Should you buy the Nothing Phone (2) or save money and just get the Phone (2a)? Here’s our verdict

Despite the challenging journey of breaking into the tech market, Nothing, founded by former OnePlus executive Carl Pei in 2020, has sparked considerable interest.

Despite releasing several models of earbuds, it’s the phones that have got most of the attention, notably the original Phone (1) and its successor, the Phone (2), which offered modest upgrades.

With the Phone (2a), Nothing ventures into new territory by presenting a more affordable alternative that still promises enhancements over the Phone (1) despite a lower price tag. The Phone (2a) aims to strike a balance between affordability and performance.

But how does it stack up against its higher-priced counterpart? Here’s whether the Phone (2) is worth the extra cash compared to the Phone (2a) – here’s how the two handsets stack up against each other.

Differences between the Nothing Phone (2) and the Nothing Phone (2a)

The Phone (2) has a glass back, providing a glimpse of its internals alongside LED light strips that contibute to its eye-catching design. There are also two rear camera lenses that sit on the upper-left corner of the phone.

Despite its sleek aluminium frame and flat sides being reminiscent of premium devices, its dimensions (159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm) and weight (201g) may make it unwieldy for some people.

Additionally, its vibration motor and resultant haptics feedback is sub-par compared to many high-end phone, while an IP54 rating makes it less resistant to water and dust.

The Phone (2a) features a very similar design with a semi-transparent plastic back, maintaining the aesthetic of the Phone (2) while opting for a lighter 190g build. Its curved edges make it more comfortable to hold and make one-handed use (a rarity among modern smartphones) possible.

The scaled-back ‘Glyph Interface’ of LED lights (only three around the cameras) are more subtle compared to the Phone (2), but they have the same potential to be distraction. The cameras here are centrally located and resemble eyes, so won’t be to everyone’s tastes.

The plastic back feels less premium and is more prone to fingerprints, but its unibody design delivers improved durability compared to the Phone (2) – at least according to Nothing. As you might imagine, we didn’t intentionally drop or scratch either phone during testing.

While still a long way behind flagships, the Phone (2a)’s IP54 water resistance (protection against splashes of water and some dust) is the same as the Phone (2).

Ultimately, the choice between the Phone (2) and the Phone (2a) will depend on individual preferences regarding design, comfort and durability, plus whether you want the extra LED lights on the back.

The lights on both phones can be used for a variety of tasks, including displaying incoming calls and notifications, flashing along to music and checking progress of timers.

Both the Nothing Phone (2) and Phone (2a) feature a 2.4K, 6.7-inch AMOLED display. However, the Phone (2) offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz with LTPO technology, meaning it can automatically drop as low as 1Hz to optimise battery life. 

The Phone (2a) still provides a 120Hz refresh rate, but there’s no LTPO. The lowest it can go is 30Hz, which is still better than many phones, though manual options are only available for 60- or 120Hz.

Despite high maximum claims, both the Phone (2) and Phone (2a) struggle with outdoor visibility, especially in bright, sunny environments.

While both phones offer near-identical, impressive displays, the Phone (2) comes out on top thanks to its LTPO screen.

Both phones also include dual stereo speakers, which deliver punchy sound but lack in bass. They’re suitable for casual use, but not movie watching or serious music listening.

The Phone (2) features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, offering solid performance for various tasks – including gaming.

It offers configurations with 8- or 12GB of RAM and 128-, 256- or 512GB of internal storage. The in-screen fingerprint scanner and face unlock offer convenient biometric unlocking options, though the former is positioned relatively low on the screen.

In contrast, the Phone (2a) adopts the Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset, a custom version of the 7200 that Nothing has developed in collaboration with MediaTek. Alongside 8- or 16GB of RAM and 128- or 256GB of internal storage, everyday performance and multitasking are both strong.

However, unlike the Phone (2), there are some occasional dropped frames during gaming.

Connectivity features in both phones include 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC for mobile payments, so there’s nothing to choose here.

You might be more familiar with Qualcomm chips such as the one used in the Phone (2), but the Phone (2a)’s MediaTek chipset is still very capable for everything except the most demanding tasks such as gaming.

However, in our Geekbench 5 multi-core test, the Phone (2) achieved a score of 4055, while the Phone (2a) scored 2602 points. So, when it comes to pure CPU performance, the Phone (2) is the more powerful device of the two.

The Nothing Phone (2) features a 50Mp main camera, 50Mp ultrawide and 32Mp front-facing. However, it disappoints with its main sensor, lacking consistency in delivering excellent-quality shots.

The main rear sensor is capable of impressive shots in good lighting conditions, yet aggressive image processing often results in over-sharpened photos or inaccurate colours in low light.

The Phone (2) also struggles with shutter lag and a lack of irresponsiveness, although its selfie camera stands out for producing crisp and detailed shots.

While video recording up to 4K at 30fps is standard with decent stabilisation, including optical image stabilisation on the main lens.

The Phone (2a) shares the same camera setup as the Phone (2), so you can expect a very similar photography experience.

Despite some exposure issues, particularly in bright sunlight, the Phone (2a) performs consistently well in low-light environments. The long-exposure night mode effectively brightens darker images with minimal noise, and the portrait mode produces well-exposed subjects with subtle background blur.

The photos taken with the Phone (2) were taken while the phone was running on Nothing OS 2.0, while the Phone (2a) was running on version 2.5. The better overall quality of the photos taken with Phone (2a) may be due to better photo processing resulting from the software update.

