The Nothing Phone 2’s lights stand out, but it’s not without its problems.
Posted By Kimbo Online Store
We were impressed by the initial Nothing Phone’s reliable all-around performance, affordable price, and of course, its flashing lights. With the exception of a unique beta program, it never officially arrived in the US. This new phone from the second generation aims to change that.
The Nothing Phone 2 will have a number of enhancements, from the CPU to the design, when it goes on sale in the US and the rest of the world starting on July 16. It costs $100 more than the previous generation at $599 and £579 (with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage), and there has never been greater competition at this price bracket. especially considering the $699 price tag on my test model, which has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
In instance, Google’s Pixel 7A boasts a significantly improved dual camera and smooth-operating Android 13 software. Although the Pixel 7A’s chipset isn’t as strong as the Nothing Phone 2’s, the Google phone’s far lower $449 pricing makes up for it in spades. The Pixel 7 Pro, Google’s flagship, boasts one of the best cameras you can get on a phone and is currently on sale at Best Buy for only $649 (with 128GB of storage). If photography is important to you, I’d suggest adding a little extra money.
There is also the OnePlus 10T, which costs under $400 right now and has the same potent Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 engine as the Nothing Phone 2. It also has a similar camera arrangement. Even the excellent camera system of the OnePlus 10 Pro is only $480.
The flashing LED lights on the Nothing Phone 2 are what set it apart from the competition. While they are undoubtedly an intriguing feature, I would argue that they are more of a gimmick than a feature I can see myself actually using in the long run. Although the phone’s big screen, strong processor, and good battery life are excellent reasons to think about purchasing it, for $599, it’s challenging to recommend the Nothing Phone 2 over the increasingly fierce competition.
There hasn’t been a significant visual change from the original generation. You can still see some of what’s inside the phone via the still translucent rear, including the exposed screw heads and various connecting parts. Now that the glass has a mildly curved edge, holding it seems a little more luxurious.
But the main family similarity in this case is the flashing lights, or glyph as Nothing puts it. These LEDs illuminate the phone’s back and can notify you of incoming alerts. Or you may use them as simple fill lights when you’re shooting video, alerts, or to display the battery’s charge level.
This time around, the Phone 2 offers a little bit more versatility than the original by allowing you to design unique light patterns for particular contacts or applications. Additionally, there is a glyph timer that will progressively count down until it reaches zero and can provide a useful visual clue about other time-related matters, such as when your Uber will come, allowing you to set it aside and concentrate on organizing your hair while monitoring its progress. Nothing indicates that this capability will be integrated in collaboration with other app developers.
Although they could be considered a bit of a gimmick, the glyph lights undoubtedly helped the original phone stand out from the competition. It’s good to see a little flair and fun in phones. In particular, creative designs tend to take a back seat in midrange phones like this one in order to keep pricing down. When I’ve used the Nothing Phone in front of my friends, the glyph lights have drawn attention, but once the initial curiosity is piqued, it rapidly wanes. Can I really picture myself using the lights in the future? Sincerely, no.
The fingerprint scanner on the Nothing Phone 2.
The glyph lights are just one aspect of the physical world, though. The frame is made of 100% recyclable aluminum. Under the display, there is a fingerprint scanner that, for the most part, functions effectively. Additionally, the phone has an IP54 rating to assist keep it safe when making calls in the rain. The 6.7-inch display is large and bright enough to do justice to colourful games or YouTube videos you’re viewing while on the go, and thanks to its adjustable refresh rate, it can ramp up to 120Hz for smoother gaming or decrease to only 1Hz to help preserve battery life.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM (as reviewed) power the Nothing Phone 2. Even though the processor is from an earlier generation, it is still a powerful chip that is capable of handling the majority of tasks you may ever want to give it, including video streaming, photo editing, and gaming. It achieved some impressive results in our benchmark testing and performed flawlessly at maximum settings in demanding titles like PUBG and Genshin Impact.
NOTE: Longer bars equal better performance
Nothing indicates that Apple chose an older processor over a tried-and-true option that would have provided a more solid platform at a more affordable price, and I believe that’s a legitimate trade-off. The foldable Razr Plus from Motorola accomplishes the same task. Even though the 8 Gen 2 is the most modern chip produced by Qualcomm, this one is still a powerhouse that can handle practically every task you could ever give it.
The Phone 2’s operating system is Android 13 at its foundation, but Nothing has made significant changes to the interface. It’s a pretty monochrome experience that heavily relies on text and icon designs in the dot-matrix style. These designs are used in a wide range of widgets, and to maintain the minimal monochromatic style, even the app icons are black and white. If you rely on those color signals, it could make it challenging to discover the apps you want, although you can disable this in the settings if you want.
Making folders of apps on your homescreen and hiding them behind an icon strikes me as a feature that could be very useful. For example, I could fill this folder with work-related apps like Outlook, Zoom, and Slack and then hide them with the briefcase symbol so I wouldn’t have to use them on the weekend. Lovely things.
Nothing’s UI includes a lot of its own style on app icons and widgets.
Although I don’t frequently appreciate UIs that significantly alter the appearance of Android, the design that Nothing utilizes on its phones has a certain air of elegance. You’ll undoubtedly like it if you’re a fan of that style of stark minimalism.
