough in the tooth to remember the last time Pei made comments like this.

Way back in December 2022, the CEO took to Twitter to say, "We're focused on doing a few things well, and won't churn out dozens of products a year like many others."

You only have to look at the sheer volume of products which have come from the brand since to understand why I'm taking the current – albeit slightly revised and more specific – message with a pinch of salt. Because no, we don't really need annual releases for flagship phones, but the same could just as easily be said for mid-range handsets, too.

Personally, I'm all for it. Just as I said all those years ago, it's the sort of policy which is good for the health of the industry – especially if it could inspire other brands to think more about need and less about profit, making releases more intentional.

Do I think that'll happen? No. But it's nice to at least think it might.