Nothing Phone test (2a): already the smartphone of the year?

Tech startup Nothing is returning to the smartphone market, this time with a mid-range model offered at a very aggressive price. Could the Nothing Phone (2a) be the smartphone of the year? Answer in our full test. What makes a good consumer smartphone? According to an INSEE report from June 2023, price is the first purchasing criterion. By launching its…

amerbekic

13. Mar 2024.

10 minutes

Nothing Phone (2a)

What makes a good consumer smartphone? According to an INSEE report from June 2023, price is the first purchasing criterion. By launching its Phone (2a) at 350 euros, Nothing is off to a good start.

While its premium models have met with critical success, sales are insufficient to establish itself as a major player in telephony. This price positioning is therefore a 180° turnaround for the London company created by former OnePlus employees.

Nothing survives for the moment thanks to fundraising. But like any company, it will have to be accountable sooner or later to its investors. The Phone (2a) is therefore there to reassure them but also to place the brand in the minds of the general public.

Nothing has gone all out on its communication, with a science of teasing that we know, for better and for worse. Its ambition is enormous: Nothing sees its smartphones as Android’s iPhones. A crazy bet? Not so much if we are to believe the experience offered by the Phone (2a).

Price and availability of the Nothing Phone 2a

The Nothing Phone (2a) has been sold since March 6, 2024 at a price of 349 euros with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. A model with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage is also available for 399 euros. The Nothing Phone (2a) is available in black or white.

Thanks to this aggressive positioning and an attractive proposition (we will see), Nothing could finally meet the general public, just three years after its birth.

Design above all

At Nothing, Tech is above all a matter of design. In a market where all models look the same, the London manufacturer is bold with a transparent design.

The Phone (2a) therefore uses the design of the premium models, however, with a plastic shell instead of glass. Visually, we only see fire. In the hands it’s a completely different matter. If the grip is good, the extreme lightness of the device and the sensation of plastic do not create an illusion. We use a mid-range smartphone.

This does not detract from the manufacturing quality of the Phone (2a). Especially since Nothing has taken care of its lines and pushed originality to the extreme. Thus, the two lenses of the camera positioned in the center represent two eyes. They are surrounded by a circle enclosing the NFC coil and other key parts of the phone. Nothing compares this part to the brain of the telephone.

Below, the geometric shapes bring an imbalance to the whole. This is where the battery, other components and flexible circuit boards are located. This part was inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s New York subway map. The whole thing represents a devilishly friendly little man.

At the front, Nothing opts for a flat screen with very fine black contours. The front camera is positioned in a small punch in the center. Simple and efficient.

The manufacturer has also paid particular attention to its carbon footprint. The Phone (2a) is thus made up of materials recovered from the production of the Ear(2) headphones. The central frame is made from 100% recycled aluminum, 7 circuit boards are soldered with recycled tin, the main circuit board is covered with 100% recycled copper foil. Finally, more than 50% of plastic parts come from eco-responsible sources and the packaging is made only from recycled fibers.

All these optimizations allow Nothing to reduce its carbon footprint to 52 kg of CO2 per phone produced. For comparison, Apple estimates the carbon footprint of its latest iPhones at 50 to 76 kg of CO2 depending on the model.

Very nice screen

AMOLED, 120Hz, Full HD+. The screen characteristics of the Nothing Phone (2a) flirt with those of a premium model. Nothing makes any sacrifices on the display and therefore offers a panel of remarkable quality for a model at this price.

AMOLED obliges, the contrasts are infinite. The 120 Hz refresh rate allows you to navigate and play with great fluidity. For obvious reasons of cost, Nothing does not opt for an LTPO panel (which allows the frequency to be varied from 1 to 120 Hz) but this ultimately has no impact, the autonomy of the Phone (2a) being excellent (we will come back to this).

The 6.7” screen also stands out for its very good brightness. If it does not equal the record figures of premium models (logical), it exceeds 1,000 nits in adaptive mode (a little less than the 1,300 nits announced by the brand), which allows use in very bright environments (in direct sunlight for example).

The Nothing Phone (2a) screen is therefore a real success.

Good performance

While its premium models rely on Qualcomm chips, the Phone (2a) has a Mediatek chip. By changing creameries, Nothing can afford a more powerful chip, engraved in 4 nm, for a more affordable price than its American partner.

The Phone (2a) is therefore equipped with the Dimensity 7200, in a fully personalized Pro version (already used in the Redmi Note 13 Pro+). Combined with 8 or 12 GB of RAM, this processor works wonders. First in the benchmark results, which are simply mind-blowing for a model at this price. Then, in everyday uses.

The Nothing Phone (2a) met all our requirements without ever showing signs of running out of steam. This applies to everyday applications but also to more specific uses such as photo editing or gaming. In all situations, the Phone (2a) lived up to our expectations.

Let us also highlight the excellent heat management. By combining a layer of graphite (0.11 mm) with its large vapor chamber (3,200 mm2), Nothing manages to maintain a high level of performance without ever raising the mercury. Impressive.

