Nothing Phone (2a) review

For an organization that was solely based in 2020, Nothing has generated an enormous quantity of curiosity. 

The agency has made just a few pairs of earbuds, however its smartphones get a lot of the consideration. The unique Cellphone (1) made an actual splash, although the follow-up Cellphone (2) was a really small improve. 

Nonetheless, for Nothing’s third smartphone, the corporate is doing one thing just a little totally different. The Cellphone (2a) is considerably extra reasonably priced than each earlier handsets, although Nothing says it’s technically a Cellphone (1) successor. 

On paper, it’s a noteworthy improve over the unique that also manages to scale back the value. However does that make it the most effective telephone you should purchase for beneath £350? I used the Cellphone (2a) as my essential smartphone for over every week to seek out out. 

Design & Construct

• Semi-transparent again
• Three LED ‘Glyph’ lights
• Comfy however slippery design

The Nothing Cellphone (2a) has a design that’s positive to show heads. Identical to the Cellphone (1) and Cellphone (2), it has a semi-transparent again, hinting on the internals with out displaying them. 

One notable distinction in comparison with earlier fashions is a plastic again moderately than glass, making it really feel much less premium. This actually isn’t a telephone that you simply’ll mistake for a flagship. 

Nonetheless, it’s comparatively light-weight at 190g, with curved edges making it very comfy to carry. I used to be even ready to make use of it one-handed at occasions, which isn’t one thing you’ll be able to say for a lot of fashionable telephones. 

Nothing’s signature ‘Glyph Interface’ of LED lights continues to be right here, but it surely’s been scaled again on the Cellphone (2a). Fairly than overlaying a lot of the again of the telephone, there are simply three lights organized across the digicam module. 

Should you beloved the out-there design of Nothing’s earlier units, this can be a disappointment. Personally, I choose the marginally much less brash look right here. 

The Glyphs themselves are simply as superior as on the Cellphone (2), that means they will fade in/out or solely partly gentle up, with the latter used to point out quantity or timer progress. These subtleties aren’t out there on the Cellphone (1). 

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Nonetheless, their essential function is to let you realize whenever you’ve acquired a name or different notification. Every caller or app may be set to show otherwise, so you realize what’s happening with out having to have a look at the show. In idea, you need to use your telephone much less. 

Sadly, I discovered them to be simply as distracting as my telephone making a noise or vibrating. Even when I knew what app had despatched the notification, I nonetheless felt compelled to examine the content material of it. And as somebody who usually will get authentic calls from unrecognised numbers, I couldn’t make sure they weren’t necessary. 

This method may work properly for you, however provided that you solely need to reply calls from trusted contacts and have a handful of necessary apps you need to hear from instantly. In any other case, I feel a smartwatch is a greater answer for decreasing display screen time. 

Nonetheless, there’s a lot extra to this telephone than Glyphs. The digicam bump in the midst of them blends seamlessly into the again of the telephone, although its similarity to a pair of eyes may be off placing. 

Nothing says the Cellphone (2a) aesthetic is impressed by a map of the New York Metropolis subway, and I can see the resemblance. After all, the looks is extra muted on the black mannequin I examined, although milk (cloudy white) and true white variations are additionally out there. 

Regardless of choosing plastic on the again, the Cellphone (2a) nonetheless picks up a number of fingerprint smudges. It’s additionally not significantly grippy, so I’d advocate making use of a case. 

That can enhance sturdiness, although it’s one thing that’s already a precedence for Nothing. The corporate says the brand new unibody design performs higher in drop take a look at outcomes than the Cellphone (2), and I used to be by no means fearful about damaging the physique of the telephone. 

The entrance is actually extra fragile, particularly in the event you put your telephone face down on a desk to utilize the Glyphs. I’m glad Nothing has pre-applied a display screen protector as a result of it rapidly picked up a lot of scratches. 

An IP54 water resistance score matches each earlier Nothing smartphones however means it’s solely protected towards splashes of water and doesn’t provide complete dustproofing. It falls wanting the IP68 on flagship telephones however isn’t unusual at this worth level. 

