Nothing Phone (2) goes official: The sequel better than the original
London-based Nothing has just unveiled its second smartphone, aptly named the Nothing Phone (2).
The young tech company founded by Carl Pei, of ex-OnePlus fame, has generally improved the formula behind its pioneering device without changing too much about what made it great in the first place. As a result, the Nothing Phone (2) is a phone that's seemingly better in more ways than one, always a nice thing to see!
So, how does the Nothing Phone (2) set itself apart from the previous generation, and what makes this new phone stand out?
Nothing Phone (2): Design and features
It's normal to talk about design when discussing phones, but with the Nothing Phone (2), things are a bit more intertwined.
Similar to the Nothing Phone (1), the exterior design is a very important signature feature of the Nothing Phone (2). The unique Glyph Interface at the back of the device is back with a bang. Comprised of numerous miniature LED lights, this one is very customizable and allows you to "assign different sequences for each contact and notification type". In sync with the lights, taptic vibrations will go off and make the audio-visual-tactile experience complete.
The new Glyph Interface allows you to set persistent visual notifications for specific apps or contacts, as well as create your own visually augmented ringtones, let the glyph lights display useful information like battery level, and finally, third-party app integration for even deeper personalization.
The phone is made of recycled aluminum and has slightly curved elements that make it ergonomic and pleasing to handle with the palm of your hand.
Nothing Phone (2): Hardware specs
What makes the Nothing Phone (2) click and tick?
Fortunately, much more exciting hardware than Nothing's first foray onto the smartphone scene. The second Nothing phone boasts the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, which might not be as powerful as the most recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but is still perfectly capable of delivering flagship-grade performance and great battery life.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip powers phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, so you can expect very decent performance numbers!
Starting with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and maxing it out at 12GB of RAM and 512GB of available storage, the Nothing Phone (2) is up there with most flagship phones as far as memory loadout goes.
Up front, we have a marginally larger 6.7-inch OLED display with all the standard bells and whistles we've come to expect out of a 2023 Android flagship device––smooth refresh rate, decent sharpness, vivid colors, and very high maximum brightness.
| Specs | Nothing Phone (2) |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6 mm, 201.2 g |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SnapdragonTM 8+ Gen 1 |
| Display | 6.7-inch, OLED, 1-120Hz, FHD+, 1000-nit max brightness, 1600-nit max HDR brightness |
| Memory, storage, and pricing | 8GB RAM + 128 GB memory, $599 12GB RAM + 256 GB memory, $699 12GB RAM + 512 GB memory, $799 |
| Camera | Main: 50 MP, Sony IMX890 sensor, ƒ/1.88, OIS, EIS Ultra-wide: 50 MP, Samsung JN1 sensor, ƒ/2.2, 114-degree FoV Front: 32 MP, Sony IMX615, ƒ/2.45 |
| Battery and charging | 4700mAh, 45W fast charging (0-100% in 55 min), 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging |
| Software | 3 years of Android updates (until July 2026) 4 years of security patches every 2 months (until July 2027) |
| Other features | IP54, Fingerprint unlock, Face Unlock, Dual SIM, Dual stereo speakers, Glyph interface |
Much thought has gone into the camera, which now comes with large new sensors on both the main and ultra-wide cameras, as well as an impressive new 18-bit image signal processor that captures 4,000 more sensor data than the Nothing Phone (1). The cameras on the Nothing Phone (1) weren't quite exciting but the Nothing Phone (2) fully relies on software to make its camera truly shine, taking a page out of the thick Google Pixel book.
First up, the Nothing Phone (2)'s Advanced HDR captures 8 frames of the same scene in order to create a decent HDR scene, whereas the Nothing Phone (1) only took 3 frames. Next up, Nothing's new device uses software Super-Res Zoom and enables a dedicated lossless 2X zoom mode, similar to the iPhone 14 and the Pixel 7 series.
Nothing Phone (2): Price and release date
The Nothing Phone (2) will be available in the US, unlike the Nothing Phone (1).
As far as pricing goes, the device will start at $599 for the entry level 8GB/128GB version, $699 for the 12GB/256GB one, and $799 for the 12GB/512GB variation.
Pre-orders for the phone in the US, UK, and Europe is kicking off on July 11. The phone officially hits the shelves on July 17, but customers in New York will be among the first capable of purchasing the Nothing Phone (2) on July 11 at 69 Gansevoort St. New York.
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