TECH

Carl Pei smartphone review

In light of the information about the new company, the open letter looks all the more ridiculous, in which Musk asks that AI development be suspended around the world. Officially, this is required in order to create standards and regulations. And if the letter was written honestly, then it would have been written: OpenAI is very cool, we can’t keep up with them, slow them down for half a year so that we can gather our strength.

Initially, when Carl Pei, one of the co-founders of the OnePlus brand, went on a free voyage, I took it as a new marketing move by BBK Electronics, which had already eaten the dog at the launch of smartphone brands for the young and daring (talking about Oppo, Vivo, realme, IQOOO, One Plus).

About the created company Nothing, it cannot yet be said that this is one of the many clones born in a Chinese bunker. The company has a clear image, style and message.

Nothing indicates any relationship with BBK Electronics. Of the suspicious moments, there was only the launch of Oppo headphones, which were visually and functionally very similar to the Nothing Ear headphones (1). It should be noted here that Oppo headphones were launched on sale a week before Nothing. And this is to some extent a proprietary feature of Oppo. So, what the new OnePlus will be like could be understood earlier by a similar smartphone, but under the Oppo brand, which was released to the market a couple of months earlier.

In my opinion, it’s obvious that Nothing has some connection with BBK Electronics. Well, because you can’t just take it and start making good smartphones at an attractive price. We have all seen these crowdfunding projects that collect money, try hard, and the result is a product on outdated hardware with an abundance of jambs and failure to meet all the promised deadlines.

And then the first smartphone, and everything is clear – quality, timing, software. Obviously, this is not how things are done exclusively by a company of 20 people, consisting mainly of marketers and PR people sitting in London.

However, the marketing component of Nothing is on top. In an era when corporations carefully calibrate every word, reading teleprompter presentations, Nothing tries to play sincerity. Watch presentations of Nothing. Carl Pei speaks in his own words. So does Elon Musk, by the way. It’s captivating.

About 4 months ago, the Nothing team came up with an interesting idea: let Carl Pei do smartphone reviews. Formally, they filed this as an idea that came to Pei himself at one of the meetings. Like, he said that he has a great advantage over YouTubers, since he is both in words and in deed Leo Tolstoy (in the sense that he knows how to create a smartphone).

Only 3 reviews were published on the channel – iPhone 14, OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Reviews are surprisingly sincere and curious. Given that Nothing Phone costs about $400, and devices that are at least 2 times more expensive are reviewed, this provides a good space for honest criticism. If Nothing had its own flagship smartphone, then it would cost about the same, and then it would not be possible to criticize. Particularly curious are the moments when Carl Pei analyzes how much the production of a smartphone can cost.

Nothing can only be applauded, as the company managed to launch its brand, and most importantly, make it interesting, recognizable and stand out from the competition.

Sincerity and honesty evoke sympathy. Let’s wait until Nothing is caught on hypocrisy, simply because you can’t be honest, sincere and do big business.

Portable game consoles...I remember how, while studying Samsung’s reports for 2021, I came across suggestions several times that in 2022 the company would be able to make money on the supply of components for portable game consoles.

However, in 2022, we did not see abundance, but in 2023, it seems that all major companies have attended to the creation of a portable set-top box.

At the moment, there are only Steam Deck on the market, focused exclusively on cloud gaming Logitech G Cloud and Razer Edge.

However, rumors are circulating in the market that the console, codenamed Q Lite, is being made by Sony. Unfortunately, it will also be a cloud console. Sony has long had a PS Now service that allows even computer owners to play Sony games. The downside of the service is that you must have a PlayStation gamepad. But this is, in general, a trifle. The main ambush is that you will have to play in 720p resolution. And if on a large monitor such a resolution completely kills all the fun, then on the 8-inch screen, which, according to rumors, will be in Q Lite, it’s somehow not so sad. Plus, sources say that Sony may be generous and allow you to stream games in Full HD.

In my opinion, the idea is more than alive. PlayStation is still famous for its exclusives, for which some even buy consoles.

Of course, as soon as rumors about Sony leaked to the network, Microsoft immediately uncovered its bag of PR leaks. So, videos from the presentation of Windows portable mode appeared on Twitter: Windows Handheld mode.

Here, of course, we can say that Microsoft first of all wants to enter Steam, since the corporation is clearly worried about the idea of ​​​​launching games on Linux. However, it makes perfect sense that Microsoft would not jump exclusively around Valve. Still, do not forget that Microsoft today is the main game studio in the world, which has not only a popular console, but also a cloud and subscription game service.

Portable game consoles have the potential to be a profitable segment. Still, the entry threshold to become a gamer is still high – high-quality hardware is expensive. And a portable game console, in fact, has an infinite life cycle: until the screen burns out.

Conclusion...It’s amazing, but no matter what happens in the world, the axiom seems to work that you can’t buy Samsung smartphones at the start of sales. This idea once again prompted me to walk around Avito. In February, I bought a Galaxy S23 Ultra 12/256 GB for 85 thousand rubles. And, it seems, just nothing has passed, and the ruble has weakened by almost 15%, but now for this price it would be possible to take a 512 GB model, and my version is already sold for 8 thousand cheaper.

If you do not believe, then for example, you can take this situation. Imagine that something happened, and one country quarreled with others. Sanctions were imposed against her, companies stopped sending goods and even closed their representative offices. But even in such a paradoxical situation, when it would seem that there is a shortage, Samsung continued to fall in price.

For comparison, let’s take the iPhone 14 Pro Max 256 GB, which was released last fall and is, in fact, in the middle of its journey: in 5.5 months, Apple will show a new smartphone. The price is flint! About 100 thousand rubles.

And while this happens, the consumer will have the thought that Samsung is trash, and the iPhone is a thing. And after all, Samsung would obviously like it to be the same with its smartphones. However, how many years, and Samsung smartphones are just electronics that begin to become obsolete faster than you take it out of the box. But Samsung is a company with almost endless resources and access to the world’s best specialists. This is what I mean, maybe it’s not worth reproaching RuTube or our auto industry, which has been doing and doing for so many years, but it’s like that …

mundophone