While flagship smartphones grab the headlines, most people can't afford them and don't really need them either. Ultimately, more affordable phones can do almost the same things as expensive ones. And while not everyone would agree with this fact, smartphones like the Nothing Phone (2a) make my statement truer than ever. This smartphone focuses on what matters most to people and delivers a good user experience at a reasonable price that many can afford. And it does all this while having a unique design and an aesthetic you might love. Read this review and learn whether the Nothing Phone (2a) is a good smartphone for you:
The packaging for Nothing Phone (2a)
On the back of the box, you'll find a sticker with information about the phone you bought: its serial number, IMEI codes, model number, color, RAM and storage capacity, etc. When you open the packaging, you find another white box with those robotic eyes looking back at you.🙂
Unboxing the Nothing Phone (2a)
Open the white box, and you will see a welcome message. It is simple and to the point, making you feel that you just bought something special.
Welcome to Nothing
Beneath the phone, which is nicely tucked into further protective packaging, you'll find the USB-C charging cable, a leaflet with safety and warranty information, and the SIM ejection tool.
Everything you find inside the box
I loved the unboxing experience offered by Nothing Phone (2a). Even though this smartphone is not a premium one, the experience of taking it out of the box was special. The design of the packaging, the fonts used, the welcome note, the transparent connectors on the USB-C cable, and the SIM ejection tool - everything looks carefully crafted and designed to make you excited. Well done, Nothing!
Those eyes!
In terms of colors, there's a white version, a black one (the one I received for testing), and a gray one. You can see them pictured below. I think this is one of those few phones that don't look good in black, and I like the white-gray version (on the right) instead. What about you?
The colors for Nothing Phone (2a)
The frame of the Nothing Phone (2a) seems made from plastic, and it has a matte finish. The display uses Gorilla Glass 5 and comes with a pre-applied screen protector. The phone has a size of 6.7 inches and a 91.65% screen-to-body ratio. You'll find the speaker grill, the USB-C port, the microphone, and the SIM tray on the bottom of the phone. The Power button is on the right side of the device.
The bottom side of the Nothing Phone (2a)
One atypical design choice is that Nothing Phone (2a) has the volume buttons positioned on the left side. They are comfortable to use, but their positioning is rather old-school. 🙂
The volume buttons are on the left
On the top of the Nothing Phone (2a), you find only a microphone. If you look carefully, you will also notice the screen protector I mentioned earlier. Also, notice the hole for the selfie camera placed on top of the display.
The top side of Nothing Phone (2a)
Nothing Phone (2a) isn't a small device: it is 161.74 x 76.32 x 8.5 mm or 6.37 x 3.00 x 0.33 inches height x width x depth, weighing 190 grams or 6.70 oz. It isn't lightweight either, and some people may find it too heavy. Unfortunately, the Nothing Phone (2a) habitually gathers dust and fingerprints quite fast. It takes only a minute of use to make it look like it does in the picture below. Luckily, it is IP54-certified for water and dust resistance. This means that it is protected from limited amounts of dust and other particles, and can withstand water sprays. You can't wash it or swim with it.🙂
Nothing Phone (2a) is a large 6.7 inch smartphone
I appreciate that Nothing Phone (2a) is manufactured using many recycled materials: aluminum, tin, copper foil, steel, and over 50% of the plastic parts are sustainably sourced. This is quite an achievement, especially when you consider that Nothing is a small phone manufacturer, lacking the budget and resources of big companies.
The Nothing Phone (2a) design is one of the most important aspects that make it stand out in a crowded market. However, some users may not appreciate it. I find it rather geeky and unusual. One of my colleagues even said that it looks like R2D2's smartphone. However, some people who saw me testing it considered it ugly, while others found it fun and playful. What about you? Do you like how the Nothing Phone (2a) looks?
The hardware inside the Nothing Phone (2a)
The display is 6.7 inches in size, and it uses an AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, you don't get LTPO, and you can only set it to work at 60 Hz, 120 GHz, or a dynamic rate that varies between 60 and 120 Hz, depending on what you do. The resolution is 1080 x 2412 pixels, while the pixel density is 394 ppi (pixels per inch). The display's peak brightness is 1300 nits, while outdoors, it reaches a maximum of 1100 nits. Under the display, there's also a fingerprint scanner for fast authentication.
