According to a report from 9to5Google, Nothing, the recently-launched startup by Carl Pei has acquired the Essential brand. Nothing acquired Essential on January 6th, 2021, ahead of Pei’s formal announcement of Nothing. The acquisition includes trademarks, logos, and other brandings of Essential.
It is not clear how Pei wants to use the Essential brand. Essential was launched by Android creator Andy Rubin and released only one phone before shutting down. Essential is dead.
After this acquisition, Nothing will have access to numerous Essential’s patents related to “Voice setup instructions” and “voice-enabled home setup.” These could help Nothing in its own product portfolios.
Carl has already confirmed that Nothing will focus on audio and smart home products. It is worth noting that Essential itself was working on its own Home Smart Hub and speaker but never released any product. Nothing could resume Essential’s scrapped project.
