The Phone 2 offers significant improvements in a familiar form.
The Nothing Phone 2 is finally here, and after weeks of teasers, we can finally see if the frenzy was justified. The Nothing Phone 1 was (and still is) a respectable first attempt from a new startup, and it got a lot of things right, including the price, which means the Phone 2 has a lot of ground to cover. While our review is ongoing, here are our initial thoughts on the phone.
The Nothing Phone 2 comes in a small container similar to the Phone 1, but it now comes with an actual box that pulls out from within the exterior printed sleeve. You’ll find some documentation here, as well as the transparent SIM eject tool and a snazzy new USB Type-C cable with a transparent part near the connector. The Phone 2 now comes in Dark Grey rather than black, however it still comes in white.
Nothing has released the Phone 2 in three different configurations. In India, the base variant costs Rs. 44,999 and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You get 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for Rs. 49,999. In India, a new third edition with 512GB of storage (and 12GB of RAM) is available for Rs. 54,999. Prices are, of course, more than the Phone 1’s initial price, but the Phone 2 has significant advancements to try to justify that.
It’s evident that design is more important than specs for Nothing. In subtle ways, the Phone 2 improves on the original semi-transparent design. From a distance, it’s difficult to tell the two models apart, but once you hold them both, you’ll realise the differences. The Nothing Phone 2 is a taller, wider, heavier, and thicker smartphone than the Nothing Phone 1. Nothing says the mid-frame is constructed of 100 percent recycled aluminium, yet it still feels great in the hand.
The antenna bands and one of the microphones are repositioned on the new Phone 2, but the buttons and ports remain in the same locations as on the Phone 1. Phone 2’s glass back panel has curved edges, making it more comfortable to hold, and the Glyph lights now have more segments, enabling for more dynamic lighting patterns and information displays.
The hardware of the Nothing Phone 2 has also been upgraded. Nothing has replaced the mid-range chip in the Phone 1 with Qualcomm’s more expensive Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it’s tried and true, and I believe it will do well in its market. The battery capacity has been increased slightly to 4,700mAh, and the Phone 2 now supports 45W PD fast charging. There is also 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging.
The Nothing Phone 2 retains two back cameras, but the main one has been improved to a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor, which has appeared in a number of recent phones including the OnePlus 11R, OnePlus Nord 3, and others. The ultra-wide camera use the same 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor as the Phone 1, however it does support focusing for macro photography. The Phone 2’s selfie camera has been improved to a 32-megapixel Sony IMX615 sensor. We’re still evaluating the cameras, so stay tuned for our final thoughts when they’re published.
Finally, we arrive at software. Nothing OS 2.0, which is based on Android 13, powers the Nothing Phone 2. According to the business, the Phone 2 will receive three years of Android updates and four years of security fixes. Nothing OS 2 includes new widgets, a monochrome icon set, and numerous UI improvements.
New customization options have been added to the Glyph lighting system. It now supports auto-brightness, and you can mark specific applications or types of notifications from a specific app as ‘important,’ which means that one light strip on the rear will remain lit until you reject or see that message. There are new ringtones and notification sound packs, and you can even use the Glyph lights to track a timer or the progress of an activity in third-party apps like Uber. Finally, with the new Glyph composer, you can make your own ringtones and alarm sounds.
In India, the Nothing Phone 2 has some stiff competition. To mention a few, there is the OnePlus 11 5G, Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G, and iQoo 11 5G. In the entire review, we’ll go over the Phone 2’s software and performance in great detail, so don’t miss it. Meanwhile, leave a comment and let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to know about this phone.