Nothing has unveiled the Phone (3a) Community Edition, a limited-run smartphone developed through its latest Community Edition Project, which invites fans and emerging creators to take part directly in shaping a commercial product. The launch represents the company’s most ambitious attempt yet to move beyond traditional feedback models and towards hands-on collaboration across hardware, software, accessories, and marketing.
Announced on 9 December in London, the Phone (3a) Community Edition is the outcome of a nine-month programme that attracted more than 700 submissions from creators around the world. Four winners were selected to collaborate closely with Nothing’s internal teams, working from early concepts through to production-ready outcomes. The initiative builds on the momentum of last year’s Community Edition, which received an iF Design Gold Award, and reflects a growing appetite among creators for deeper, more meaningful involvement with the brands they support.
A structured approach to community-led product design
Rather than treating its community purely as a source of feedback, Nothing’s Community Edition Project positions contributors as active co-creators. Participants were invited to work across multiple disciplines, including industrial design, software aesthetics, physical accessories, and marketing strategy. For the 2025 edition, Nothing refined the programme by releasing all creative briefs simultaneously and extending the development timeline, giving contributors more time and resources to collaborate with internal teams in London.
Each winning creator also received a £1,000 cash prize to support the development of their work. The four selected contributors were Emre Kayganacl for hardware design, Ambrogio Tacconi and Louis Aymond for accessories, Jad Zock for lock screen clock and wallpaper design, and Sushruta Sarkar for the marketing campaign. According to Nothing, the winners were chosen for their originality, craftsmanship, and ability to evolve the company’s design language while remaining aligned with its core identity.
Throughout the project, the creators worked side by side with Nothing’s design, software, marketing, and creative teams, translating individual ideas into manufacturable components. The company framed this process as evidence that strong product ideas can emerge from outside traditional corporate structures, particularly when contributors are treated as part of an extended team rather than external partners.
Design, software, and accessories shaped by emerging creators
The hardware and packaging design, led by Emre Kayganacl, takes inspiration from late 1990s and early 2000s technology. The resulting colourway blends nostalgia with Nothing’s futuristic aesthetic, evoking the playful look of retro game toys while staying true to the Phone (3a)’s design language. The approach offers a deliberate contrast to the minimalist finishes that dominate today’s smartphone market.
A new accessory category was introduced for the 2025 programme, with the winning concept taking the form of a dice-themed accessory. Designed by Ambrogio Tacconi and Louis Aymond of Reveland, the Dice draws on more than 5,000 years of cultural history, where dice have symbolised chance, strategy, and shared experiences. Each face features numbers rendered in Nothing’s Ndot 55 font, blending a familiar object with the brand’s precise, technological identity.
On the software side, Jad Zock created a custom lock screen clock face using multiple font weights to reduce visual clutter and guide the user’s eye more intuitively. The design aligns with Nothing’s emphasis on intentional and functional aesthetics. The Community Edition also includes an exclusive wallpaper set designed to visually link the phone’s rear colour and texture with the front interface. Users can choose from four variations, two in blue and two in purple, each incorporating subtle hidden details.
Availability, pricing, and Nothing’s broader community strategy
The Phone (3a) Community Edition is based on the Phone (3a) 12GB + 256GB configuration and will be produced in a limited run of just 1,000 units. Public registration opens from 9 to 11 December, followed by a limited sales window starting on 12 December via nothing.tech. Select retail partners will also begin sales from the same date. In Singapore, the device is priced at S$549.
Nothing Store Soho in London will be among the first physical locations to stock the device, with sales beginning at 11:00 AM GMT on 13 December. Interested customers can also view the phone at CHAMBER @ Wisma Atria from 13 December onwards.
Beyond the product itself, Nothing positioned the Community Edition as part of a broader strategy to integrate its fan base into the company’s long-term direction. Initiatives such as the elected Community Board Observer and a recently opened US$5 million community investment round at a US$1.3 billion Series C valuation reflect the company’s efforts to align users, creators, and investors more closely. Early access to the investment round opens on 10 December via Wefunder in the US and Crowdcube, with public access from 11 December.
 Community Edition, a limited-run smartphone co-created with fans across design, software, and marketing.){kind=link}