Those who enjoy the idea of a gadget that feels unique will be naturally drawn towards Nothing. After all, this is a London-based tech company (which is unusual in itself) that is on a mission to bring the fun back into what it calls the boring world of consumer electronics.
Few products embody this sentiment more than Android handsets, which all too often feel like a hotchpotch of me-too components desperately searching for a point of difference.
Nothing boldly thrust itself into this competitive arena last year with its highly innovative Phone 1 handset — and this week sees the launch of its successor, the Nothing Phone 2, reviewed here.
Unlike its anodyne rivals, Nothing handsets are entirely distinctive. Both of its phones have transparent backs, with LED strips shining through, which Nothing calls Glyphs. More on those in a moment.
Nothing Phone 2: key specs
- Display: 6.7 inch OLED (2,412 x 1,080), 120Hz
- Dimensions: 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6 mm
- Front camera: 32MP (f/2.5)
- Rear camera: 50MP main (f/1.9), 50MP ultrawide (f/2.2)
- Weight: 201g
- Battery and charging: 4,700mAh (wireless charging and reverse wireless charging)
- Memory and storage: 8GB /12GB RAM
- Processor: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- Price: £579 (8GB RAM, 256GB storage); £629 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage); £699 (12GB RAM, 512GB storage)
The clear back-panel of each handset also reveals the shape of the circuitry that lies beneath. This is, without a doubt, an intriguing look that evokes the feel of an old-school analogue tape deck.
Nothing doubles-down on this visual kerb appeal with a high-design approach that encompasses everything — from the overall calibre of its industrial engineering right through to the branding, which is said to represent a vintage dot-matrix printer. Spotting a theme?
The brand has already acquired cult status among a certain type of gadget fan and even more impressive is the firm’s aspiration to bring this to the party on a frugal budget. The original Phone 1 was priced from just £399 and, even though the Phone 2 ups the ante somewhat, with a starting cost of £579, Nothing promises that it retains the same DNA of sensational value alongside serious engineering kudos.
So does this shiny new handset justify all the hype? Let’s find out.
Look and feel
The Nothing Phone 2 retains a similar design approach to its forebear, with a flat-screen and cliff-edge sides. Don’t tell the lawyers but, if you glance quickly, it looks almost like an iPhone. At least, until you turn it over and take in the rear panel.
What’s new this year is a pillowed, contoured back that feels super comfortable in the hand — last year’s was flat. This is a big change and works well.
The build quality of the Nothing Phone (2) is simply excellent, with no flex of the aluminium frame or Gorilla Glass screen if you try to bend it. In comparison to similarly priced handsets, this is next-level.
The display is a touch bigger this time around, at 6.7 inches, which is the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, although this phone feels easier to hold because it’s narrower. The contoured back also helps with this, too. Even so, it’s still worth trying it in your own hand, as it might be a stretch for those with small mitts.
The display has a fingerprint sensor embedded in the screen, right at the bottom, while face-unlock works through the selfie camera. Both work well, and are fast and responsive. And there are some thoughtful notes, like the screen protector which is supplied and in place already. A nice touch.
Nothing has overlaid the standard Android software with an elegant visual skin. It retains those cool dot-matrix effects, from the choice of system fonts to the weather icons. What’s new is a greater emphasis on monochrome. You can construct your entire home screen with black-and-white icons, save for the bright-red second-hand on the analogue clock and Google logo in the search bar. The idea is you’ll be less drawn into using your phone too much than if you were to see bright colours calling you.
That’s also the concept behind the Glyphs. Nothing says it wants you to use your phone less often but more judiciously. So, you can set the LEDs to flash when a call comes in, and choose a distinctive pattern so you know if, say, it’s your significant other.
You can even create your own visual ringtones with the latest Nothing Phone software. And there are other new uses for the Glyphs. Set a timer and one of the LEDs will dial down from showing the full strip alight to zero. The same trick can time how long it will take your Uber driver to reach you — albeit this is currently listed as an experimental feature. These Glyphs do feel like a novelty, even though their practical purposes are growing. And the way the lights give you a confirming flash when you, say, turn the phone face-down is a good conversation starter. Still a gimmick, then, but it remains a good one.
Performance
One of the reasons for the uptick in price compared to the Nothing Phone 1 is the improvement in components and this includes the processor. You get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 onboard now and, while it isn’t the very latest available, it was routinely found in flagship phones until fairly recently. It remains more than up to the job and is certainly a lot faster than the original Nothing handset.
As such, the Phone 2 is speedy and effective, never keeping you waiting whether you’re playing games or watching video, for instance, both of which look smooth. That’s partly due to the fast-refresh display which can automatically adapt to save battery life depending on what you are looking at. For instance, it goes from a snail-like 1Hz on static content, such as an email, say, right up to 120Hz for stutter-free scrolling through menus and lists. The feature adjusts itself in the background and it works very well. It’s far from unique to Nothing — and yet a pleasure to find on a phone at this price.
Battery life is strong, too, lasting easily a full day, though nightly recharges are likely. This year’s phone has a bigger cell and so this is no surprise. On the basis of several days’ testing, there was always at least 30 per cent battery left at the end of each day.
The transparent casing reveals a central circular pattern that mimics the wireless-charging panel inside. Reverse wireless-charging is also here and while this is slower than a standard cable, it’s effective and a handy asset for topping-up earbuds. Broadly speaking, there is little if anything to complain about here.
Nothing Phone 2: Photo and video
The cameras on a smartphone are a deal-breaker for most gadget fans and, while the Nothing Phone 1 snappers were fine, there’s been a marked improvement here. This is especially true on the main camera, which has an improved Sony sensor. Both the ultrawide and main ones now have 50MP resolution, so it’s no surprise that photos are detailed.
Low light is the enemy of most phone cameras and yet the results were extremely good, even in sepulchral conditions. The Nothing Phone 2 routinely delivers images that are sharp, even at night, with little trade-off in terms of how long you had to hold the phone still. In late-night outdoor shots in the city, low light was rendered well, though brighter lights could easily blow out the details.
The front-facing camera came in for some stick last time around, so it’s great to see this has been upgraded from 16MP to 32MP, with noticeably better results. Regular daylight and indoor shots show the phone’s capabilities well. The new main camera even has AI scene-detection. This should mean that it will expose differently for a cat than a human, for instance. In practice, the images more than hold their own with rival camera phones, and are noticeably better than those from its predecessor.
The Nothing Phone 2 is easily on par with the Samsung A Series, albeit somewhat outgunned by the Google Pixel 7 Pro, especially in the dark. In the end, though, how much does superlative camera quality matter to you? What you get here is plenty good enough to to satisfy most peoples’ gadget glands.
Verdict
The upgrades in this handset easily justify the extra money. Indeed, it’s hard to believe that the Nothing Phone 2 is even available at such a mid-range cost. The original Phone 1 model is still available but the newer model now makes this feel old as as well retro-styled.
Some of the changes are subtle — for instance, the better use of Glyphs, enhanced Nothing OS, and the pillowed back. Others are big leaps, such as the significantly better cameras and punchier processor.
The design is also truly unique to Nothing and a lot of fun. This phone is a strong choice at a keen price.