Setting up the refresh rate
The Nothing Phone (2a) camera system is distinctive for two reasons: its looks and positioning make it feel like two robot eyes looking at you, and it has only two rear cameras. This approach is refreshing because often, on affordable smartphones, the third camera is not that good and barely usable. In contrast, Nothing decided to include two perfectly usable cameras:
Nothing Phone (2a) includes only two rear cameras
TIP: If you're curious which fps you should use for recording video on your smartphone, I recommend this tutorial: 30 or 60 fps? What's best for smartphone video recording?
Nothing Phone (2a) is a 5G smartphone capable of dual-sim connectivity using non-SIMs. Still, it doesn't have expandable storage through microSD cards. It also offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and wireless transfers using 2x2 MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC with support for Google Pay, and GPS connectivity. There's no headphone jack available, but you can use USB-C headphones.
Nothing Phone (2a) is a dual-SIM smartphone
The phone's battery has a capacity of 5000 mAh and supports fast charging at 45 Watts, just like premium Samsung smartphones.🙂 According to its manufacturer, the Nothing Phone (2a) should charge from 0 to 100% in 59 minutes and from 0 to 50% in 23 minutes.
Overall, I like this smartphone's hardware. On paper, it looks like a capable mid-ranger that didn't cut any important corners. 🙂 However, if you want even more detailed technical information about this product, I recommend visiting this page: Nothing Phone (2a) Specs.
Let's see how the Nothing Phone (2a) performs in real life. On the next page, you can find out what to expect in daily use, see what this phone's cameras can do, the software you get on the phone, and what the benchmarks have to say about the Nothing Phone (2a).
Setting up the user interface
The large display is good for watching movies, and the stereo speaker setup is decent. Because the earpiece is acting like the second speaker, the audio doesn't sound well-balanced. Also, the bass isn't as evident as it is on more expensive smartphones, but that's to be expected for a budget smartphone. Therefore, bass enthusiasts should use Bluetooth speakers for a richer experience.
Watching video is a pleasant experience
Nothing Phone (2a) is a 5G device that can provide 5G connectivity on both SIM cards. However, my mobile operator doesn't have a good 5G infrastructure in my area, so I use 4G most of the time. Mobile connectivity was good on this smartphone, as was the phone call quality. The dual microphones and noise cancellation ensure you and the caller hear each other without major disturbances. As a result, I enjoyed clear communication even while answering calls on busy streets with heavy traffic.
Phone calls tend to be of good quality
Speaking of calls, each time someone tries to communicate with you, the LED lighting system on the back lights up to notify you, using a specific pattern. This glyph interface can be customized in many ways, and the glyphs can be used in tandem with apps like Uber, Zomato, the Camera, or Google Calendar. There's also a Glyph Composer, which allows you to create your glyph ringtones for total freedom of expression.
I found them interesting initially, for the first few days of use, but then I stopped using them because I didn't feel they brought much value.
How do you like the glyphs on the back?
Nothing Phone (2a) offers face unlock and a responsive fingerprint reader. Face unlock is quick and accurate, while the fingerprint reader is conveniently placed and swiftly unlocks the phone.
The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate
Performance-wise, the Nothing Phone (2a) is a capable smartphone, including for mobile gaming. But, even if the screen has a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, this device can't run games at 120 fps. While games tend to run well, their framerate will be between 30 and 60 fps. You must opt for a much more expensive smartphone if you want 60+ fps in games. However, running the usual mobile apps, browsing the web, and social media works well, without lag and stuttering. Overall, I like the level of software optimization made by Nothing. It's obvious that the company pays more attention to the quality of its software than bigger smartphone manufacturers do, and I like this a lot.
Mobile game works reasonably well
One minor aspect some people won't appreciate is the size of the Nothing Phone (2a). It's not always easy to use it with one hand, and people with smaller hands will need both hands to navigate the user interface and tap or scroll around all the corners of the display.
