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:

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

As for downsides:

• 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.

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!

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.

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?

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 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:

• 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 selfie camera on the phone's front side has 32 Megapixels and an aperture of f/2.2. This phone can record videos in 4K resolution and 30 frames per second (fps), 1080p and 30 or 60 fps, as well as at 120 fps, when using slow motion.

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).