Nothing (1) Price is increasing in India and elsewhere. The company’s CEO Carl Pei announced on Twitter that due to a “cost increase,” Nothing’s first earbud in the US will increase from $99 to $149. The new price will be effective from October 26, he added without mentioning what will happen to the Indian price of Nothing Year (1). However, Flipkart’s listing of the earbuds hints at a price hike here as well.
The price of Nothing Year (1) on Flipkart had been revised down to Rs 8,499 at the time of this writing. This price is applicable on the Black colorway of Nothing Year (1), but interestingly, the White option is listed on Flipkart for Rs 7,299. It is a bit confusing as to what is the official price of Nothing Year (1) after the hike and whether the new price is effective immediately in India.
Our queries regarding the status of price hike in India did not elicit any response. But Pei Justified Price hike in his subsequent tweets. He said that when the company started developing the earbuds, it had just three engineers. “A year later, we have 185. During this time, Ear(1) has received 15 firmware and tuning updates, and is a completely different product than it was when we launched it.” Pei said.
While the ongoing global economic crisis has hit the tech industry in a big way, in particular, as reported by The Verge, nothing has been affected by the tanking value of the British pound.
The imminent hike in price for Nothing Year (1) is the second since launch. Didn’t launch its True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds for Rs 5,999 last year, but within months, the price increased to Rs 6,999. If Flipkart currently shows the revised price of Nothing Year (1), you will pay Rs 1,500 more. At Rs 8,499, the Nothing Ear (1) may no longer be as good a deal as before, with Samsung, Oppo and Jabra alternatives in the market for around Rs 10,000 earbuds.
After the price hike for Nothing Year (1) in India, Carl Pei was the first to blame BGR India for the increase in manufacturing costs.
