Nothing, the company founded by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, is about to launch its first ever smartphone – and to say it looks different from just about every other phone on the market is an understatement.

Sporting the same semi-transparent design as the Nothing Ear (1) headphones launched last year, the Phone (1) looks just as intriguing, sporting an all-white design with a transparent back and unique LEDs.

The bad news? It won’t be as simple as an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S22 to buy at launch. In fact, it’ll be invite-only, with the waitlist open to keen fans right now. And to make matters worse, it’s not launching at all in North America.

We explain all there is to know about buying the Nothing Phone (1) right here, from availability to the exclusive pre-order process and the possibility of a release at carriers and third-party retailers.

For more on the smartphone itself, take a look at the latest Nothing Phone (1) news.

When will the Nothing Phone (1) be released?

The Nothing Phone (1) is set to be revealed at an event on 12 July, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s when the phone will launch. As with most smartphones, it’ll likely be available shortly following the release, but the shipping date hasn’t been confirmed just yet.

However, German tech site AllRound PC claims to have received pricing and availability info from a “European dealer” who wished to remain anonymous.

Per the source, the Nothing Phone (1) could ship on 21 July – though it won’t be available to everyone at launch, with a special pre-order system in place. More on that in a bit.

Where will the Nothing Phone (1) be available?

Nothing has confirmed that the Phone (1) will be available from worldwide carrier partners across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, but it isn’t due for release in the US or Canada.

Nothing has confirmed to PCMag that it plans to run a “closed beta program” with a “limited number of our private community investors in the U.S.” though with “unpredictable” service on T-Mobile, no VoLTE on AT&T and no service on Verizon at all, it’s easy to see why it won’t be available in the States and Canada.

How much does the Nothing Phone (1) cost?

With the launch yet to take place, we don’t know exactly how much the Nothing Phone (1) will cost – though going by Nothing’s company ethos, expect it to be surprisingly affordable.

Take the Nothing Ear (1) earbuds as an example – despite featuring premium features like ANC and wireless charging, the buds went on sale at an entry-level $99/£99.

Given what we know so far about the Nothing Phone (1), we’d expect it to come in at around the $/£/€500 mark.

That’s backed up by the unnamed European retailer mentioned earlier, who suggests that the upcoming phone will retail at around €500 at launch.

Where can I pre-order the Nothing Phone (1)?

As mentioned earlier, it’s not as simple as being able to buy the Nothing Phone (1) at launch – in fact, even the pre-order process is a relative challenge.

Essentially, to pre-order the Nothing Phone (1), you’ll need an invite. As a small company, it’s assumed that Nothing has a limited production capacity, and this is a smart way to avoid stock issues at launch.

The good news is that you can sign up to the public waitlist on the Nothing website until 11 July to secure your pre-order invite.

You’ll then see your position in the queue, but this isn’t fixed – you can log into your Nothing account to get access to a unique referral code. This can be shared with friends and family, and once they’ve signed up, you’ll be bumped up the queue.

Pre-order invites are being sent out in batches until 11 July, and once you receive yours, you’ll have 48 hours to pay a £20/€20 non-refundable deposit to secure your pre-order.

Don’t worry; that price will be deducted from the price of the smartphone, and you’ll also get the same amount back as credit to spend against Ear (1) earbuds or any official Phone (1) accessories.

Finally, from 12 July you’ll get an email with a link to buy the phone. From this point, you’ll have 14 days to place your order, and await delivery.

Where will I be able to buy the Nothing Phone (1) at launch?

It’s likely that the only place you’ll be able to buy the Nothing Phone (1) at launch is via the Nothing website using the invite process we’ve outlined above.

However, O2 has confirmed that it will be offering the Nothing Phone (1) on contract in the UK, suggesting that it could also be available in limited numbers from carriers and third-party retailers.

If this is the case, the Nothing Phone (1) could be available at the same retailers as the Ear (1) buds. In the UK, that includes the likes of Selfridges and John Lewis, while European fans could see it appear on Amazon and Indian fans could be able to buy it at Flipkart.

With everything unconfirmed right now, it’s not clear whether carrier and retailer availability would come later on, once all dedicated fan pre-orders have shipped, but we’ll update this section once we know more.