However, the absence of optical zoom on both phones leads to grainy and detail-lacking images beyond 2x.

The Phone (2a)’s selfie camera impresses with vibrant shots and an effective portrait mode, albeit with significant cropping. Video recording capabilities up to 4K at 30fps offer decent footage with stabilisation on the main rear lens.

In summary, while both phones offer decent camera capabilities, they each have their strengths and weaknesses, with the Phone (2) falling short of expectations and the Phone (2a) delivering a more consistent performance despite some shortcomings.

When comparing the photos taken at the time of testing both phones, the Phone (2a) is the clear winner.

The Phone (2) features a 4700mAh battery, plus the added benefit of that energy-efficient LTPO display. As a result, you can expect to have charge to spare at the end of the day, even after 15 hours of intermittent usage.

The Phone (2a) boasts a larger 5000mAh battery, and it can also comfortably last a full day for most users. Real-world testing demonstrated impressive endurance, with nine hours of usage draining only 80% of the battery.

While both phones lack a charging brick, they support fast charging up to 45W. Using chargers at home, the Phone (2a) was slightly quicker, taking 55 minutes for a full charge as opposed to 45 minutes for the Phone (2).

However, the Phone (2) is the only one which supports wireless charging (up to 15W), and it can even be used for reverse wireless charging with any Qi-compatible accessories.

Nonetheless, if you can do without wireless charging, the Phone (2a) offers a slightly larger battery and a slightly faster charging speed.

At the time of writing, the Phone (2) and Phone (2a) both run Android 14 with the Nothing OS 2.5 skin over the top.

It’s very different to the version on Google Pixel phones, offering a range of unique software experiences design to reduce distractions and promote intentional phone usage.

The software offers a monochrome theme and icon pack, along with 22 custom widgets which feature a retro aesthetic. Bloatware is minimal, comprising only key apps such Nothing X, Recorder and Weather.

Both phones focus heavily on the ‘Glyph Interface,’ enabling extensive customisation of LED lights on the back with brightness control, custom ringtones and synchronised music playback patterns. Although limited to certain apps at the time of writing, Nothing has a Glyph Developer Kit designed to get more developers on board.

However, the Phone (2a) contains noticeably fewer LEDs than the Phone (2). It’s functionally the same, though will be less distracting for some people.

Nothing guarantees three years of OS updates and four years of security updates for both phones, ensuring support until 2027 for the Phone (2a) and until 2026 for the Phone (2).

There’s almost nothing to choose when it comes to software, though the extra LEDs on the Phone (2) enable more customisation options.

Price & availability

The Nothing Phone (2) offers three configurations: 8GB RAM/128GB storage starting at $599/£579/€649, 12GB RAM/256GB storage for $699/£629/€699, and 12GB RAM/512GB storage for $799/£699/€799, which offers good value for the storage capacity.

It is available through the official Nothing store and select retail partners, such as Very, Currys, and John Lewis in the UK. In the US, you can also get it from Nothing or Amazon.

The Nothing Phone (2a) is even more competitively priced, starting at £319/€329 for the 8GB RAM/128GB storage model and £349/€379 for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage variant.

It is available for purchase directly from Nothing store in the UK and through retailers like Very and John Lewis. Unlike the Phone (2), however, the Phone (2a) is not available in the US.

Verdict 

Both the Phone (2) and the Phone (2a) offer good value for their respective price point, but there are a few key strengths and weaknesses to be aware of.

For most people, the Phone (2a) is the one you should buy, offering a great all-round experience for a much lower price. As you can see, it comes out on top in many areas.

However, the Phone (2) is better in terms of performance, while the differences in battery life and camera abilities are minor and may have been addressed in a software update. It also gets a brighter display with advanced LTPO technology.

There is also the question of design, as not everyone may like the bold change in camera placement on the Phone (2a).

As a result, the Phone (2) is still a better choice for most people – provided you can get it on sale. But if your budget can’t stretch that far and you’re happy with the compromises the Phone (2a), you won’t be disappointed if you get this phone.

And if you live in the US, the Phone (2) is your only option anyway.

Specs 

Nothing Phone (2): 

• Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset 
• 8/12GB RAM  
• 128/256/512GB storage 
• 6.7-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED display 
• Cameras: 
  • 50Mp, f/1.8 OIS main camera 
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera 
  • 32Mp, f/2.45 selfie camera 
• 4700mAh battery 
• 45W wired charging 
• 15W wireless charging 
• 5W reverse wireless charging 
• 5G 
• Dual stereo speakers 
• Wi-Fi 6 
• Bluetooth 5.3 
• NFC 
• Glyph Interface LED lights 
• IP54 
• Gorilla Glass 
• Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5 
• 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm 
• 201g 

Nothing Phone (2a): 

• MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset  
• 8/12GB RAM  
• 128/256GB storage  
• 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display 
• Cameras: 
  • 50Mp, f/1.88 OIS main camera  
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera  
  • 32Mp, f/2.2 selfie camera  
• 5000mAh battery  
• 45W wired charging  
• 5G  
• Dual stereo speakers  
• Wi-Fi 6  
• Bluetooth 5.3  
• NFC  
• Glyph Interface LED lights  
• IP54 
• Gorilla Glass 
• Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5  
• 161.74 x 76.32 x 8.55mm  
• 190g