The Nothing Phone (2a) battery life is good. If you are not a heavy smartphone user who plays many games and binges on movies, the battery will last you between one and a half and two days of use on a single charge.
Nothing Phone (2a) offers 45-watt fast charging, but it comes without a charger. According to the company, it should charge from 0 to 100% in 59 minutes. I didn't buy a charger from Nothing and used a Samsung 45-watt fast charger instead. Unfortunately, it charged the phone at much lower speeds and took 92 minutes to get from 1% to 100%. In 30 minutes of charging, the battery went up from 1% to 29%.
Charging the Nothing Phone (2a) on a Samsung charger is slow
To enjoy a charging experience close to what Nothing promises, you must buy a charger compatible with the USB Power Delivery 3.0 standard.
In summary, the Nothing Phone (2a) strikes a good balance between performance, unique aesthetics, battery life, and functionality. Whether you're a casual smartphone user, a content creator, or a mobile gamer, it offers a positive user experience.
The Camera app
More technical people will be happy to know that there's also an Expert mode available, where they can manually set different parameters like the ISO, white balance, enable RAW image capture, etc. For some strange reason, this mode can be used only with the main lens, not the ultrawide one, so you can take pictures only in 1x and 2x.
An Expert mode is also available
In daylight, the main camera shoots photos of good quality, with plenty of detail and decent dynamic range. The colors are close to natural, but in some of my shots, the contrast is too low.
Image shot with the main camera
The main camera does pretty well in low light. There's not a lot of noise in my shots, the colors seem natural, and the contrast is good. Another positive is that shadows are handled better than on many other mid-range smartphones. What's annoying, though, is the amount of time spent postprocessing your pictures. This is valid both during the day and during the night. Nothing Phone (2a) requires quite a bit of time to finalize a picture, and you can't take many pictures in fast succession.
Night photography looks good
The ultrawide camera is decent, but it has the same problem most mid-range phones have these days: its colors do not match the ones you get from the main lens, and they come across as being warmer than when using the main camera. Even though the results are pleasing, just like the ones you get on the main camera, the shots taken with the ultrawide camera could benefit from a slightly higher contrast.
The ultrawide camera has warmer colors
The portraits captured with the main camera look good: the skin color and texture look natural, the subject separation is executed correctly, and the background blur focuses the portraits nicely. However, in dim light, you must keep your hand steady; otherwise, your portraits can easily become blurred. The selfie camera manages to capture good details, too. Like when making portrait shots with the main camera, the subject separation is excellent, and the background blur is convincing. However, the colors seem more vivid than what I got from the other cameras, something many people may prefer anyway.
Portraits look good, don't you think?
If you're curious about the pictures I took with the Nothing Phone (2a), you can find them in a gallery here. They'll open in a photo album similar to the screenshot below.
Check out my picture album
Regarding video recording, the Nothing Phone (2a) did a pretty good job. Regardless of whether I used the main lens or the ultrawide camera, the videos had plenty of detail and excellent contrast, as long as no zooming was involved. Some detail is lost when zooming in, and softness appears, but otherwise, the quality is good. And one more thing: unlike photographs, the colors captured in videos are more vivid, sometimes too vivid. For instance, the grass can look greener than in real life. Here's a sample video recorded in 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second:
Remember that optical image stabilization is available only on the main camera. The ultra-wide camera isn't a good idea if you need to record videos while moving.
Video recording at night is above average, too: the dynamic range and contrast are good, the colors are OK, and although some noise is present, it's not overwhelming. One important limitation is that you can use Night Mode for video only for 1080p/30 fps footage. This mode is unavailable if you aim for 60 fps or the 4K resolution. To give you a good perspective on how well it works, here's a sample I recorded with Night Mode turned on:
Nothing Phone (2a) stands quite well in the camera department compared to other similarly priced smartphones. Of course, its camera setup isn't perfect, but you get good results in most lighting conditions. Video quality is good, too, as long as you don't zoom in or move around a lot.🙂
The Home screen on the Nothing Phone (2a)
Nothing OS also uses a custom icon pack for the app drawer. While I generally like how it looks, the problem is that you are bound to install apps that don't have a custom icon, and then this aesthetic doesn't look as great. Just look at the PCMark icon below and how it sticks out from the rest in an unpleasant way. However, this may not be an issue if you tend not to install many apps on your smartphone.
