For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Ron Westfall and Shelly Kramer assess the partnership between Qualcomm and Nothing, a start-up founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei and dedicated to building a world without barriers between people and technology.

Their conversation focused on:

• The 5G ecosystem implications of Nothing’s first device launch of a transparent earbud - ear (1) - in August 2021that comes with active noise cancellation and a retail price of $99, selling more than 100,000 units in the first two months.
• Why Qualcomm’s alliance is much ado about Nothing, especially in how the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform can power innovation of Nothing 5G products down the line.
• Nothing raised in $50 million in a new Series A round extension backed by strategic and private investors setting the stage for speculation on Nothing portfolio development direction.

Ron and Shelly see Qualcomm’s collaboration with Nothing as a solid bet that Nothing can beat something alternatives setting the stage for Snapdragon-fueled device innovations across the 5G mobile ecosystem.