One different notable design selection is the quantity controls, that are on the left aspect and really naturally positioned when utilizing the telephone. The ability button on the other aspect even brings up energy choices when lengthy pressed, moderately than the more and more widespread triggering of the Google Assistant. 

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.7-inch AMOLED display screen
• 120Hz refresh fee
• Twin stereo audio system

Show is one space the place the Cellphone (2a) can compete with flagships. Its 6.7-inch AMOLED panel seems simply nearly as good as many high-end telephones, even when the two.4K (2412×1084) decision is a slight step down. 

Content material continues to be very clear and crisp, to the extent I can’t inform the distinction in comparison with a 1440p or 4K panel. And choosing OLED means you get wealthy, vibrant colors and deep blacks, one thing which Nothing’s model of Android takes full benefit of.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

This mixture makes it very versatile. The Cellphone (2a)’s show is nice for shopping the net or replying to emails, but additionally watching movies and scrolling social media. 

In lots of these eventualities, you’ll discover the 120Hz refresh fee. Navigating the telephone feels silky-smooth and responsive in consequence, even within the default ‘Dynamic’ mode. This routinely adjusts the refresh fee between 30-120Hz relying on what you’re doing, serving to to extend battery life. 

Nonetheless, it’s not an LTPO show, so can’t go all the best way all the way down to 1Hz. Should you choose, you’ll be able to manually set it to 60- or 120Hz.  

My one criticism with the display screen is visibility. I recorded a most brightness of slightly below 700 nits, however nonetheless struggled to see it exterior on a shiny day.

The show itself is completely flat, with solely a slim symmetrical bezel surrounding it. From the entrance, the Cellphone (2a) is likely one of the best-looking handsets you should purchase. 

Throughout the display screen is an optical fingerprint sensor. It’s one of many higher ones I’ve tried, rapidly unlocking round 95% of the time. There’s no face unlock, but it surely’s not wanted. 

By way of audio, the Cellphone (2a) boasts twin stereo audio system, with a downward-firing grille combining with the earpiece as is typical. It pumps out some impressively punchy sound and avoids distortion properly at greater volumes.  

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

A scarcity of bass means I nonetheless wouldn’t advocate it for watching films or severe music listening, but it surely’s greater than acceptable for social media and the occasional YouTube video. 

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Professional
• 8- or 12GB of RAM
• 128- or 256GB of storage

The Cellphone (2a) is powered by the Dimensity 7200 Professional. It is a customized chipset that Nothing has co-engineered with MediaTek for “the most effective efficiency with optimum energy consumption”. 

It’s a shock to see the corporate swap to MediaTek, given each the Cellphone (1) and Cellphone (2) use Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. Nothing says that the Dimensity 7200 Professional carried out higher in inner testing than the 2 most comparable Snapdragon chips (7s Gen 2 and 782G). 

And from utilizing it as my essential smartphone for over every week, it’s onerous to not be impressed with efficiency from the Cellphone (2a). It punches properly above its weight, and may deal with all typical telephone utilization with ease. 

Throughout testing, my typical days concerned a lot of net shopping, e mail and images, plus the occasional textual content and YouTube video. There was no signal of any hesitation or slowdown by any means, even when rapidly switching between them. The Cellphone (2a) is clearly adept at multitasking. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The gaming expertise isn’t fairly as flawless. You’ll discover some dropped frames right here and there but it surely’s nonetheless higher than you’d count on from such an reasonably priced telephone. The likes of Name of Responsibility: Cellular, PUBG Cellular, EA Sports activities FC Cellular and Asphalt 9: Legends are all very playable, although you’ll discover the again of the telephone getting heat after a couple of minutes.

All these observations apply to the mannequin with 12GB of RAM, however I can’t think about there’s an enormous drop-off on the entry-level 8GB model. Efficiency is undoubtedly a power of the Nothing Cellphone (2a). 

Nothing Cellphone (2a) benchmarks

Your solely possibility for inner storage is 256GB, and even with round 17GB taken up with system information, this must be a lot for most individuals. Twin SIM playing cards are supported, however you’ll be able to’t increase through Micro-SD. 

