When will the Nothing Phone 1 get Android 13? Stop worrying about version numbers, says Carl Pei

The Nothing Phone 1 launched not long ago with a unique design and OnePlus cofounder Carl Pei at the helm. While the Nothing Phone 1 is set to get three years of Android updates, it’s not clear when Android 13 will arrive, and Carl Pei isn’t exactly forthcoming with a timeline.

When the Nothing Phone 1 launched, it was promised a decent Android support commitment, but one that wasn’t terrible either. Three years of Android OS updates, starting on Android 12, with bimonthly security updates for four years. It’s roughly the same policy that OnePlus has on its smartphones.

But now Android 13 is out, and rolling out to Pixel phones widely as well as in beta testing for devices from OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, and more.

Nothing, on the other hand, has yet to confirm any plans for its Android 13 upgrade on the Nothing Phone 1. When asked about the subject, Carl Pei had an interesting reply, saying that a phone is “more than just its specs, features, and version numbers.”

While true, it’s certainly not a faith-instilling sentiment for new customers.

The speed of software updates don’t necessarily make or break an experience, but they’re a key part of any phone, especially one that puts software as a central selling point. On its website, Nothing advertises the device as including “only the best of Android” with a “perfected” experience.

Nothing’s update commitment already falls behind most of the competition and addressing a valid question like this can be easily seen as a bit off-putting, especially when there are still software problems with the existing builds. Our Max Weinbach has been documenting his first experiences with the Nothing Phone on Twitter, including several glaring issues such as broken auto-rotate.

In any case, we hope to see Nothing put out some status on its plans for Android 13, but we’ll have to wait and see.

More on Nothing Phone:

• Nothing Phone (1) officially launches w/ 3 years of Android OS updates, 120Hz OLED, £399 price
• Pixel 6a vs. Nothing Phone (1): Clean Android, unclear winner [Video]
• Paranoid Android support is set to come to Nothing Phone (1)