introduction
The Nothing Phone (2) premieres a year after the first Nothing phone and is shaping up to be a stunning sequel that offers quite major upgrades: an improved screen, flagship hardware, better cameras, and faster charging. Oh, and Glyph’s UI has been expanded, of course.
The Nothing Phone (2) is really following in the footsteps of its predecessor, and what many thought was a gimmick – the glyph UI – is here to stay and offers some great new features.
The Nothing Phone (2) offers a larger 6.7″ OLED screen with an improved LTPO panel that enables a dynamic refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz. It supports 10-bit color depth, HDR10+, 240Hz touch response, and up to 1,000 nits of solar brightness.
The most notable update is the chipset: it is now the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, compared to the Snapdragon 778G+ of the previous model. And just like that, the Nothing Phone went from middle class to flagship.
The dual 50MP cameras on the back appear to be similar to those of the Nothing Phone (1) – wide angle + ultra wide angle (with macro) – but according to official materials, they can now capture more data thanks to the new ISP and newly developed advanced algorithms. And the 2x Super-Res zoom should greatly benefit from that.
The larger screen and body allowed for a slightly larger battery – it now has a capacity of 4,700mAh. Wired charging has also been improved; it is now 45W, up from 33W. The 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless options are still available.
There is one last improvement invisible to the naked eye: the ingress protection has been increased from IP53 to IP54, which means that Nothing Phone (2) can now survive splashes of water for around 10 minutes.
Let’s now take a look at the full spec sheet.
Nothing Phone specifications (2) at a glance:
- Body: 162.1×76.4×8.6mm, 201g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, aluminum frame; Multiple LED lights on the back (notifications, charging progress, camera fill light), flashing red light on the back (video recording indicator), IP54 – splash and dust resistant.
- Screen: 6.7″ LTPO OLED, 1B color, 120Hz dynamic, HDR10+, 500 nits (typical), 1600 nits (peak), 1080×2412 px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 394ppi; Always On Display.
- chipsets: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G (4 nm): Octa-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.5 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- Operating system/software: Android 13, No OS 2.0.
- Rear camera: Broad (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 114˚, 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, AF.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, (ultra wide angle).
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, live HDR; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, EIS.
- Drums: 4700mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, QC4, PPS, 100% in 55 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 5W wireless reverse.
- Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; WiFi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
- Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.
The Nothing Phone (2) is a well-rounded offering with balanced specifications and carefully chosen features, offering something unique in the market: Glyph UI Notification LEDs. It could have been better with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, but Nothing has managed to deliver top-tier performance while maintaining a mid-range price, so we’d say that’s a win.
Looking just across the spec sheet, we have only two thoughts: An IP67 or IP68 rating would have made this phone an even more competitive offering. And let’s hope we’re wrong, but this 32MP selfie camera probably uses another Quad-Bayer sensor, and we’re not fans of that, sorry.
One final thought here: Many users will think of the Nothing Phone(2) as a replacement model for the Phone(1). It is, in fact, a more premium offering with flagship specs at a higher price point. The Phone (1) model will remain a cheaper version, offering a more or less similar experience.
And now, without further ado, we’re taking this phone (2) out of its paper box.
Unpack the phone of nowhere (2)
Just like the phone (1), the phone (2) is shipped in an environmentally friendly paper box and once opened, or should we say torn to pieces, it is no longer as good as new.
Either way, inside this paper box you’ll find the phone (2) with a pre-applied screen protector, a USB-C cable, and a nifty SIM eject pin. Unlike many other smartphones, the thin protective film is actually of high quality and not as magnetic as we expected.
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