Phone (2a) by Nothing - a new player in the intermediate category

It's been almost three years since the British startup Nothing launched its first product (Bluetooth headphones - ear (1)), since then it managed to launch three headphones (if you don't consider its sub-brand - CMF) and now it's launching its third smartphone.

Unlike the previous smartphones that tried to be a certain competition in the flagship device market, only with a price tag below NIS 3,000, the new model - Phone (2a) comes to compete in the mid-range device category with a relatively affordable price tag: NIS 1,350 to 1,570, depending on the storage volume and working memory ( RAM).

Design: maintains the transparent appearance

Nothing has kept the transparent retro look in the new model, as it continues the same design line that characterizes it. Its transparent back (which is a magnet for fingerprints and dust) showcases the internal parts of the device, where it is the one that allows you to experience the light pattern that the company calls Glyph. It is actually white lighting that shows changing rates, when together with the ringing, this should allow the user to identify who is calling him or simply experience lighting that adapts itself to the ringing rate.

In order to distinguish the new model from the rest of the company's smartphones, it designed the camera array in a way that resembles a pair of eyes. She placed the cameras inside the NFC coil to create this structure, which she says makes the device more resistant to falls. I didn't get to test how resistant it is to falls, but it comes with Gorilla Glass 5 (this is a far version from the one you can find in flagship models) and it is also water and dust resistant to the IP54 standard.

Screen: Good quality screen

The screen of the Phone (2a) comes in 6.7 inches with the high-quality AMOLED technology that offers here rich colors and there is also a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, for smooth movement in the interface. The screen has a brightness of 1300 nits at peak and 1100 nits in normal mode, which I had no trouble viewing in sunlight.

Interface: Grayscale interface

The operating system on the device is Android 14, which is covered with the Nothing OS 2.5 interface with 3 years of software updates and 4 years of security updates. In the new version - 2.5, more designed widgets were added with slides and animations for additional levels of information and interactions on the home screen. For example, a new recorder widget that allows you to record phone calls without receiving Google's voice notification that there is a recording. There's also an AI-powered wallpaper studio that allows you to customize wallpapers for your home and lock screen.

The interface of Nothing continues to keep the appearance in shades of gray, it offers an experience that complements the design of the device, but the fact that the company turns the icons gray without the colors associated with them, for example, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn appear in gray, so it is difficult to quickly identify the necessary application.

Hardware: Custom processor

The processor here is MediaTek's Dimensity 7200 Pro which was designed together with Nothing in order to improve its performance and optimize energy consumption. During my testing it worked smoothly and the battery performance was also good. The version I reviewed had 12 GB of memory and a storage capacity of 256 GB.

The fingerprint sensor located under the screen worked well, there is WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, stereo speakers that are not bad at all and a connection to the 5th generation cellular networks. The device supports WiFi Calling, but at least for me when connected to a partner network it did not work.

Camera: two 50 megapixel sensors

The camera includes two 50 megapixel sensors, the main one with an optical image stabilizer and the second one for a wide 114 degree shot. This is a relatively good camera for the price, I had no trouble taking good photos in daylight (don't expect the same sharpness as in more expensive devices). A portrait shot in which the background is blurred from behind surprised with its successful result. A photo of a child moving on a swing came out a bit blurry. Night mode was able to produce light but the objects were smeared.

The 2x digital zoom isn't anything and the selfie camera that comes with a 32 megapixel sensor isn't very good either. There is a deficit even in daylight.

Battery: Strong battery and no charger

The battery comes here with a large capacity of 5000 mAh, where according to the company it should retain over 90% of its maximum capacity after 1,000 charging cycles, roughly three years of daily charging. I had no trouble getting energy with the battery for the whole day and more. The smartphone lasted me from 07:00 in the morning until 23:30 at night and I still had 28% energy left (almost 4 hours of screen time).

The device supports charging at 45 watts, not as fast as the smartphones of some Chinese manufacturers. Nothing does not include a charger in the kit, but if you buy one, you should charge 50% energy in 20 minutes. No wireless charging here.

Price: NIS 1,570 (official importer of the Bug network)

Bottom line, the Phone (2a) is a good smartphone if you understand its limitations that match the category. It responds well, its design is still special, the screen is of good quality and the battery is strong. The camera itself is not bad at all for the price.