Summary
- Nothing Phone 3a series introduced new hardware and software with the Essential Key and Essential Space.
- These new features make it possible to capture information on the go, and easily organize it.
- There’s a possibility of future monetization for the Essential Key feature that was discovered in a software update.
The release of the Nothing Phone 3a series was highlighted by a new hardware button the company is investing in called the Essential Key. It makes it easier to capture data throughout your day, while also using a dash of AI in order to make it all simpler to organize. For the most part, it’s a clever addition, and the brand seems intent on making it better with software updates.
While the Essential Key and accompanying Essential Space software are all free at this point, it appears that there could be plans in the future to monetize this portion of the phone if new details are to be believed. The folks at Android Authority have discovered in strings of code that seem to indicate, or at least hints, that there could be some form of paid offering of the feature in the future.
A paid service from Nothing
Again, this is just some data that was found in the code of the latest Essential Key software update, so there’s always a chance that this may never come to fruition. But there are words found like “free trial,” along with “AI credits” that make it seem like there may be a paid version, which could be a way for Nothing to make a little extra money from its users.
At this point, the software is pretty barebones, so it would seem like a risky attempt to try and capitalize on the situation right now. But once this feature gets built out into something really special, Nothing could charge a small fee in order for users to gain access, or maybe just offer a paid tier with more features for those that want it.
We’ve seen it countless times. Someone is always willing to pay extra to get more features, so this could become a new revenue stream for Nothing, which is important. Within the new code, Android Authority was also able to discover hints of new features that are on the way as well, which the brand has already highlighted in the notes for its latest update.
Sometime in the future, Nothing will update its Essential Space software to include: Smart Collections, Focused Search, and Flip to Record. While we aren’t sure what these features will bring, it’s easy to take a guess. The news outlet reached out to Nothing regarding what they found and weren’t able to get clarification on the brand’s direction regarding paid services.
Again, it’s unclear whether a paid tier will ever arrive, but one last detail within the code has a placeholder for the amount of $120. In time, we’ll see whether Nothing is confident enough in its Essential Space feature to offer it as a paid service. Or if this is all just something that is internal and will never come to light on a consumer level.
