Nothing’s brand chief is fed up of ‘boring and generic’ smartphone ads—he shares his marketing strategy for taking on Samsung and Apple 

Nearly two decades after the first iPhone, most smartphones still follow Apple’s template. 

“Consumer tech’s becoming pretty boring,” says Charlie Smith, chief brand officer at Nothing, the London-based upstart which is aiming to break the mold. “Everyone just copied the success of Apple, which was about minimalism, aluminum, and glass. [Tech] really lost a lot of its personality.” 

In response, Smith is pursuing what he describes as a “retro futuristic” design approach. Many of Nothing’s smartphones and headphones feature transparent casings that leave some of the internal components exposed. Founded in 2020 by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, the company was valued at $1.3 billion after a $200 million Series C round in 2025. 

Smith sees Dyson as the last British consumer “super brand” and wants Nothing to be the next. Adam Bates, Dyson’s former head of design, now works as Nothing’s design director. 

However, Smith, who joined in January after seven years running marketing at LVMH-owned fashion house Loewe, faces an uphill challenge. Global smartphone shipments fell 20% in the third quarter of 2026, the weakest third quarter since 2012, according to Counterpoint Research, as rising memory-chip costs pushed up phone prices.  

Apple and Samsung also continue to dominate the smartphone market. Samsung’s market share rose from 19% to 23% and Apple’s increased from 18% to 22%. In order to stand out in a crowded field, Smith is taking a different approach to brand building. 

Most smartphone advertising, he says, relies on “glossy renders” and storytelling built around camera upgrades and other specs. “There’s no real community building or emotional hook,” he says. “Sometimes brands really see........

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