The App drawer
Alongside the traditional Google apps that are part of Android (like Gmail, Google, Google Maps, YouTube), there's no bloatware preinstalled. You get only four other apps made by Nothing:
The Nothing X app
Regarding updates, this smartphone will get three years of software updates and four years of security patches. Not great, but not bad either.
I'm happy with Nothing's approach to software: I appreciate that they customized Android only to implement the company's user interface language and didn't bloat it with apps people don't need. The length of their software support is pretty decent, too, and people who desire an unbloated Android experience will simply love the Nothing Phone (2a).
Benchmark scores in Geekbench
Next, I tested the Nothing Phone (2a) in 3DMark. It scored 4110 in the Wild Life benchmark and 6829 points in Sling Shot. The average frame rates reached in these benchmarks were quite respectable. They confirm that this smartphone can be used for mobile gaming if you don't mind adjusting your graphics settings for a better experience. 🙂
Benchmark scores in 3DMark
I continued with PCMark for Android to evaluate your performance using productivity apps on your smartphone and estimate how long the battery lasts when using your phone continuously. Nothing Phone (2a) achieved a Work 3.0 performance score of 12969 points, proving that it is capable of doing things like web browsing, video editing, photo editing, writing, and working with office files. The battery lasted 17 hours and 37 minutes of continuous use, which is great. 🙂
Benchmark scores in PCMark
I also wanted to see how fast the Wi-Fi 6 connectivity on the Nothing Phone (2a), so I ran SpeedTest while connected to the wireless network managed by a powerful and expensive gaming router. It achieved a download speed of 586 Mbps and an upload speed of 675 Mbps. It's enough to stream movies in high resolutions or download large mobile games relatively fast.🙂
The speeds you get on Wi-Fi 6
The benchmarks I ran have confirmed that Nothing Phone (2a) is a capable budget smartphone that can handle both productivity and mobile gaming reasonably well. Of course, the performance you get is not at a flagship level, but it is no slouch either. Most people should be satisfied with how well the Nothing Phone (2a) runs.
Nothing Phone (2a): Who is it good for?
The Nothing Phone (2a) is an excellent choice if you:- Are looking for a smartphone that looks very different than the rest
- Appreciate a well-optimized software experience with no preinstalled bloatware
- Want a smartphone whose battery can last up to two days
- Would like a mid-range smartphone that can handle most tasks with ease
Pros and cons
These are the things I like most about the Nothing Phone (2a) smartphone:
- Affordable price
- Unique, controversial design
- Minimalistic and distinctive software with no bloatware
- Solid mid-range level performance
- It offers an exciting unboxing experience
- Good battery life
- Capable camera system
- It doesn't come with a charger
- It is a fingerprint and dust magnet
- Its size makes it difficult to use with one hand
Verdict
Even though I'm not an admirer of the Nothing Phone (2a)'s looks, I am a big fan of how well this smartphone works. Its hardware delivers a satisfying experience, and the software is very well-optimized, bloatware-free, and has a unique aesthetic. The Nothing Phone (2a) display is colorful, vibrant, and responsive due to its maximum 120 Hz refresh rate. Battery life is quite good too, and the only disappointment is that it doesn't bundle a fast charger in the box. If you're looking for a reasonably priced smartphone that ticks all the basics people need and you're into its unique design and visual aesthetic that make it look like the perfect companion for R2D2, then the Nothing Phone (2a) may be the perfect smartphone for you.Unboxing the Nothing Phone (2a)
The Nothing Phone (2a) arrives in an unusual cardboard box made from recycled fibers, which features the phone's design elements on the top and the sides. When you look at it, you see two robotic eyes watching you. They represent the actual cameras on the Nothing Phone (2a). The brand and phone model are printed using the dot matrix font that is the signature of Nothing phones. You'll also encounter this font when using the smartphone.Design and build quality
The back is the part of the Nothing Phone (2a) that stands out. There's a camera bump on the phone's top side, featuring two cameras. The circular coil around it is supposed to be the NFC antenna of this smartphone. The back is made from see-through plastic, and it has a curved design. Beneath it, on the top half of the phone, you have three glyph lights used for notifications - another design element specific to Nothing phones.Hardware specifications
The Nothing Phone (2a) specs are good for a device in its price range. First of all, it is powered by a capable MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset, which has eight cores: two of them are performance cores, running at frequencies up to 2.8 GHz, and six of them are efficiency cores at frequencies that go up to 2 GHz. This chipset is accompanied by 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage space, or 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. I am reviewing the more affordable version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. By default, the operating system and the preinstalled apps on the Nothing Phone (2a) take only 23 GB of space, much less than they do on most Android smartphones.- The main 50-megapixel camera has an aperture of f/1.88, a 2x optical zoom, autofocus, and optical image stabilization.
