Nothing Phone (2) evaluation

When it comes to smartphones, we are all familiar with the major brands: Apple, Samsung, and others. However, there are always new competitors to deal with. Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus, is the brains behind Nothing, one of the most recent smartphone start-ups. The innovative UI and style of the Nothing Phone (1) won over many people, although other users felt that a mid-range model with greater features would have been more suitable.

We can state with confidence that the Nothing Phone (2) is an improvement over its less expensive smaller brother, without giving away anything else about the remainder of our review. Performance, battery life, and display are all improved. However, Nothing's standing as a serious competitor to the flagships from our recommendations to the best Samsung phones and the best Google Pixel phones may yet be strengthened with more improvements.

Drawbacks

• Middling cameras
• Issues with the fingerprint sensor
• Disappointing IP water resistance rating

Pros

• Standout design
• Unique Glyph feature
• Stellar battery life and performance
• Sleek custom OS

Cost and accessibility

The Nothing Phone (2) is reasonably priced, with the regular 256GB variant coming in at roughly $699, placing it in line with other mid-range phones. That's around the same as the Google Pixel 8 and OnePlus 11, which is a competitive pricing for a device with that kind of amazing design. This item is available for pickup directly from Nothing or via a number of online merchants, including as Amazon, Walmart, and others.You can select between White and Dark Grey, but there aren't as many colour options or as vibrant a palette as you may get with the Google Pixel series. Though it's up to you, I like the Dark Grey option because of its sleek appearance and user interface, which remind me of a secret agent phone. The various costs for the various sizes are shown below.

• 8GB RAM and 128GB memory – $599
• 12GB RAM and 256GB memory – $699
• 12GB RAM and 512GB memory – $799

Specifications

Attributes

The exclusive Nothing OS Android skin of the Nothing Phone (2) is one of its most alluring features. Although the device offers you the choice between this distinctive user interface and the traditional Android appearance, I thought that choosing anything other than the brand's customised style would be a disservice to this review, and I'm pleased I made that decision. It is stylish, sophisticated, and cool. Better still, it preserves all usefulness while flawlessly encapsulating the brand's complete design philosophy.It's true that not everyone like the digital grayscale user interface (UI); if you're accustomed to the brightness of iOS or Samsung's One UI, this transition may take some getting used to. Nevertheless, it emphasises Nothing's aim to differentiate itself from the masses of Android phones and its readiness to accommodate different preferences.The Glyph is the second distinctive feature of the Nothing Phone (2). To be honest, I first believed this function to be a bit of a gimmick when I first heard about it. In a way, it is one, but that doesn't always mean a negative thing. Without unlocking your phone, you can use the Glyph to do a number of tasks, like as checking your battery, using third-party applications to time your delivery driver, and using it as a ring light.Your alerts shine out because to the glyph on the back of the phone, which is made up of numerous LED lights hidden under the transparent case. The Composer programme even allows you to design personalised patterns for individual callers, which is honestly a lot more fun than it should be. Because every component of the Glyph has a distinct tone, you can make personalised ringtones that also have a light display. Although it's a gimmick, as I said, it makes the phone more useful, even though the company could make better use of the innovative technology.Although the Nothing Phone (2) has a fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone, it's not the most precise one I've used. Although it makes things a bit more difficult, my clubbed thumbs (imagine huge toes on your hands) have never been an issue for the iPhone or other brands that use fingerprint technology. The sensor only sometimes works for me. I can constantly adjust the angle of my thumb while approaching, but it often refuses to play ball. Just using a password is easier. Although not quite a deal-breaker, this problem is unfortunate.Now, we were going to add that the Nothing Phone (2) featured a feature that may elevate it to the upper echelons of Android hardware with the introduction of Nothing Chats. But as of this writing, the company had to remove the Nothing Chats beta from the Google Play Store due to technical issues. While some have attributed this to security issues, the real culprit is Sunbird, the business Nothing collaborated with on the messaging project. Who knows whether Nothing Chats will make a comeback in the future, but it would add even more amazing features to the already impressive list.

Design

The Nothing Phone (2) has an intriguing design. From the front, it seems to be simply another Android phone—one with a bright screen, but nothing particularly special. Still, turn that object over, and everything is different. The transparent rear panel showcases the Nothing Phone (2) Glyph and allows you can see inside operations.It has a comfy design in addition to being stylish. The power and volume controls are snappy and thoughtfully positioned, and the flat frame is the ideal size for most people. While it isn't very novel, it does feel more comfortable in the hand than the chunky Motorola Edge 40 or the curved OnePlus 11. Additionally, since it isn't slippery, you may rest it on a desk without worrying that it will disappear like a giddy adolescent plunging down a slip-and-slide.The Feeling of Fragility is the one thing I find wrong with the Nothing Phone (2)'s overall design. I feel like I need to be even more careful with this gadget than I have been in the past, but I can't say for sure since I handle every review unit like a young bird with broken wings. That's due to two factors.First, the IP54 designation for water and dust protection is much inferior than the almost industry standard IP68. I'm afraid to set my review unit on my desk if there's a drink on it, and I definitely won't be using it as a mini-speaker system in the shower, as I do with my iPhone, even if I don't intend to submerge it in any pools.The phone's rear panel is the second item that raises questions about durability. Although the front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass, the material feels flimsy and is prone to scratches. Although it is too early to tell for sure, I would suggest getting a case with this one right away, just in case.

