Where are Nothing smartphones actually made?

Of course, carrying around the latest iPhone or Samsung flagship comes with an immense sense of pride, but not everyone is willing to pay an arm and a leg for that prestige. For those looking to get the best value for their money, smartphones like the Nothing Phone (4a) offer premium performance that many brands simply can’t match for the price, as well as a unique look. Still, as a budget-focused brand, it’s perfectly understandable to feel a little cautious about quality and wonder if that means cost-cutting. And to answer this question, we must first look at where Nothing smartphones are manufactured.

Well, looking into who owns Nothing, the founder and CEO (and former founder of OnePlus) is Carl Pei, a Beijing-born entrepreneur who grew up in Sweden. It would therefore not be an exaggeration to assume that production takes place in China. Although some manufacturing took place in China in the early days (and some components necessarily came from there), London-headquartered Nothing is increasingly moving its production to India. One of the factories is located in South India (Chennai, to be precise), where the Nothing Phone (3) was produced. India is of course one of the brand’s main markets, so the company itself clearly wants to manufacture its products locally. There is even a whole initiative called “Make in India” and it seems Nothing is sticking to its guns. Case in point: In 2025, Nothing partnered with Optiemus Infracom – a major Indian mobile phone retailer and manufacturer – with the aim of building another factory in the country. But is this a good thing?

There was a time (after World War II) when products made in Japan were considered low quality. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1970s that this “Made in” sticker became synonymous with good things. It’s the same with India, when you think about it. We’re all very used to everything being produced in China, so much so that we can reasonably expect most tech gadgets to come from one of these factories. However, India is a force to be reckoned with in terms of smartphone production – the second largest in the world, mind you. Yes, no phones are made in India, but guess what else? Many iPhone 17 models are also produced there. Samsung Galaxy S26? Produced at Samsung’s Noida factory located in the Republic of India. The list goes on from there. Oppo, Motorola, Realme – if it’s a smartphone, chances are India is its birthplace.

So why are Nothing phones so cheap? A better question is: why are Samsung and iPhone so expensive? When you buy, for example, an Apple product, you’re not just paying for the hardware, but also for the R&D, the software experience, the Apple ecosystem, and ultimately, that iconic logo. After all, people are willing to pay top dollar, which is where supply and demand take over. For example, Nothing Headphone 1 is one of the best budget alternatives for AirPods Max, but despite being close in quality, they are significantly cheaper because they are not Apple. On the contrary, Nothing is a newer name that is still finding its place in the market.