Comfortable autonomy

The Nothing Phone (2a) has a generous 5,000 mAh battery. Thanks to the use of a less efficient chip and software optimization, it achieves record autonomy. According to figures from 01Lab, it takes 24 hours and 16 minutes of versatile use to overcome it, i.e. eighth position in the ranking for all ranges combined. It is, by far, the most durable smartphone under 500 euros.

Concretely, you can use the Nothing Phone (2a) for a day and a half to two days in standard use and a day in intensive use. Very comfortable autonomy that is usually only found in premium models, with a few exceptions.

The Nothing Phone (2a) comes without a charger (a saving that is more easily forgiven on a 350 euro model) but supports a power of 45 W. With a third-party charger of this caliber, we reach 100% in a good time. recharge hour, 50% in just under 30 minutes. Not exceptional but not bad, especially for a model at this price. On the other hand, wireless charging is absent for subscribers. You have to know how to make sacrifices.

Android’s iPhone

The Nothing Phone (2a) runs Android 14 with Nothing OS, here in version 2.5. This overlay is above all a complete graphic overhaul of Android. Nothing takes a stock version of the software and combines its UX know-how. The brand has never hidden its desire to offer the Android iPhone using this interface. Goal achieved.

Nothing OS undoubtedly stands out as the best version of Android there is. Without artifice but with great talent and elegance, the designers have created an interface as intuitive and fluid as iOS.

The result is software that is easy to use, clear and highly customizable. It is possible, for example, to arrange icons in different sizes or to add widgets adopting the Nothing graphic charter.

Above all, Nothing once again combines software and hardware thanks to the Glyph interface . On the back of the phone, three LEDs light up according to pre-established scenarios. The LEDs flash in one way when you receive a call, another when it is a message, and yet another if this contact is one of your favorites.

Glyph can be associated with six different uses: the camera (the LEDs flash with the timer), music (an LED flashes to the rhythm of a song), notifications, ringtones, volume (the upper LED left fills according to the sound level) and the timer (an LED flashes every second until its end).

As with previous models, the idea of Nothing here is to stay connected without being invaded by the multiple daily demands of our smartphone. This might sound like a gimmick, but it works!

Finally, Nothing promises three years of major updates and four years of security updates.

Decent camera

While its competitors tend to play the one-upmanship card, Nothing only integrates two lenses into its Phone (2a). But not just any modules since they are the same modules as the Phone 2, its most high-end model. We therefore find:

a 24mm equivalent wide-angle lens (f/1.88); 50 MP Sony IMX890 sensor (1/1.56”; 1 um photosite); optical and digital stabilization
an ultra-wide-angle lens (f/2.2); 50 MP (1/2.76”) Samsung JN1 sensor; field of view 114°; digital stabilization
on the front, a 32 MP sensor (1/2.74” – f/2.2)

To optimize photo quality, Nothing relies on TrueLens Engine, advanced image processing algorithms.

Without reaching the level of a Galaxy A54 or a Pixel 7a, the Phone (2a) turns out to be quite decent. The main module allows you to obtain very good results in favorable light conditions (outdoors, during the day for example). The homogeneity of colors with the ultra wide angle is also very appreciable.

The absence of a telephoto lens limits long-distance possibilities. Beyond 2x zoom, it is difficult to obtain results without loss of quality. At 10x zoom (maximum offered), the images look more like a mush of pixels than a photo worthy of the name.

In low light, photos lose detail and digital noise enters the party. Nothing dramatic, the night mode allows you to take convincing photos. Still, the results are too random to make the Phone (2a) a benchmark for smartphone photography.

Its main fault is undoubtedly its trigger, much too slow, therefore handicapping in certain situations. Nothing may highlight its Motion Capture algorithm (supposed to capture moving subjects), but it is not there.

The Phone (2a) is just as jagged in portrait mode. The photos are sometimes impressive, sometimes completely unsuccessful with burnt out lights in the background for example. The front camera suffers from the same flaws in portrait mode. On the other hand, the selfies are very successful. Be careful though with indoor selfies that tend to look green.

Finally, the Nothing Phone (2a) can film up to 4K at 30 fps. Not extraordinary but more than sufficient in this price segment. Nothing has also made efforts to make video creation fun thanks to features like Action mode which improves stabilization.

The Nothing Phone (2a) is also…

WiFi 6, Bluetooth 2.3, NFR connectivity and dual 5G SIM
very good stereo speakers
IP54 certification
a fingerprint reader with optical scanner
2D facial recognition

Our opinion on the Nothing Phone (2a)

Despite a few small flaws (no IP68, no charger in the box, decent photo quality, plastic back, no wireless charging), the Nothing Phone (2a) stands out as a new market benchmark.

By using the right ingredients of its premium models, the manufacturer makes an unbeatable proposition. The Phone (2a) does everything its competitors are capable of: it is efficient, durable, recharges quickly and has a magnificent screen.

Add to that a unique design, the best Android interface available to date as well as a Glyph concept that is very pleasant on a daily basis. All for 350 euros. We already have our smartphone of the year.