Nothing Sri Lanka: Is it the real deal?

There’s been a lot of noise recently on Nothing’s availability in Sri Lanka. A Facebook page branded as Nothing Sri Lanka and an affiliated website nothingphone[dot]lk has been promoting its products amid the company’s supposed entry into the Lankan market. Following the initial hype, questions were raised about the site’s legitimacy.

The local website does a decent job emulating the real Nothing company. But despite the intricate look and feel of Nothing’s design language, the website’s Sri Lankan footprint is minimal, with barely any information about the party operating the site. More importantly, the site offers no proof it’s affiliated with the actual Nothing in any way, apart from hosting the same website copy and products. In fact, Sri Lanka isn’t even listed on Nothing’s website in its availability map.

However, the local website lists Doctor Mobile as an exclusive agent and service partner. Doctor Mobile is a store that sells phones and accessories, with physical locations in Liberty Plaza and Bambalapitiya. While it’s a TRCSL-listed vendor, it doesn’t validate Nothing’s presence in Sri Lanka.

Nothing is as it seems

All of this only served to cast doubts on the operation’s legitimacy. One Redditor claims Nothing customer support said nothingphone[dot]lk “exhibited inconsistencies” upon review. Nothing Customer Support reportedly told another user that it currently doesn’t have any authorized resellers and service providers in the country.

Meanwhile, Nothing Sri Lanka says that it (Doctor Mobile) is the authorized importer and reseller of Nothing products in Sri Lanka. It further points out that Sri Lanka isn’t on Nothing’s website due to “regional holidays” and that they are expected to be listed soon. We’re not sure what regional holidays they are referring to, given that Nothing is based in London. One would think the authorized reseller knows that.

Okay, but does it matter?

It matters for one obvious reason: An officially licensed reseller means customers will buy genuine products that ship with warranties and other after-sales services. It’s also worth noting that an authorized reseller and an official store are two different things. Yes, both sell the same products, but one leverages the brand’s goodwill and deals with the manufacturer more directly. Interestingly, Doctor Mobile sells Nothing products on its own online store in addition to the dedicated Nothing Sri Lanka site.

At best, this is just a local mobile store selling actual Nothing products. At worst, it’s a dubious operation cashing in on the appeal for Nothing. Right now, it looks like somewhere in between. It’s a misleading attempt to position a third-party seller as a direct-to-consumer launch for Nothing products in Sri Lanka.

ReadMe has reached out to Doctor Mobile and Nothing for comment, though we’re yet to hear back from them. The article will be updated should we get a response.