That’s not to say Canadians would be better served with fewer options when it comes to smartphones. I would argue that more options are better, especially in an age where smartphone companies are increasingly disappearing. LG is gone, HTC comes out once every few years with a new scam encrypted phone, and Motorola only seems to release a few budget or mid-range options every year in Canada. Until Nothing revealed that its first new smartphone, the Phone (1), wouldn’t be coming to Canada, I was eagerly awaiting its arrival. Admittedly, I probably got a little lost in the hype. The phone is exciting — it has a unique look and is new and fancy. But as we learned more about the Nothing Phone (1), I found myself thinking that it might be a good thing that the first iteration skipped Canada.
Iconic hype for a stylish mid-ranger
Image credit: MKBHD More recently, Nothing confirmed that the Phone (1) runs a “custom” Snapdragon 778G+ chip. As mentioned earlier, the 778G+ is really just a 778G with wireless charging capabilities. The point is that the 778G (and by extension the 778G+) is a mid-range chip. There’s nothing wrong with mid-range chips, but Nothing’s hype machine has painted the phone (1) as a flagship. People who come to the phone (1) with this expectation may be disappointed. The thing is, Nothing’s Phone (1) will need to take on some of the biggest players in the market to make headway. It’s a big challenge and a market like Canada’s makes it even harder to overcome. Canada’s smartphone market is not large, at least compared to some other countries. According to StatsCan, about 85 percent of Canadians had a smartphone for personal use in 2020. Recent population estimates (also from StatsCan) put Canada at about 38.6 million, meaning about 32.8 million Canadians own a smartphone . Emphasis on “about,” since 85 percent is from 2020 and the numbers have likely changed since then. Couple that with 2019 data that suggests Canada has an almost equal split between Android and iOS usage (46 to 53 percent, respectively, but I’m rounding here to make the math a little easier) and you’ve got maybe 16.4 million potential customers for the phone (1). And as I can already hear the furious typing coming from the comments section, I want to acknowledge that this is just for quick math reasons. It’s not so much about the numbers as it is that Canada is a small market in the grand scheme of things (Apple and Samsung sold an estimated 239 million and 272 million smartphones, respectively, in 2021). Obviously, Nothing isn’t going to move that many phone units (1), nor should anyone expect it to with its first phone. Conversely, if Nothing launched the Phone (1) in Canada, it would be signing up to compete for a fraction of an already small market, and doing so without substantial backups (read: carriers).
We’ve been here before
Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve seen it before from brands like OnePlus and Essential. You still can’t buy OnePlus phones from Canadian carriers, while Essential’s PH-1 was only available through Telus at launch. Yes, OnePlus has had significant success, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of tech circles who is familiar with the brand. Anecdotally, I used to work at a smartphone store before I started writing for MobileSyrup. Almost every customer I’ve had was there to buy a new iPhone or a new Samsung Galaxy, usually because their current iPhone or Samsung phone was broken or old. It was rare that a customer showed interest in a phone from another brand (I did have the occasional Pixel conversion though). The Essential Phone was available at the store I worked at as well, but I don’t recall ever selling one even after it was heavily discounted at the end of its release. Although I’ve never owned an Essential Phone, I loved the device and always thought it was truly unique. It was disappointing to see the phone come to Canada and languish in obscurity. It’s also worth noting that Nothing beat what was left of Essential last year.
You need more than hardware gimmicks
So breaking into the Canadian smartphone market is tough. You don’t need carriers to do it, but even if you do, it might not help. Plus, to get people to switch, you really need something to pull them in. Hardware gimmicks won’t cut it (as cool as those LED glyphs are). If I had to guess, the secret might be OnePlus’ anti-flagship tactic — the company garnered a lot of press by offering premium smartphones at low prices. This got people’s attention and was enough to move some away from the carrier’s upgrade pipeline. Nothing’s Phone (1) doesn’t have that. Rumor has it that the price is low, but that’s because it’s a mid-range device, not a flagship. Unfortunately, in Canada there are high-end, mid-range devices from well-known brands — for example, Apple’s iPhone SE, Google’s Pixel A series, and Samsung’s Galaxy A series. In addition, all of these have the advantage of being available from Canadian carriers. With all that said, I think Nothing’s plan to bypass Canada and the US is the right play. Sure, it sucks for smartphone enthusiasts, but it also gives Nothing a chance to prove itself in less cutthroat markets. Perhaps with some success attached to his name, Nothing Could Be Broken in Canada. Either way, Canadians avoid disappointment. Image Credit: Nothing
