Nothing's new phone glows in the dark

Remember the early 2000s, when we’d attach glow-in-the-dark panels to our clunky Nokia phones and feel like the coolest people around? Well, Nothing believes that trend is still exciting and has decided, for some reason, to bring it back. The company has announced a special edition of its Phone 2A Plus, dubbed the "Community Edition," featuring a glow-in-the-dark design created in collaboration with some of its most dedicated fans. So, what’s different? The phone’s back is now coated in a green phosphorescent material that lights up in the dark after exposure to daylight—just like those glow panels of the past, but now built directly into the device.

The limited edition design stems from a company competition inviting fans to “build their own smartphone.” The competition garnered over 900 submissions, ranging from exterior design ideas to marketing concepts. The new look was created by Astrid Wanhuis and Kenta Akasaki, with the collaboration of Adam Bates and Lucy Birley from Nothing.

In addition to its nostalgic design, the limited edition also features new packaging, exclusive wallpapers, and a fresh marketing campaign—all developed by Nothing’s community members. The phone’s functionality and technical specs, including three light strips surrounding the rear cameras, remain unchanged.

Available starting November 12 through Nothing’s website, the phone will be priced at $399, with only 1,000 units produced.

While this marks Nothing’s first attempt to involve its community in hardware design, the project resembles a prior collaboration between CMF (Nothing’s budget-focused sub-brand) and Bambu Lab, which encouraged CMF Phone 1 users to create 3D-printed accessories to attach to the back of their phones.