After two generations of glass and metal smartphones, Nothing has gone for a different approach for its third smartphone, the Phone (2a). Sporting a polycarbonate back and plastic sides, the Phone (2a) is classic Nothing while at the same time being a departure from the brand's signature design language. If the Phone (1) and (2) really pushed the smartphone design envelope, the (2a) nudges it sideways.
Considering that this will replace the Phone (1) in Nothing's lineup, Carl Pei's brand could have done a lot better, even though this is a compelling smartphone.
The Design
The vertical dual camera array has been replaced by an unusual horizontal, centred dual camera setup on the back. The massive Glyph Interface that used to light up Nothing's smartphones has now been shrunk to two curved LED strips on one side of the camera bump, and a vertical strip on the other.
The lack of wireless charging meant Nothing could experiment with the design, adding an 'S' shaped strip to complete the back. It took me a little getting used to — this is easily the most unusual-looking phone I've seen or handled, and that's saying a lot for a brand like Nothing. That said, it definitely looks like Nothing smartphone.
The polycarbonate back is polished to perfection, rising up seamlessly to form the camera bump. I wish I could say I was a big fan of the plastic sides, but I'm not. Transitioning from the smooth glassticky back to the cheap-feeling plastic rails feels jarring. The good thing about these sides is they are insanely grippy, and I have never felt the need to slap on a case.
The front boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED display capable of 120 Hz refresh rate and honestly, it's the best part of the phone. It is smooth, snappy, and produces gorgeous visuals, even if the resolution is capped at FHD.
The performance
The Phone 2(a) is the first from Nothing's stable to ditch Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets for MediaTek. While the Phone (1) was powered by a Snapdragon 778G+, and the Phone (2) had the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Phone 2(a) is powered by the MediaTek 7200 Pro chipset. It is enough to do the job, but you can certainly feel it struggling when you put too much load on it. Something as simple as swiping up to go to the home screen sometimes caused stutters, and took away from the experience.
Coupled with either 8 or 12 GB of RAM, the Phone 2(a) feels just about adequate to get you through mundane, everyday tasks.
Battery life
This is where Phone (2a) excels, compared to the rest of, well, Phone (2a). By my third day with the phone, I'd figured out what it could handle and what it couldn't, and keeping this in mind, the 5,000 mAh battery was about enough to get me through a full day with about 20% remaining in the tank. Decent, if not remarkable.
Cameras
Phone (2a) comes with two 50-megapixel cameras at the back: one primary, wide-angle shooter and an ultrawide snapper. Snuggled in a centred hole-punch cutout on the front is a 32MP selfie camera.
The cameras are... adequate. They will not blow your mind with their output, but they will not let you down either. They struggle a bit in low-lighting conditions, but, as all other smartphone cameras do, take good-looking photos in well-lit conditions. A serviceable package, on the whole.
Software
This is my favourite part of the Nothing Phone (2a). The software is vintage Nothing. Based on Android 14, the Nothing OS 2.5 is by far the best implementation of Android I've ever seen, but I went over it in
my review of the Nothing Phone (2). Suffice it to say, it's a treat.
In conclusion
With Phone (2a), compromises are minimal with water resistance limited to IP54, no wireless charging, and the absence of a headphone jack. However, these trade-offs seem reasonable given the overall value offered by the Nothing Phone (2a), design quirks aside.
All in all, the Nothing Phone (2a) is a good option for budget-conscious users seeking a reliable, feature-rich smartphone. Its unique design, and long-term support — three years of OS and four years of security updates — make it a standout choice in the budget phone market.