Show

One area where the Nothing Phone (2) really excels is the display. I mean that literally—with a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. There is never a lighting scenario where it is difficult for you to view the screen, whether you want to brighten up to read outside in the sun or dim down significantly to play some discreet late-night games without bothering your companion. In other words, it covers everything.But it's not simply dazzling. It's sharp, with a 6.7-inch screen that's ideal for gaming and streaming videos in high definition thanks to an LTPO OLED. Better battery life when using the display is another benefit of LTPO technology, which results in an even more appealing phone that doesn't suffer while using the always-on display as other phones do.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU, which powers the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22, is also used by the Nothing Phone (2), which generally delivers excellent performance. The main finding is that this phone is much faster and more powerful than the Nothing Phone (1), solidifying its position as a respectable flagship for the mid-range that can compete with some of the other major brands in the $500–700 price range.With games like Marvel Snap and Honkai Star Rail, the Nothing Phone (2) more than holds its own when it comes to gaming. It's really outperforming smartphones in its price bracket in terms of performance, providing in-app and in-game experiences comparable to those of far more expensive handsets with more recent chipsets. It also works well with external mobile gaming controllers; no further setup is required to start playing with things like a GameSir controller.

Power Source

The battery life of the Nothing Phone (2) is excellent; it may easily survive a full day with moderate usage, such as prolonged gaming sessions and mindless social media browsing. After starting the day with a full charge, I would often only need to consider charging the phone by noon the next day, or even later if I hadn't been using it much.This gadget can charge from empty to full capacity in less than an hour, and if you have the necessary equipment, you may even go for slower wireless charging. But the charging cable that comes with the phone is UBC-C to USB-C, so you may need to get a USB-C plug socket separately if, like me, you only use USB-A chargers.

Camera

This isn’t the phone for you if you’re searching for an Android device with amazing photography capabilities. They're not bad, but even for someone who writes about mobile hardware for a living like me, I can't think of a better term to describe them than mediocre or ordinary. Additionally, it lacks a telephoto lens, which some people feel is essential.The greatest of the three cameras is the main one, which may capture pictures like the one above of you and your friends enjoying a night out or with your cherished pet animals. However, unlike what I experienced with the Xiaomi 13T Pro, the picture below of my darling puppy Floyd isn't horrible at all, although it does struggle to catch the details of his coat. It kept focusing on his face or body, leaving a lot of him a bit blurrier than I would have liked, even after many tries. However, it works a bit better when taking pictures of people.Although they don't appear to be as good as the main camera at capturing dynamic range, the selfie and ultrawide cameras are still rather decent. Interestingly, the Nothing Phone (2) in particular has trouble with dark colours for a monochrome phone, which might be a contributing factor to my problems photographing my cat with his black fur. As you can see here, subjects in the light fare better than those shrouded in shade when taking ultrawide images that span a great distance.Having said that, it's important to reiterate that the cameras aren't terrible and that their low-light performance outperforms that of several other devices in the same price range that I've tested. Simply said, they're noticeably subpar when seen in the daylight. In fact, I think some of the low-light shots are better than the ones taken in perfect light; the second photo below, of Floyd, is a greater representation of his resemblance than the one from early in the day. But the camera still has trouble focusing on his whole body, so his coat doesn't seem as magnificent as it might with a lens with superior hardware.I don't find the device's poor camera to be all that problematic, and to be honest, I prefer this device's distinctive features to the showy lenses of a Google Pixel or similar. For those who are interested in smartphone photography and are reading this review, it is worth mentioning.

Is it wise to get the Nothing Phone (2)?

You should have a look at the Nothing Phone (2) and its fashionable Glyph if you're looking for a fashionable mid-range smartphone with a distinctive user interface and practical trick. It also runs quite smoothly, whether you're using it for more hardware-intensive games or for day-to-day tasks like messaging and utilising applications. Though this is just Nothing's second taste of the mobile hardware market, it's more than enough to whet our appetites for what the business may have in store as it grows and produces additional goods.But there are some restrictions. From the mid-range possibilities, the Nothing Phone (2) may not be the greatest choice if you're an amateur photographer who uses a smartphone. Although there are more remarkable camera setups with more sophisticated picture editing tools, this one isn't the worst at the price range. Aside from the cameras, it's also important to note that the security features on this phone could sometimes irritate you if you would rather open your phone with a fingerprint sensor than by entering a password.

Options

Check out some options below if our evaluation of the Nothing Phone (2) wasn't enough to convince you to buy the Android anomaly.

Google Pixel 8The Google Pixel 8 is the best Android smartphone if you're looking for cameras that you can trust regardless of your location or the lighting conditions. Although the Google Pixel 8 is still far from flawless, as our review highlights, it does have amazing camera capabilities and some unique photo-editing tools not found on the Nothing Phone (2). But because it costs around $100 extra, you may have to slightly adjust your budget. The whole rundown is available in our Google Pixel 8 review.

Xiaomi 13T ProOne of the greatest phones from the Nothing founder's former firm is the Xiaomi 13T Pro, which has superior cameras but still very remarkable performance. Depending on where you buy it, the 13T Pro may be a little more expensive, but it's a mid-range powerhouse with more colour options. It does not have the Glyph element, of course, but other than that, it is a good substitute for everyone who is persuaded by the features of the Nothing Phone (2). See our Xiaomi 13T Pro review for more information.