When the Nothing Phone 1 landed in the middle of 2022, US buyers were disappointed to hear that it would not come to the United States. A lack of carrier partnerships and a lack of proven marketability were likely the primary reasons behind this move. However, just because the phone isn’t sold here doesn’t mean you can’t use the Nothing Phone 1 in the US. You just can’t buy one and have it shipped to a US address.

This slightly changed at the beginning of 2023. Nothing opened up a new paid beta program for US buyers. For $299, you get a Nothing Phone 1 and early access to a beta version of Nothing OS 1.5, based on Android 13. This program ends on June 30, 2023, but beta testers can keep the phone permanently. Nothing makes it clear that certain things won’t work properly, but the core experience should be OK.