Nothing Phone (2a) Review: Something For Everyone

For a company that was only founded in 2020, Nothing has generated a huge amount of interest. 

The firm has made a few pairs of earbuds, but its smartphones get most of the attention. The original Phone (1) made a real splash, though the follow-up Phone (2) was a very small upgrade. 

However, for Nothing’s third smartphone, the company is doing something a little different. The Phone (2a) is significantly more affordable than both previous handsets, though Nothing says it’s technically a Phone (1) successor. 

On paper, it’s a noteworthy upgrade over the original that still manages to reduce the price. But does that make it the best phone you can buy for under £350? I used the Phone (2a) as my main smartphone for over a week to find out. 

Design & Build

• Semi-transparent back
• Three LED ‘Glyph’ lights
• Comfortable but slippery design

The Nothing Phone (2a) has a design that’s sure to turn heads. Just like the Phone (1) and Phone (2), it has a semi-transparent back, hinting at the internals without showing them. 

One notable difference compared to previous models is a plastic back rather than glass, making it feel less premium. This certainly isn’t a phone that you’ll mistake for a flagship. 

However, it’s relatively lightweight at 190g, with curved edges making it very comfortable to hold. I was even able to use it one-handed at times, which isn’t something you can say for many modern phones. 

Nothing’s signature ‘Glyph Interface’ of LED lights is still here, but it’s been scaled back on the Phone (2a). Rather than covering most of the back of the phone, there are just three lights arranged around the camera module. 

If you loved the out-there design of Nothing’s previous devices, this may be a disappointment. Personally, I prefer the slightly less brash look here. 

The Glyphs themselves are just as advanced as on the Phone (2), meaning they can fade in/out or only partly light up, with the latter used to show volume or timer progress. These subtleties aren’t available on the Phone (1). 

However, their main purpose is to let you know when you’ve received a call or other notification. Each caller or app can be set to display differently, so you know what’s going on without having to look at the display. In theory, you should use your phone less. 

Unfortunately, I found them to be just as distracting as my phone making a noise or vibrating. Even if I knew what app had sent the notification, I still felt compelled to check the content of it. And as someone who often gets legitimate calls from unrecognised numbers, I couldn’t be sure they weren’t important. 

This system might work well for you, but only if you only want to answer calls from trusted contacts and have a handful of important apps you want to hear from immediately. Otherwise, I think a smartwatch is a better solution for reducing screen time. 

However, there’s plenty more to this phone than Glyphs. The camera bump in the middle of them blends seamlessly into the back of the phone, though its similarity to a pair of eyes can be off putting. 

The Nothing Phone (2a) has a design that’s sure to turn heads

Nothing says the Phone (2a) aesthetic is inspired by a map of the New York City subway, and I can see the resemblance. Of course, the appearance is more muted on the black model I tested, though milk (cloudy white) and true white versions are also available. 

Despite opting for plastic on the back, the Phone (2a) still picks up a lot of fingerprint smudges. It’s also not particularly grippy, so I’d recommend applying a case. 

That will improve durability, though it’s something that’s already a priority for Nothing. The company says the new unibody design performs better in drop test results than the Phone (2), and I was never worried about damaging the body of the phone. 

The front is certainly more fragile, especially if you put your phone face down on a table to make use of the Glyphs. I’m glad Nothing has pre-applied a screen protector because it quickly picked up lots of scratches. 

An IP54 water resistance rating matches both previous Nothing smartphones but means it’s only protected against splashes of water and doesn’t offer total dustproofing. It falls short of the IP68 on flagship phones but isn’t uncommon at this price point. 

One other notable design choice is the volume controls, which are on the left side and very naturally placed when using the phone. The power button on the opposite side even brings up power options when long pressed, rather than the increasingly common triggering of the Google Assistant. 

Screen & Speakers

• 6.7-inch AMOLED screen
• 120Hz refresh rate
• Dual stereo speakers

Display is one area where the Phone (2a) can compete with flagships. Its 6.7-inch AMOLED panel looks just as good as many high-end phones, even if the 2.4K (2412×1084) resolution is a slight step down. 

Content is still very clear and crisp, to the extent I can’t tell the difference compared to a 1440p or 4K panel. And opting for OLED means you get rich, vibrant colours and deep blacks, something which Nothing’s version of Android takes full advantage of.

This combination makes it very versatile. The Phone (2a)’s display is great for browsing the web or replying to emails, but also watching videos and scrolling social media. 

In many of those scenarios, you’ll notice the 120Hz refresh rate. Navigating the phone feels silky-smooth and responsive as a result, even in the default ‘Dynamic’ mode. This automatically adjusts the refresh rate between 30-120Hz depending on what you’re doing, helping to prolong battery life. 

However, it’s not an LTPO display, so can’t go all the way down to 1Hz. If you prefer, you can manually set it to 60- or 120Hz.  

From the front, the Phone (2a) is one of the best-looking handsets you can buy

My one complaint with the screen is visibility. I recorded a maximum brightness of just under 700 nits, but still struggled to see it outside on a bright day.

