The Nothing Phone 2a is expected to be the company's first budget phone, and it could give other mid-range handsets a run for their money.
While Nothing is expected to announce the Nothing Phone 3 later this year, we believe the company will unveil the cheaper alternative to its Nothing Phone (2) before that. It seems that the new phone will offer certain similarities to the existing Nothing Phone (2) model, but at a much lower price point. That could make Nothing Phone 2a a potential best cheap phone contender like the Google Pixel 7a.
We've rounded up all the Nothing Phone 2a rumors and leaks we have come across so far, and we'll keep updating this page as more information appears.
Nothing Phone 2a news (updated January 2)
- A recent leak has supposedly revealed the cost of the Nothing 2a price and the storage options
- A known tipster has given a hint as to when the Nothing Phone 2a release date could arrive.
- Our Nothing Phone 2a vs vs Nothing Phone (2) preview breaks down all the leaked specs and expected differences.
OnePlus 2a Rumored Specs
Nothing Phone 2a: Release date predictions and prices
The Nothing Phone 2a will reportedly be unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this year. It has been noted that Nothing has an event titled "Nothing to See" on February 27th, which sounds like the perfect place and time to release a new device.
A recent leak has given us an idea of the potential price with the post claiming the phone will cost less than 400 Euros. While there is no indication of a US or UK price, we can assume that the cost will be less than $500/£400 to follow the same trend.
Nothing Phone 2a: Design
An image shared by leaker Yogesh Bar has given us our first look at the general design of the Nothing Phone 2a, although the image shows a product validation test (PVT) unit, which may not fully resemble the final model. It seems like the Nothing Phone 2a is keeping the curved bezel of the Phone (2), but it also includes a central rear camera, which is something of a rarity nowadays.
A post on Weibo by @Sunninton has shown us the apparent back panel design for the Nothing Phone 2a, which shows that it is reducing the number of lights in its glyph interface. It also shows the central camera from the prior leak.
According to a further leak, it seems there will be both black and white color options for the Phone 2a. It is not clear if the color of the glyph interface will change with these options, but neither the Nothing Phone (2) nor the Phone (1) had color variation for their glyph lights.
Nothing Phone 2a: Display
A renowned tipster has revealed several Nothing Phone 2a specs for the Nothing. Due to this post, it is believed that the Nothing Phone 2a will be released with a 6.7-inch 120 Hz AMOLED screen with a 1080 x 2412 resolution, which would put it on par with the Nothing Phone (2). It would be similarly detailed but larger and smoother than the Pixel 7a's screen though.
Otherwise, the leaked images indicate the same curved edges as the Nothing Phone (2), as well as a thin bezel surrounding the screen. It appears that Nothing has kept the screen quality the same, and therefore will be cost-cutting other parts of the Phone 2 to make the Phone 2a.
Nothing Phone 2a: Cameras
One of the biggest changes we have seen with the Nothing Phone 2a — according to leaks — is the movement of the camera to the middle of the back of the phone. This is a major change from the Nothing Phone (2), which had dual cameras located in the top corner. It is unclear what the reason for this is.
A subsequent leak has revealed more details about the Nothing Phone 2a's Camera. The phone has two 50MP cameras, which we'd assume are the same main/ultrawide duo as you get on the Nothing Phone (2). The Phone 2a's primary sensor is the Samsung S5KGN9 with a 1/1.5-inch sensor, while the ultrawide one is the S5KJN1 with a 1/2.76-inch sensor.
Nothing Phone 2a: Specs and performance
According to leaked information, it seems that the biggest change between the Nothing Phone 2a and its predecessor is the chip. While the Nothing Phone (2) was shipped with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, the Nothing Phone 2a could feature MediaTek Dimensity 7200. While this is by no means a bad chip, it is something of a significant downgrade and appears to be the main avenue for the cost-cutting measures.
The Nothing Phone 2a will reportedly be released with two options for RAM and storage. It appears that there will be an option with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and another model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Nothing Phone 2a: What we want to see
Better Battery
Considering that the screen is supposedly remaining the same for the Nothing Phone 2a as the Nothing Phone (2), and it has a weaker chip the main hope is the battery can maintain a similar lifespan. In our testing, we found the Nothing Phone 2 to maintain its charge for just over fifteen hours, and while we expect the Nothing Phone 2a to be slightly worse it would be ideal for it to at least be close to that.
An American release
The Nothing series has not always been released in the United States, with the original Nothing Phone not being released stateside and the Nothing Phone 2 being delayed until late 2023. Hopefully, the Nothing Phone 2a will see a global simultaneous release instead of a piecemeal one.
Similar price levels globally
Regarding a potential global launch, we hope that the price will remain somewhat constant with the rumored price of just under 400 euros. This would help the phone to appear as a better deal for the consumer compared to the Pixel 7a or iPhone SE, which cost a little more.
