Nothing Sees 4x YoY Growth in Japan’s Carrier-Dominated Market

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📝 Key Points of This Article

• Nothing CEO Carl Pei looks back at the launch event for the Japanese versions of “Phone (4a)” and “Phone (4a) Pro” through photos and reveals a fourfold year-on-year growth in the Japanese market.
• Combined with Rakuten Mobile, the number of retail stores handling Nothing products in Japan has expanded to over 2,000 nationwide.
• Pei expresses pride in the team’s achievement of such rapid growth in the Japanese market, known for its high standards of craftsmanship and its unique “carrier-led” market structure.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Carl Pei (@getpeid), CEO of the British venture company “Nothing Technologies (Nothing),” shared a photo retrospective of the recent launch event for the Japanese versions of the “Phone (4a)” and “Phone (4a) Pro,” while also revealing a fourfold year-on-year growth in the Japanese market.

Nothing has been active in the Japanese market since its first product, the “ear (1),” and released its first Android device, the “Phone (1),” as a carrier-free model in Japan. However, it was just one year ago, in April 2025, that the company made a surprise launch of the Japanese version of the “Phone (3a),” with Japan’s fourth major carrier, Rakuten Mobile, as its exclusive partner. The Japanese version of the “Phone (3a)” even received special treatment with a color exclusive to Rakuten Mobile.

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Subsequently, the “CMF Phone 2 Pro,” “Phone (3),” and “Phone (3a) Lite” were also sold exclusively through Rakuten Mobile. For the “Phone (4a)” series, the “Phone (4a) Pro” continues to be handled exclusively by Rakuten Mobile.

Meanwhile, the “Phone (4a)” will be sold through a new Japanese retail partner: “au Flex Style,” the SIM-free smartphone brand of KDDI. This expansion brings the total number of retail outlets carrying Nothing products in Japan, combined with Rakuten Mobile, to over 2,000 nationwide.

Nothing has reportedly achieved fourfold growth year-on-year in the Japanese market. Carl Pei remarked that he and his team take great pride in this rapid growth, especially given their deep understanding of Japan’s unique “carrier-led” market and the high standards of quality that Japanese consumers demand from products.