Nothing Phone (2) hands-on review

Introduction

Having already tackled the difficulties of breaking new ground and releasing a mobile phone on a very saturated market rather successfully, Nothing is now taking the wrapping off of its second model. The Nothing Phone (2) might sound like a logical successor to the original Nothing Phone, but it is more of a premium sibling in the grand scheme of things. The two models are meant to coexist, at least for the time being.

The Nothing Phone (2) brings some crucial improvements to the table. It has a notably improved display, a flagship-grade chipset, better cameras, faster charging and better ingress protection. Also, the signature Glyph UI is still present and now improved with additional functionality.

Nothing Phone (2) specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.1x76.4x8.6mm, 201g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, aluminum frame; Multiple LED lights on the back (notifications, charging progress, camera fill light), Blinking red light on the back (video recording indicator), IP54 - splash and dust resistant.
• Display: 6.7" LTPO OLED, 1B colors, dynamic 120Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 1,600 nits (peak), 1080x2412px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 394ppi; Always On Display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 5G (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.5 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 13, Nothing OS 2.0.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.2, 114-degree, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, (ultra-wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, live HDR; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, EIS.
• Battery: 4700mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, QC4, PPS, 100% in 55 min (advertised), 15W wireless, 5W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

The Nothing Phone (2) comes with a larger display than its predecessor at 6.7 inches. The OLED panel uses LTPO tech, allowing dynamic refresh rate switching from 1Hz to 120Hz. The display also has 10-bit color and HDR10+ support, also 1,600 nits of peak brightness and a 240Hz touch response rate.

While not the latest and greatest Qualcomm has to offer, the new choice of chipset still effectively positions the Nothing Phone (2) as more of a flagship offer than the original Nothing Phone. While the latter uses a Snapdragon 778G+, the new model is based on last year's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 - a sensible yet powerful choice that elevates the phone's performance without necessarily breaking the bank.

Left: Nothing Phone (1) • Right: Nothing Phone (2)

On the surface, the Nothing Phone (2) has a pretty similar camera setup to the original Nothing Phone with a 50MP main snapper and a 50MP ultrawide that doubles as a macro cam through autofocus. Digging a little deeper, however, reveals that the main cam has a brand-new sensor. Plus, Nothing claims that the cameras can now capture more data thanks to the new ISP and advanced algorithms. There is a whole new selfie camera as well.

Left: Nothing Phone (1) • Right: Nothing Phone (2)

The Nothing Phone (2) has a slightly larger battery at 4,700 mAh, and its wired charging speed has been improved from 33W to 45W. The 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse charging are here to stay. Another relatively small upgrade on the Nothing Phone (2) is the move from IP53 to IP54 ingress protection. That means the new model can now survive splashing water for about 10 minutes.