Nothing is reshaping its smartphone strategy in 2026 as rising component costs put pressure on manufacturers across the industry. Speaking on the sidelines of the Nothing Phone (4b) launch, company co-founder and India President Akis Evangelidis said the brand is focusing on building aspirational value rather than competing only on specifications and low prices. The Phone (4b), launched in India at Rs. 34,999, is positioned as a new entry point into the Nothing ecosystem.

The company is targeting younger consumers with the Phone (4b), particularly university students and people entering their first jobs. Evangelidis said around 70% of Nothing’s buyers are below the age of 25, making younger users an important part of the brand’s growth strategy. He added that the new model is intended to attract consumers who have not yet purchased the company’s flagship devices or its existing Phone (a) series, rather than directly competing with current Nothing customers.

Nothing has also retained its distinctive Glyph Bar on the Phone (4b), with Evangelidis describing the feature as an important part of the company’s identity. He said the design supports Nothing’s philosophy of encouraging more intentional smartphone use while making its devices immediately recognisable. The company also introduced an extremely limited red Royal Challengers Bengaluru edition of the Phone (4b), developed following a late collaboration that prevented the brand from preparing for large-scale production.

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The smartphone industry has faced a difficult year as rising memory and storage component costs force manufacturers to increase prices, reduce features or delay products. Nothing has postponed its next flagship smartphone and paused new CMF phone launches in response to the market conditions. Evangelidis said the company had little choice but to raise prices, but argued that strong demand has allowed it to absorb the pressure without compromising the quality and design standards expected from its products.

While new CMF smartphones have been postponed, Nothing plans to continue expanding the sub-brand through Internet of Things products in 2026. The company intends to reassess the smartphone category once market conditions stabilise. Evangelidis said CMF was originally created to reach lower price segments without weakening the positioning of the main Nothing brand, but current component costs make it difficult to develop affordable smartphones without taking shortcuts the company is unwilling to accept.

Nothing is also working to strengthen its after-sales service and customer support operations in India as its user base grows. Evangelidis said the company has improved its service systems significantly over the past two years after facing difficulties earlier in its expansion. According to him, nearly all queries handled by exclusive service centres are resolved on the same day, while customer satisfaction for resolved cases stands at around 98%, helping the company build greater trust among consumers.

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