Last week a series of renders appeared online, claiming to show us what the upcoming Nothing Phone 2a might look like. Unfortunately it’s now claimed that those renders are fake, and may show a different unreleased Nothing Phone.
The initial renders came from @OnLeaks, who is well known for creating renders of upcoming phones using leaked schematics. While those renders are never 100% accurate, they do tend to give us an idea of what to expect from a new phone. Unfortunately OnLeaks himself has confirmed on Twitter/X that he messed up this time.
Sooo... Seems like my #Nothing Phone 2a leak was wrong because... THIS actually ISN'T the #NothingPhone2a! (very fake look through non official press render) Sorry...😅 More details over @Smartprix 👉🏻 https://t.co/moba5O4jRz pic.twitter.com/proAdcMQedFebruary 9, 2024
So what happened? Doubt was first cast shortly after OnLeaks’ renders last week, with fellow leaker Evan Blass pointing out some problems. Like the fact the renders weren’t based on standard Foxconn-sourced CAD files like the rest of OnLeaks’ previous work. Blass also pointed out that Nothing’s teaser tagline “see the world through fresh eyes” doesn’t really match up with the vertical camera array on these renders.
According to MySmartPrix, sources originally told OnLeaks that these renders were from the unreleased Nothing Phone 2a. This wasn’t true, and instead the source provided images of a scrapped Nothing Phone design. After some digging it was revealed that this design actually appeared in a Nothing Phone 1 promo video, possibly as a scrapped design for the original handset.
Which would certainly explain why these renders have no sign of Nothing’s signature Glyph design. While we knew that the new cheaper model would make some sacrifices, we didn’t expect that to be one of them. Since those renders have now been declared fake, odds are we may see Glyph return again. That’s what other design leaks point to, anyway.
So let that be a lesson to us all. We can’t believe everything we read online, even if it seems to come from a trusted and reputable source. That means we should always remain skeptical of online rumors and leaks until we get confirmation from the manufacturer.
But for now, be sure to check out our Nothing Phone 2a hub for all the other news and rumors we’ve heard.
