Nothing wants to establish itself as a breakthrough brand in a sea of sameness. It has the right character at the helm – Carl Pei – who was so instrumental in getting OnePlus noticed on the world stage, with sights now set on the US.
The Nothing phone (2) continues much of what the Nothing phone (1) started, but at the same time, it’s a step-change for this startup smartphone. I’ve had the Nothing phone (2) for some time and before I publish my full review, these are my first impressions.
Nothing Phone 2
First impressions
Bigger, bolder and more ambitious, the Nothing phone (2) has been revised and refined in its second-gen, designed to appeal to more buyers, while still carrying with it that essential sense of uniqueness.
Design
- 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6mm, 201.2g
- Recycled aluminium and glass design
- IP54 rating
- Glyph Interface
Glance at the Nothing phone (2) and it’s instantly recognisable. It looks a lot like the Nothing phone (1) but there’s clearly been some refinement to arrive at this point. The phone is now larger, expanding to offer a larger display, while there’s an immediate sense of refinement.
The overall design evolves the phone. I thought that the Nothing phone (1) looked like an iPhone with a transparent back and there’s still some of that feeling with the squared aluminium sides and the placement of the buttons around the body, but there’s a new slightly domed back on the phone. This not only shows off interior components and that unique design, but also allows the Glyph Interface – the Nothing phone’s pièce de resistance, to shine through.
It’s here that the Nothing phone (2) looks and feels better than the Nothing phone (1). It retains all the uniqueness (and at this early stage in Nothing’s life this is still a design that attracts attention), but it refines it. Holding the phone it feels better – but I can’t help feeling that there might be some fragility to the rear. I expect we’ll see a number of smashed backs, but that might just encourage you to use a case for your Nothing phone.
Nothing is also keen to push its eco credentials, from the minimalist – and I have to say very cool – packaging, through to the 100 per cent recycled aluminium mid-frame. There are recycled materials used all over this phone, meaning the carbon footprint is lower than the previous device despite the increased display and battery capacity. It’s also great that Nothing has opted for an IP54 rating. Sure, it’s not quite up there with the top IP68 specs, but it means there will be protection when the rain comes, keeping your phone safe from water splashes.
A large part of the design, of course is focused on the Glyph Interface on the rear of the phone. That pattern of LEDs in the rear of the phone has 33 separate zones, allowing more customisation and some clever functions, like a countdown timer that can be graphically displayed on the rear of the phone via a receding line. Nothing is also planning integration with third-party apps, so you can glance at the back of your phone to see how close your Uber is – and in the future, hopefully your food delivery too. That’s on top of custom light patterns for contacts, indicators for and a whole lot more.
Display and hardware specs
- 6.7in LTPO OLED, 2412 x 1080 (394ppi), 1-120Hz
- Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, 8/12GB, 128-512GB
- 4700mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless, 5W reverse
The Nothing phone (2) gets a larger display than the Nothing phone (1), expanding to 6.7-inches. It’s an LTPO OLED panel, meaning it can provide adaptive refresh rates from 1-120Hz to optimise the display to the content you’re viewing. First impressions are of a vibrant display, but Nothing OS leans towards minimalism.
The Nothing icon pack will strip all the colour from your app icons to give you a monochrome finish (a little like Android’s bedtime mode) and while that’s different and gives the phone a unique look, you’ll have to open apps to get the colour to pop. We can’t comment on the display performance yet, but what’s important is that Nothing is offering 1000 nits, with 1600 nits peak, and supporting HDR.
Sitting at the heart of the phone (2) is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It’s a slightly older hardware platform from 2022, but the advantage it offers is that it is flagship grade. Nothing told us that they wanted to work with something established, and that it will unlock more power for the cameras – and we know from 2022 flagship phones that it performs well.
At the same time, it’s not going to compete in terms of pure power with the latest 2023 phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but at the same time, it’s more affordable, with Nothing asking US$599, CA$959, £579 in the UK and €679 in Europe for the entry-level 8/128GB model. That’s mid-range prices for flagship-grade hardware.
Importantly, it’s a healthy step forward over the Snapdragon 778G+ of the Nothing phone (1). That also applies to the battery, moving to 4700mAh over 4500mAh. The 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging won’t break any records in terms of speed, but it’s as fast as the biggest players in the market, viz. Samsung and Apple.
We’ll be updating to comment on the performance of this hardware in the near future and at this stage we’re not able to make any judgements. You can see how the Nothing phone (2) compares to the Nothing phone (1) in detail here.
Cameras
- Main: 50MP, 1/1.56in, 1µm, f/1.88
- UIltrawide: 50MP, 1/2.76in, 0.64µm, f/2.2
- Front: 32MP, 1/2.74in, 0.8µm, f/2.45
There’s a dual camera arrangement on the rear of the Nothing phone (1), with Nothing pointing to the upgraded Snapdragon hardware with additional power for driving the cameras. It’s an upgrade to a newer sensor for the main camera – a Sony IMX890 over the IMX766 of the previous phone – but the idea remains the same. The aim is to give you two decent cameras, rather than packing the phone with duff sensors just to brag about having more cameras on the spec sheet.
The camera of the Nothing phone (1) wasn’t especially strong – I’d have picked the Google Pixel 6a over it any day of the week – and I haven’t had the chance to investigate the performance of the phone (2) camera to any great extent. There’s an “expert” manual mode for those who want access to more precise controls – including raw shooting – as well as access to all the expected modes and features.
There’s a pretty big jump to 32-megapixel for the front camera, over the 16-megapixels of the phone (1). I’ll be putting the Nothing phone (2) through its paces to fully access the camera as soon as I can.
Software
- Android 13 with Nothing OS 2.0
- 3 years of Android updates
Of course a lot of the focus of this phone is on software. The Nothing phone (2) comes with the latest version of Nothing OS and as I mentioned above, there’s the ability to turn it monochrome, escaping the colours of all your apps. Of course you don’t have to do that, you can have any finish you want, but minimalism and highlighting precise elements of the device is one of the things I immediately like about Nothing OS.
There’s a range of interesting widgets, with Nothing’s dot matrix design seeping through just about everything and that again helps this device look unique when compared to other Android phones. Stick to Nothing’s widgets and you’ll get a nice minimalist aesthetic. I still need time to explore the interface a little more and see what works and what doesn’t, but first impressions are of a phone that’s a little more mature than the previous Nothing outing.
First impressions
The thing that strikes us most about the Nothing phone (2) is the refinement of the design. For a phone that’s designed to attract attention (despite the company ethos of making tech blend into the background), this is a phone that looks great. I’ve caught a lot of people stealing a sideward glance at it, not just because I’ve been rocking an unreleased phone, but because it’s unique. (Don’t forget, there are people selling phone skins to make devices look like this.)
There’s still a lot to explore on the Nothing phone (2), but the increased size and the bump in hardware justifies the new higher asking price for this phone. I’m looking forward to testing it some more and delivering my full review towards the end of the week.