All that pre-launch hype seems to be paying off well, as the Nothing Phone 1 is off to a solid start in European and Asian markets. That's not to say that the launch wasn't without hiccups, though, but it wasn't anything that could deter the Carl Pei-founded company from its grand plans. Following the Phone 1's initial success, Nothing might already be working on its second phone.

Of course, Nothing wasn't going to stick with only one phone forever and was bound to release more phones — it was only a matter of when — but what no one probably thought was that it'd be this quick. If a fresh report by The Mobile Indian is anything to go by, a more affordable alternative to the Phone 1 might debut in India by as early as October, which is around the same time the "festive season" kicks off in the country. The timing would make this phone come too early to be a sequel to the Phone 1, so the publication's claim that the alleged upcoming phone will be a "Lite" version instead sounds plausible.

A Phone 1 without the Glyph interface would look even more similar to the iPhone

The focus seems to be delivering nearly the same experience as the original with the "Nothing Lite Phone 1," so the specs might just be largely identical. We could see a 6.55-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 778G+ processor, dual 50-megapixel cameras on the rear, and a 16-megapixel shooter at the front. The only differences might be the lack of the signature transparent back with LEDs and wireless charging.

Given that this Glyph interface is pretty much the only thing setting Nothing apart from the competition, this would be a bold move. These omissions are apparently enough to shave off quite some cost, though: the alleged device might be priced at INR 24,999 (around $316), which is around 24% cheaper than the Indian Nothing Phone 1.

Interestingly, The Mobile Indian admits that Nothing denied the existence of the handset when it was reached out to, so you'd want to take this piece of news with a pinch of salt. The publication also made very clear that many of the details on this Lite Phone 1 are still unconfirmed, with its sources not entirely agreeing on some details and specs. For all we know, the Lite Phone 1 could also be a prototype or just some experimental form factor the company isn't seriously pursuing. It would certainly fit Nothing's minimalist brand and its aspirations to become the Apple of Android to stick with as few different models as possible.

We should learn the reality soon enough, though, since Nothing doesn't really like to play it quiet and will probably not be able to suppress the urge to drop teasers for long if this device is indeed legit.

UPDATE: 2022/08/08 03:25 EST BY MANUEL VONAU

Nothing further debunks the rumors

In a tweet, Nothing founder and CEO Carl Pei further debunked the existence of a Lite version of the Phone 1.