- A secondary 50-megapixel wide camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 114° field of view (FOV)
The smartphone experience on the Nothing Phone (2a)
Nothing Phone (2a) stands out as being different as soon as you start it for the first time and you go through its setup wizard. You immediately notice the dot matrix font frequently used throughout the user interface, the minimalistic widgets, the icon packs, folder layouts, etc. If you're looking for something new, you will appreciate the company's efforts in developing its distinct visual identity. However, no matter how beautiful the user interface is, you need a good display to render it so you can enjoy it fully. Luckily, the Nothing Phone (2a) has a capable screen that looks good. Even though it isn't the brightest display I've seen, it is bright enough for outdoor use. Its main highlight is the 120 Hz refresh rate, which helps the phone feel snappy and provides smooth animations. However, this refresh rate lowers the battery life. Depending on what you do, you may want to set it to Dynamic mode to drop to 60 Hz when needed or bump it to 90 Hz instead of 120 Hz. 🙂The camera experience on the Nothing Phone (2a)
The Camera app on the Nothing Phone (2a) is very similar to what you find on most Android smartphones, and it presents you with the options you would expect. Due to its simpler camera system, this smartphone can take pictures at three different “zoom” levels: 0.6x - using the ultrawide lens, 1x and 2x - using the main lens. There's no digital zoom, which adds to the simplicity of the Camera app. However, before taking pictures and recording videos, I recommend you go through its settings and customize things the way you want.Android 14, Nothing OS, and bundled apps
One of the aspects I appreciate most about the Nothing Phone (2a) is its software. This phone comes with its Android flavor, named Nothing OS, based on Android 14. I tested it with Nothing OS version 2.5.4 installed. This operating system leaves the default Android experience almost intact. It only focuses on providing a distinct look and feel, with custom widgets that use the company's dot matrix font and general user interface aesthetic. Take a look at the screenshot below to understand what I mean.- Camera - the company's camera app follows the same user interface style as its other apps.
- Nothing X - this app pairs other Nothing Bluetooth devices, like the Nothing Ear (2), and sets them up.
- Recorder - an app that allows you to make voice recordings.
- Weather - a quirky weather app that shows the forecast for your area, as well as other data like the air quality index.
Performance in benchmarks
At the end of each review, our team evaluates the performance we get from each smartphone in benchmarks. Most smartphones nowadays feel relatively fast and responsive, but our subjective experience doesn't allow you to compare them in a more scientific way to other phones. As always, I started with Geekbench. In the processor test, it scored 1133 points for single-core operations and 2540 points for multi-core operations. A respectable result that places it above the realme 12 Pro that we recently tested. It did well in the graphics department, with 2912 in the GPU Open CL score and 2819 points in GPU Vulkan performance. These scores are much higher than those of the realme 12 Pro in the graphics department, proving that the chipset chosen by Nothing is much better for mobile gaming.
Discussion (2)
Listed between $450-$615 that ‘nothing phone’ is sure ‘proud’ of itself.
You can buy it straight from their official website for a much lower price: $349.00.