Nothing Phone (2) hands-on review

Android 13 with Nothing OS 2.0

The Nothing Phone (2) runs on the Nothing OS 2,0, an ever so slightly modified version of 'stock' Android 13. Nothing promises three years of Android updates and four years of security patches every two months.

Using the Phone (2) does feel a lot like using a Google Pixel. Most of the user interface is familiar, with things like the launcher, the Settings app, and most of the pre-installed apps being identical to what you'd find on Google's smartphones.

Nothing OS 2.0 includes a number of custom widgets - clocks, weather, quick settings, calendar, Nothing X widget. There are some noteworthy custom typefaces here and there. While the phone mostly uses Roboto for the interface, there is also sparing use of the company's distinctive dot matrix typeface for certain UI elements, such as for the headings inside the Settings app, the lockscreen, the charging UI, and the custom homescreen and lockscreen widgets.

Always-on Display is available, and it works the Apple way- the latest one- dims the wallpaper and leaves the monochrome clock and the lockscreen widgets visible.

The most custom aspect of the Nothing OS is the inclusion of the Glyph Interface, which controls the LEDs on the back of the phone. First, the feature is optional, so you can just turn it off or schedule it if it bothers you. You can also adjust the brightness of the LEDs, which can get seriously bright, even at the default medium brightness.

At present, the Glyph Interface can be used primarily for notifications and alerts. The Glyph Menu contains Brightness, Ringtones, Notifications, Flip to Glyph, Glyph Timer, Composer shortcut for custom Glyph ringtones, and Visual Feedback for Volume control, Charging meter, Google Assistance and Third Party apps (Uber for now).

The Phone (2) comes with ten custom ringtones for calls and ten notification sounds. Each of these has a pre-programmed pattern assigned to them that plays out on the LEDs whenever they are playing.

You can add your own ringtones to the phone, and it will try to map them to the different lights. You can also compose a ringtone via the integrated Composer, which is quite neat - you can choose the type of tune and push a few buttons like a DJ.

Another thing you can do with the lights at present is have the LED bars light up incrementally with the phone's charging status. The lights can also be made to flash when you say the Google Assistant hotword. And it's quite neat to see the volume level when adjusting the control with the screen facing down.

The Glyph Lights work really well when Battery Share is active - that's the reverse wireless charging option.

Glyph progress is also available, but as we said, it works only with Uber for now. More apps are expected to adopt it soon after launch.

The Glyph LEDs can also be activated to act as a fill light when shooting videos or taking portraits.

Finally, the Flip to Glyph feature is cool - it's like an expanded silencer. Once you flip the phone, the Glyph interface will be active (and you will get a glyph prompt for that), while sounds will be silenced.

Camera

The Nothing Phone (2) has two 50MP cameras on the back - a wide-angle primary and an ultrawide secondary with macro capabilities. There are all sorts of lights to help you in the dark, a video-capturing indicator, and three microphones. On the other side, you will find a 32MP Quad-Bayer selfie camera.

Nothing boasts both software and hardware camera improvements for the Phone (2). Thanks to its 18-bit ISP (Image Signal Processor) and advanced algorithms, the Nothing Phone (2) apparently captures 4,000 times more camera data than the Nothing Phone (1). It also uses advanced HDR stacking to capture and combine eight frames of data with different exposure levels as opposed to just three frames on the Nothing Phone (1).

The Nothing Phone (2) has a new 50MP main camera. It uses a Sony IMX 890 image sensor with 1/1.56" size and 1.0µm pixels. It is coupled with a 23mm f/1.88 optically stabilized lens and supports PDAF. This is a Quad-Bayer camera that captures 12.5MP stills by default. Here are some samples.

Main camera, 12.5MP

The ultrawide camera uses a 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor with a Tetracell color. This sensor is noticeably smaller than the primary 50MP imager - 1/2.76" type with 0.64µm. The sensor sits behind a 14mm f/2.2 lens; automatic distortion correction is always in play. This camera also captures in 12.5MP by default. Here are some ultrawide samples as well.

Ultrawide camera, 12.5MP

However, the ultrawide camera's real "party trick" is its autofocus. It can capture photos from as close as 4cm away. This allows it to double as a powerful macro cam.

Macro with ultrawide, 12.5MP

The front camera relies on either a 32MP Sony IMX 615 or the 32MP Samsung S5KJD1 sensor. It is coupled with a wide-angle 19mm f/2.45 lens. The focus is fixed. The sensor has a Quad-Bayer color filter but still saves images at the nominal 32MP resolution.

Selfies, 32MP

Final thoughts

The Nothing Phone (2) launches at €679 for the 8/128 variant as a flagship alternative to the €469 Nothing Phone (1). The Glyph pioneer is still relevant, powerful, and capable as last year and is noticeably more affordable. On the other hand, the Phone (2) will offer you faster hardware, speedier charging, and improved display and cameras for the extra €210.

The move to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset effectively elevates the Phone (2) to a new device class and lets it rub shoulders with a slightly different tier of competitors. Its new LTPO display, with a much more dynamic 120Hz refresh rate and better beak brightness, is a definite standout feature. The same goes for the bigger battery and improved charging speed, both worthy of a higher-tier product.

Even so, in our mind, the defining feature of the Nothing Phone (2), just like the original Nothing Phone (1) remains the Glyph UI. Now refined and with extended functionality, it is arguably better than ever and offers a much-needed breath of fresh air in a pretty design-stagnant industry. If it happens to appeal to you personally, then there is nothing quite like it on the market today, and thanks to the Nothing Phone (2), you can now enjoy the Glyph UI in a noticeably more premium overall device.