Nothing guarantees that the Phone 2 will receive four years’ worth of security updates in addition to three years’ worth of OS updates. Although it falls short of the five years that Samsung offers on its smartphones, it could be worse. To keep phones safe to use for longer and keep more of them out of landfills, I’d still like to see all manufacturers extend their support periods up to and beyond five years.
A 50-megapixel primary camera and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera are located on the back of the phone. That hardware configuration is essentially identical to that of the Nothing Phone 1. However, Nothing promises greater colors, exposure, and HDR techniques to help you capture better-looking pictures thanks to the upgraded Snapdragon CPU, which enables far better software processing.
I’ve been using the camera for some time now, and I’m pleased to find that the pictures are clearer and more vibrant than those from the first-generation phone. Even yet, several bright skies are still overexposed in the highlights, and unexpected visual anomalies were caused by the sharpening’s overly aggressive application. In general, I prefer the Pixel 7A’s photos to those from the less expensive variant.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Pixel 7A, main camera.
Although the white clouds in this example of the Nothing Phone 2 have visible regions where the image has been overexposed and features have been blown out, the colors in this example are fine. And yet, despite the fact that the buildings themselves appear darker. The overall appearance of this photograph is considerably better thanks to the Pixel 7A’s HDR abilities.
Nothing Phone 2, ultrawide lens.
Pixel 7A, ultrawide lens.
The situation is largely the same when switching to the ultrawide lenses on both phones; the Nothing Phone 2 once more manages to overexpose portions of the sky while underexposing the structures adjacent to the river. The shot from the Pixel 7A is much more balanced.
Nothing Phone 2, 2x digital zoom.
Pixel 7A, 2x digital zoom.
Although neither phone has a dedicated telephoto zoom lens, both include 2x digital zoom options that let you get closer to your subject by cropping and sharpening the image. Although the tiny details are sharper in the image from the Nothing Phone 2, there have been some problems with the software sharpening, which normally makes the image look better overall.
Nothing Phone 2, 2x digital, 200% crop.
Pixel 7A, 2x zoom, 200% crop.
It is obvious that the shot from the Nothing Phone 2 is generally sharper when you zoom in to 200% on the images taken at 2x zoom. In contrast, the vertical slats on the Pixel 7A are clearly depicted where I’ve circled in red, whereas the heavy-handed processing on the Nothing Phone 2 has converted this into an odd spiral jumble. As a result, while it has artificially increased detail in certain areas, it has drastically decreased it in others. This may go unnoticed at full screen, but it’s something to keep in mind, especially if you frequently crop photographs digitally after the fact.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Other photographs from the Nothing Phone 2 are often vivid and bright, despite the overexposure issue being frequently apparent.
Nothing Phone 2, main camera.
Pixel 7A, selfie camera.
Ignoring the Nothing Phone 2’s default mirroring, both phones have captured typically well-exposed, crisp images here. Although it’s a tight choice, I prefer the white balance and deeper shade of yellow in the Pixel’s photograph of my jacket.
Overall, though, I believe the Pixel 7A shoots better images, which is remarkable given that it is far less expensive than the Nothing Phone. If you value photography, you should think about looking at Google — either the 7A or spending a little more money on the 7 Pro.
A 4,700-mAh battery powers everything and, with sensible use, should last a whole day. In our rundown testing, it performed admirably, dropping to 91% after two hours of YouTube streaming at maximum brightness. As a point of comparison, the Pixel 7A fell to 90% after two hours, while the Samsung Galaxy A54 fell to 87%.
Your real results will depend on how much you use your phone, as with all other phones. You’ll need to give it a boost in the afternoon if you spend the morning beating it up with intensive gaming and video streaming. The majority of you will probably easily get away with charging it completely before bed each night.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Nothing claims that it can be charged quickly at 45 watts, going from empty to full in just 55 minutes. Although it lags much below the 80- or 100-watt charging we’ve seen on other phones outside of the US, it is still respectable. But I can’t really argue at this pricing. Additionally, it features reverse wireless charging capabilities so you can use your phone’s battery to charge your headphones or another phone entirely. It also offers 15-watt wireless charging.
The colorful LEDs on the Nothing Phone 2 are undoubtedly eye-catching, and the processing performance and battery life are both excellent. However, the game has altered because Nothing wants costs $100 more than its predecessor. While the competition has been getting stronger, it has changed from being a reasonable budget alternative to a very expensive midranger.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Its main competitor, the Pixel 7A, is the device I would personally choose over the Nothing Phone 2. Although its processor isn’t as strong, it can still manage practically all of your daily needs and has a better camera. And it’s considerably less expensive. In addition, I’d prefer the OnePlus 10T over the Nothing Phone. Although it didn’t impress me when it was first released at full price, its current $400 price makes it a respectable alternative.
The Nothing Phone 2 is unquestionably worth taking into consideration if you enjoy the concept of your phone standing out from the crowd thanks to those flashing lights. Although it’s a good phone, the price is now roughly $100 too much. It would be a wise use of your money to purchase it at a slight discount after the initial excitement has subsided. To justify the cost, though, at full price, you’ll really need to love those lights.
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