Nothing’s Drops pop-up store gets pretty good response in Bengaluru

Hundreds of people lined up to buy the latest Phone 2 at Nothing 'Drops' store in Bengaluru

As promised, Nothing hosted Drops pop-up stores in major cities across the world to offer the latest Phone 2 along with exclusive merchandise.

In India, the company had set up the Drops store exclusively at popular Lulu Mall in Bengaluru. It witnessed quite a good response with a long line of prospective buyers eager to get their hands on the new Phone 2.

Though it has been less than two years of its launch, Nothing Inc has invested big in India including local assembling of smartphones near Chennai. Soon, it is slated to open the company’s first-ever official service centre next month. This too will be opened in India’s IT City Bengaluru.

undreds of customers crowded at Nothing Drops store at Lulu Mall, Bengaluru. Picture credit: Nothing India

In a recent interview, Nothing co-founder Carl Pei, who also headed OnePlus a few years ago, considers India a very important market for smartphone makers. And, Pei said the company would like to compete directly with Apple and take the lead, before the latter becomes too dominant in the subcontinent.

Going by the response, the company’s prospects look promising. And, if it continues to come up with creative marketing strategies like the Drops pop-up stores, Nothing seems to be on the right track.

For the uninitiated, the new Phone 2 features signature see-through design elements with changes in terms of curvaceous design language and also more durable with Corning's Gorilla Glass protection on both the front and the back. It features a 6.7-inch full HD+ (1920x1080p) flexible LPTO OLED display, will support variable 1-120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness up to 1,600nits.

Inside, the new Phone(2) runs on Android 13-based NothingOS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 8GB/12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB storage, and a 4,700mAh battery.

Nothing Phone(2). Credit: Nothing India

The new Phone(2) sports a dual-camera module— a main 50MP (with 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX890, f/1.88) and 50MP ultra-wide sensor with LED flash. On the front, it features 32MP sensor( with 1/2.74-inch Sony IMX615, f/2.45).

With more LEDs on the back, Phone(2) promises to offer more customisation options and functionality. The Glyph Interface can now serve as a visual countdown and progress tracker for ride or delivery services. It also offers additional functionalities such as a volume checker, and timer.

The new Phone 2 is one of the most eco-friendly smartphone in the market. Several components made of plastics and metal are recycled. Even the aluminium rail around the screen is also fully recycled.

The company is offering the new Phone(2) in three configurations— 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage— Rs 44,999, Rs 49,999 and Rs 54,999 on Flipkart. It will be available in white and dark grey colour options.

Besides London, New York City and Bengaluru, Nothing will be hosting Drops pop-up stores in Dubai (July 15), Tokyo (July 15) and Malaysia (July 15), Berlin (July 15), Dublin (July 15) and Rotterdam (July 20).

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