As you may count on from a 2024 telephone, the Dimensity 7200 Professional helps 5G by default. It’s joined within the connectivity division by Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC for cellular funds so there are not any complaints right here. 

Cameras

• 50Mp essential rear digicam
• 50Mp ultrawide
• 32Mp selfie

In comparison with many mid-range telephones, the Nothing Cellphone (2a)’s digicam {hardware} may sound underwhelming.  

There are simply three lenses in complete, with a pair of 50Mp rear sensors (essential and ultrawide) joined by a 32Mp selfie lens. It means there’s no room for a telephoto digicam, macro lens or devoted depth sensor. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nonetheless, Nothing is clearly specializing in high quality over amount. And the excellent news is that it is a near-identical setup to the dearer Cellphone (2). Most of what we stated about that telephone nonetheless applies right here.

In good lighting circumstances, pictures from the principle lens are first rate. Element and dynamic vary are sturdy, although Nothing’s picture processing makes images far more vibrant and contrasty than actuality. A real to life digicam this isn’t.

Sadly, publicity can also be a battle at occasions. That was significantly obvious in pictures of the sky, which regarded nice in some pictures however completely incorrect in others. That’s significantly noticeable in shiny daylight, with the Cellphone (2a) extra constant in low-light environments. 

The long-exposure night time mode does an excellent job of brightening darker pictures with out sacrificing the principle particulars. Noise is saved to a minimal, and it makes a transparent distinction in comparison with the common mode.

The portrait mode is strong too, combining a well-exposed topic with delicate background blur. There are points with edge detection at occasions, however the identical may be stated for many smartphone cameras. 

I’m happy to report that there’s no huge drop-off in high quality when switching to the ultrawide lens, which will increase the sphere of view to 114°. Colors do are likely to look a bit extra washed-out, although. 

A lot of what I’ve stated about the principle digicam nonetheless applies right here, although colors are likely to look barely extra washed out. 

When selecting between the 2, I’d fortunately go for an ultrawide lens over a telephoto, however there’s an apparent trade-off with regards to zoom. There’s no optical zoom in any respect on the Cellphone (2a), with the digital model going as much as 10x. Something past the 2x possibility within the digicam app turns into fairly grainy and missing intimately. 

The selfie digicam is a nice shock, delivering vibrant pictures with loads of element. Even its portrait mode does a great job of separating faces from backgrounds, although it does crop in much more than on most smartphones. 

On the video aspect, you’ll be able to shoot in as much as 4K at 30fps, however the default 1080p at 30fps will likely be tremendous for most individuals. Footage is first rate, with OIS on the principle lens making it comparatively secure whereas transferring round. 

General, the Cellphone (2a) has first rate cameras, however they’re actually not one of many telephone’s essential strengths. 

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• Superb battery life
• 45W wired charging, no wi-fi

The Nothing Cellphone (2a) is provided with a 5000mAh battery, which is definitely bigger than each the Cellphone (1) and Cellphone (2).  

That interprets to strong battery life. The overwhelming majority of individuals will be capable to get a full day of utilization on a single cost. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

I used to be testing this telephone whereas out and about in Barcelona, and it held up properly. On someday, I went out sightseeing at 11am with a full battery. After 9 hours of near-constant navigation, a lot of images and common net shopping, I bought again with round 20% battery left. 

Nothing claims you’ll be able to stand up to 2 days of battery life, and I can actually see how that’s potential with lighter utilization. The PCMark battery take a look at (which simulates different utilization at 200 nits of brightness) gave a rating of 16 hours and 16 minutes which is up there with the most effective battery life telephones on this benchmark. 

Sadly, charging is nowhere close to as spectacular. The Cellphone (2a) solely helps speeds as much as 45W and there’s no charger included within the field. 

Utilizing a 65W charger I already had, it reached % in quarter-hour and % after half an hour. A full cost took round 45 minutes. Not gradual per se, particularly whenever you evaluate to the likes of Samsung, however a good distance behind the quickest charging telephones round. 

