After much anticipation, Nothing has finally launched its first mid-range phone globally, the Nothing Phone (2a). Surprisingly, most of the leaks about the phone were true, with only a few design-related details missing. With its remarkably low price, the device has become an exciting prospect for consumers. Here is a comprehensive overview of the Nothing Phone (2a) launch.
Nothing Phone (2a) Display and Design
Starting with the back, which has been the focal point of attention, the transparent back design is made of polycarbonate, which is essentially plastic. The frame of the phone is also made of plastic, but the buttons are aluminum. The Nothing Phone (2a) is available in two colors – Black and White. The back plastic curves along the edges and has a frosted finish. As is typical for Nothing, the volume buttons are on the left side, while the power button is on the right.
The display is a 6.7-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED with a 30-120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. It features a 10-bit flat display protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and is HDR10+ certified.
The phone boasts a 32MP punch-hole camera, centered at the top of the display. Overall, the display has surpassed expectations on paper, especially considering its pricing, which we will discuss later.
Performance
Hardware leaks often turn out to be accurate, and the leaks surrounding the Phone (2a) were no exception. Initially denied by the company, it was later confirmed that they were indeed using the Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset. Nothing collaborated with MediaTek to develop a custom Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset for the Phone (2a), aimed at delivering improved power efficiency.
The chipset is built on TSMC’s 2nd-gen 4nm process node and features an octa-core CPU with a 2+6 configuration. The CPU comprises 2x Cortex A715 performance cores clocked at 2.8 GHz and 6x Cortex-A510 efficiency cores clocked at 2.00 GHz. The GPU is a Mali G610 MC4. Moreover, the phone features a large 3,200 square mm vapor chamber and a 12,000 square mm cryogenic frame made of graphite.
Another area where Nothing significantly reduced costs is in the storage and RAM. The Phone (2a) features the older UFS 2.2 storage variant and older LPDDR4X RAM.
In comparison, competitors like the Realme 12 Pro and OnePlus Nord CE 3 come with UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5X RAM, which are newer and slightly faster than the storage and RAM in the Phone (2a).
Cameras
The rear of the phone features dual cameras. The main camera utilizes the popular Samsung ISOCELL GN9 50 MP 1/1.56″ sensor with optical image stabilization. The secondary camera is a 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 1/2.76 sensor, which is an Ultrawide lens and lacks OIS. The front camera features a 32 MP 1/2.74 Sony IMX 615 sensor.
The absence of a 2 MP macro camera is a positive aspect, as users are likely to find more utility in an ultrawide lens. It remains to be seen how well the primary camera performs, depending on Nothing’s post-processing capabilities.
Glyph Interface
The Phone (2a) features three Glyph segments and 26 individually addressable zones, offering a variety of functions that are also available in the Phone (2). These include timer, Essential Notifications, Glyph Composer, Glyph Torch, Glyph Progress, and Flip to Glyph. This represents a significant upgrade from the Phone (1).
Battery and Charging
Powering the Dimensity 7200 Pro and Glyphs is a robust 5,000 mAh battery capable of 45W charging. Unlike its predecessors Phone (1) and Phone (2), the Phone (2a) does not support wireless charging. Nothing claims a 0-100% charging time of 1 hour, but more details will be revealed in our comprehensive review.
With the Dimensity 7200 Pro and Nothing’s optimizations on the Nothing OS, I expect the Phone (2a) to last for up to two days with light usage and slightly over a day for heavy users.
Software and Connectivity
The Nothing Phone (2a) is equipped with Nothing OS 2.5, the latest software release from Nothing based on Android 14. Similar to previous Nothing phones, the company promises three major Android updates for the Phone (2a), a significant advantage for a mid-range device offered at a competitive price. The OS is free of bloatware, a commendable feature.
In terms of connectivity, the Phone (2a) supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, along with Dual Nano SIM card slots, NFC, and USB Type-C, although it only supports USB 2.0. It’s noteworthy that Nothing has retained NFC, allowing users to use tap-to-pay functionality seamlessly.
Nothing Phone (2a) Pricing
The base variant of the Nothing Phone (2a), which comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, is priced at Rs 23,999 in India. However, there will be offers available that will effectively reduce the price to Rs 19,999 for just one day, specifically on March 12.
For other storage variants, the 8GB+256GB variant is priced at Rs 25,999, while the 12GB+256GB variant will cost you Rs 27,999.
- 8GB+128GB – Rs 23,999
- 8GB+256GB – Rs 25,999
- 12GB+256GB – Rs 27,999
What are your views on the Nothing Phone (2a) launch? Would you choose it over devices like the Realme 12 Pro or the POCO X6? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Additionally, the company has also launched CMF Buds and Neckband Pro along with its mid-range offering.
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