The display itself is totally flat, with only a slim symmetrical bezel surrounding it. From the front, the Phone (2a) is one of the best-looking handsets you can buy. 

Within the screen is an optical fingerprint sensor. It’s one of the better ones I’ve tried, quickly unlocking around 95% of the time. Face unlock is also available, but this is much more secure.

In terms of audio, the Phone (2a) boasts dual stereo speakers, with a downward-firing grille combining with the earpiece as is typical. It pumps out some impressively punchy sound and avoids distortion well at higher volumes.  

A lack of bass means I still wouldn’t recommend it for watching movies or serious music listening, but it’s more than acceptable for social media and the occasional YouTube video. 

Specs & Performance

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

The Phone (2a) is powered by the Dimensity 7200 Pro. This is a custom chipset that Nothing has co-engineered with MediaTek for “the best performance with optimal power consumption”. 

It’s a surprise to see the company switch to MediaTek, given both the Phone (1) and Phone (2) use Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. Nothing says that the Dimensity 7200 Pro performed better in internal testing than the two most similar Snapdragon chips (7s Gen 2 and 782G). 

It’s hard not to be impressed with performance from the Phone (2a)

And from using it as my main smartphone for over a week, it’s hard not to be impressed with performance from the Phone (2a). It punches well above its weight, and can handle all typical phone usage with ease. 

During testing, my typical days involved lots of web browsing, email and photos, plus the occasional text and YouTube video. There was no sign of any hesitation or slowdown whatsoever, even when quickly switching between them. The Phone (2a) is clearly adept at multitasking. 

The gaming experience isn’t quite as flawless. You will notice some dropped frames here and there but it’s still better than you’d expect from such an affordable phone. The likes of Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, EA Sports FC Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends are all very playable, though you will notice the back of the phone getting warm after a few minutes.

All these observations apply to the model with 12GB of RAM, but I can’t imagine there’s a big drop-off on the entry-level 8GB version. Performance is undoubtedly a strength of the Nothing Phone (2a). 

Nothing Phone (2a) benchmarks

Your only option for internal storage is 256GB, and even with around 17GB taken up with system files, this should be plenty for most people. Dual SIM cards are supported, but you can’t expand via Micro-SD. 

As you might expect from a 2024 phone, the Dimensity 7200 Pro supports 5G by default. It’s joined in the connectivity department by Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC for mobile payments so there are no complaints here. 

Cameras

• 50Mp main rear camera
• 50Mp ultrawide
• 32Mp selfie

Compared to many mid-range phones, the Nothing Phone (2a)’s camera hardware might sound underwhelming.  

There are just three lenses in total, with a pair of 50Mp rear sensors (main and ultrawide) joined by a 32Mp selfie lens. It means there’s no room for a telephoto camera, macro lens or dedicated depth sensor. 

The Phone (2a) has decent cameras, but they’re certainly not one of the phone’s main strengths

However, Nothing is clearly focusing on quality over quantity. And the good news is that this is a near-identical setup to the more expensive Phone (2). Most of what we said about that phone still applies here.

In good lighting conditions, shots from the main lens are decent. Detail and dynamic range are strong, though Nothing’s image processing makes photos much more vibrant and contrasty than reality. A true to life camera this is not.

Unfortunately, exposure is also a struggle at times. That was particularly apparent in images of the sky, which looked great in some images but totally wrong in others. That’s particularly noticeable in bright sunlight, with the Phone (2a) more consistent in low-light environments. 

The long-exposure night mode does a very good job of brightening darker images without sacrificing the main details. Noise is kept to a minimum, and it makes a clear difference compared to the regular mode.

The portrait mode is solid too, combining a well-exposed subject with subtle background blur. There are issues with edge detection at times, but the same can be said for most smartphone cameras. 

I’m pleased to report that there’s no big drop-off in quality when switching to the ultrawide lens, which increases the field of view to 114°. Colours do tend to look a bit more washed-out, though.

When choosing between the two, I’d happily go for an ultrawide lens over a telephoto, but there’s an obvious trade-off when it comes to zoom. There’s no optical zoom at all on the Phone (2a), with the digital version going up to 10x. Anything beyond the 2x option in the camera app becomes quite grainy and lacking in detail. 

The selfie camera is a pleasant surprise, delivering vibrant shots with plenty of detail. Even its portrait mode does a good job of separating faces from backgrounds, though it does crop in a lot more than on most smartphones. 

On the video side, you can shoot in up to 4K at 30fps, but the default 1080p at 30fps will be fine for most people. Footage is decent, with OIS on the main lens making it relatively stable while moving around. 

Overall, the Phone (2a) has decent cameras, but they’re certainly not one of the phone’s main strengths. You can get some really nice shots, but it’s not consistently good, and there are some key weaknesses.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• Very good battery life
• 45W wired charging, no wireless

The Nothing Phone (2a) is equipped with a…