It’s additionally price noting that there’s no wi-fi charging, even when that isn’t a shock at this worth. 

Software program & Apps

• Nothing OS 2.5 over Android 14
• A great deal of customisation choices
• Three years of OS updates, 4 years of safety

The Cellphone (2a) runs the Nothing OS 2.5 pores and skin, which relies on Android 14 – the most recent main model on the time of writing.  

Nonetheless, the software program expertise is sort of totally different to what you’ll discover on another Android telephone. Nothing says it desires to “cut back distractions and encourage intentional smartphone use”, with its ‘Glyph Interface’ at the forefront. 

There’s a powerful quantity of customisation out there for the LED lights on the again, together with brightness controls, customized ringtones and patterns that ‘dance alongside’ to any music you’re taking part in.   At present, utilizing the Glyphs as a progress bar is barely supported by the Clock app, plus Google Calendar, Uber and Zomato. Nonetheless, Nothing has now launched a Glyph Developer Package to encourage extra widespread adoption. 

Elsewhere, a monochrome theme and icon pack avoids the intense colors that so usually appeal to us to specific apps. New downloads usually seem of their color model however making use of the Nothing Icon Pack will repair this. 

Nothing has additionally gone to the trouble of making 22 of its personal widgets for the house and lock screens. There’s nothing out of the unusual right here, however they slot in with the general theme properly. The retro aesthetic is one thing I personally like, although it received’t be for everybody. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Bloatware on the Cellphone (2a) can also be saved to a minimal, with Nothing X (its earbuds companion app), Recorder and Climate the one additions I seen. Nothing is there for the sake of it. 

Nothing has made considerate additions to the common Android expertise that I actually loved utilizing. The corporate’s dedication to a few years of OS updates and 4 years of safety updates is first rate, although not market main, and means it ought to nonetheless be supported in 2028. 

Value & Availability

Contemplating every part you’re getting, the Nothing Cellphone (2a) is competitively priced.  

It begins at £319/€329 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or £349/€379 for the 12/256GB mannequin I examined. 

Pre-orders are dwell now from the Nothing web site within the UK, forward of a launch on 12 March. No networks are promoting the telephone on contract, so that you’ll have to purchase one outright and pair it with a SIM-only deal.

Nonetheless, not like the Cellphone (1) and Cellphone (2), the 2a received’t be out there within the US which is a disgrace. You may be capable to import one, although. 

That outright worth makes it one of many extra reasonably priced mid-range telephones on the market. Nonetheless, there are many credible alternate options, together with the Xiaomi Redmi Notice 13 Professional (£339), Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (from £349), Poco X6 Professional (£369) and Motorola Edge 40 Neo (£299.99). 

Must you purchase the Nothing Cellphone (2a)?

The Nothing Cellphone (2a) is a compelling reasonably priced telephone that delivers all the basics of an important smartphone and some distinctive extras. 

Efficiency is among the many finest at this worth level, excelling in just about each situation – together with whereas gaming. Its 120Hz OLED display screen delivers an immersive viewing expertise, particularly when paired with above-average audio system. 

Battery life can also be sturdy, whereas Nothing has put a number of effort into making such polished software program. In the meantime, the ‘Glyph Interface’ of LED lights assist it immediately stand out from the group, even when their usefulness is debatable. 

Nonetheless, the mixture of unreliable cameras and slower charging than some rivals will make many individuals suppose twice earlier than shopping for one. It’s an excellent telephone for the cash, however examine the competitors first. 

Specs

• MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Professional chipset 
• 8/12GB RAM 
• 128/256GB storage 
• 6.7in, 2412×1084 120Hz OLED show 
• 50Mp, f/1.88 OIS essential digicam 
• 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digicam 
• 32Mp, f/2.2 selfie digicam 
• 5000mAh battery 
• 45W wired charging 
• 5G 
• Twin stereo audio system 
• Wi-Fi 6 
• Bluetooth 5.3 
• NFC 
• Glyph Interface LED lights 
• IP54 water and dirt resistance 
• Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5 
• 161.74 x 76.32 x 8.55mm 
• 190g