Nothing Phone (2) Review: Nothing New

It’s onerous to begin a expertise firm from nothing – maybe that’s one of many causes former OnePlus exec Carl Pei named his new firm Nothing again in 2020.

Up to now, the model has launched a cellphone and three fashions of earbuds. The hype it builds round its merchandise works effectively in tech fanatic circles however hasn’t but damaged via into the mainstream.

Nothing’s new smartphone, the Nothing Cellphone (2), is an improved model of 2022’s Nothing Cellphone (1) and I’m unsure it’s going to assist the corporate break via, despite the fact that it’s getting a full US launch. It has a really related design and digital camera and feels nearly similar in day-to-day use.

The software program is healthier, however the older cellphone is promised an replace with the improved OS, so it’s not a purpose for current homeowners to improve.

It means the Nothing Cellphone (2) is a stable, well-priced mid-range cellphone at $599/£579/€679 – however there are quite a lot of these available on the market already. Not all of them have programmable flashing lights on the again, although.

Design & construct

• iPhone-inspired design
• Programmable LED lights
• IP54 score

I’ll do my darnedest to not spend this complete evaluate evaluating the Cellphone (2) to the Cellphone (1) – however not a lot has modified right here:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

That stated, I commend Nothing for no less than doing one thing fascinating with the design. Everybody who noticed me utilizing the Cellphone (2) needed to know what it was (or thought it was an iPhone).

The Cellphone (2) is effectively constructed with a 100% aluminium body and clear glass on the again exhibiting a neat array of internals and ‘glyph’ LED mild strips that flash to sign calls, notifications, and different programmable issues.

These lights are somewhat completely different to the Cellphone (1) – for example the central mild is now in six strips relatively than one, and the digital camera lights are cut up in two. The lights nearest the underside can point out the charging degree whereas face down.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

One of many central mild strips now has 16 completely different sections and can be utilized to indicate the progress of a countdown timer, your quantity degree, and even how lengthy till your Uber arrives. Nothing is hoping for extra third-party app buy-in, however there’s a lot much less utility in a single mild strip in comparison with what builders can do with info in Apple’s Dynamic Island software program on the iPhone 14 Professional.

The glyph lights do make the Cellphone (2) stand out towards the iPhone 12 from which this design was doubtless cribbed, from the flat sides with curved corners to the rounded show and elongated buttons.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

My evaluate pattern is the gray mannequin that’s lighter than the closer-to-black of the Cellphone (1). There’s additionally a white mannequin I’ve not seen.

The rear glass is barely curved on the edges for a easy really feel, however the entrance Gorilla Glass over the show is flat. General, the cellphone’s dimensions are 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6mm, weighing in at 201g. I discover the cellphone somewhat cumbersome and definitely can’t use it comfortably with one hand.

I used to be somewhat disenchanted with the haptics: the vibration motor that buzzes once you use the keyboard is kind of rattly and is audible in very quiet rooms. I adjusted it and it improved, nevertheless it’s under the standard of dearer telephones.

On the entrance there’s a properly even bezel across the fringe of the display screen that’s punctuated by a central digital camera cut-out on the prime.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

There’s no headphone jack to be seen, with a USB-C port on the backside. There’s additionally no charging brick within the field, however you do get Nothing’s beautiful transparent-tipped USB-C-to-C cable.

It’s additionally disappointing the cellphone solely has an IP54 mud and water resistance score, implying it may possibly deal with rain and splashes however gained’t survive a dunk within the bathtub, pool, or sea. The equally priced Samsung Galaxy A54 and Google Pixel 7a each have superior IP67 scores.

Display screen & audio system

• 6.7in OLED
• 120Hz LTPO
• Respectable stereo audio system

The Nothing Cellphone (2) has a 6.7in OLED display screen, a tad bigger than the Cellphone (1)’s 6.55in.

I discovered it an excellent high quality show. It might refresh at as much as 120Hz and makes use of LTPO tech to scale the refresh fee proper again right down to 1Hz when not wanted to avoid wasting battery. Not many telephones at this worth use LTPO.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

The difficulty is the panel doesn’t get vibrant sufficient. Even indoors with a little bit of solar I went to show up the slider solely to see it was on the most setting.

Outside the display screen may be very tough to see clearly. Nothing says it will get as much as 1,000 nits outside – it’s not sufficient, and probably the most annoying issues concerning the Cellphone (2). It might hit 1,600 nits indoors.

Due to this frequent dimness within the sunshine, I typically ran the cellphone in mild mode to extra simply learn the display screen – I hardly ever do that and use most different evaluate telephones in darkish mode because it’s my desire.

The cellphone comes fitted with a display screen protector out of the field, nevertheless it’s low cost and plastic. For a cellphone that encourages you to place it face down on a regular basis to see the lights on the again, I obtained some horrendous scratches inside three days on mine. You will have a case with a lip to guard the display screen, and a clear one at that, otherwise you gained’t capable of see the lights.

Twin stereo audio system are desk stakes on mid-range telephones and the Cellphone (2) delivers. They get loads loud and can do for podcasts, YouTube, and gaming, however music sounds somewhat skinny and piercing at excessive ranges.

Specs & efficiency

• Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset
• 8/12GB RAM
• 128/256/512GB storage

The principle inside improve over Cellphone (1) is that Cellphone (2) has the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, silicon additionally discovered within the OnePlus 10T and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. This offers you 5G assist, however examine which bands it really works with and if it’s appropriate together with your service, significantly within the US.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

It’s not the most recent 8 Gen 2 from Qualcomm, however the cellphone is quick sufficient for every thing from day-to-day use flipping between apps proper as much as enjoying Name of Obligation Cellular for half an hour with no points.

It’s not excellent although, and there have been moments that I may inform the OS was stalling barely. This can be a highly effective cellphone, however I’ve not discovered it as easy in tandem with the software program as latest OnePlus or Samsung telephones in the identical worth vary.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

My Cellphone (2) evaluate pattern had 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, the previous doubtless serving to with efficiency. You may also go for the bottom 8GB/128GB model, or a full fats 12GB/512GB. No fashions have a microSD slot however all do have twin bodily SIM card slots.

Right here’s how the cellphone carried out in benchmark assessments on the CPU and GPU in comparison with the Cellphone (1) and another related spec and related priced rival telephones:

The in-screen fingerprint scanner is positioned fairly low down on the display screen and works effectively, and will also be used for biometric sign-in to 3rd social gathering apps, not like the face unlock, which is quick and efficient for unlocking the cellphone.

Digital camera & video

• Foremost 50Mp lens disappoints
• 50Mp ultra-wide
• 32Mp entrance going through

The Cellphone (2) makes use of the Sony IMX890 f/1.88 sensor for its principal digital camera, however in actuality that is an extremely related sensor to the IMX766 used within the Cellphone (1). It means there are barely any enhancements right here, and I’ve been disenchanted by the pictures I’ve taken.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

The IMX890 is definitely identical sensor utilized in Pei’s previous firm’s latest OnePlus 11, which I reviewed, and located its principal digital camera constant and of wonderful high quality.

The Nothing Cellphone (2)’s principal digital camera isn’t these issues. It’s good to shoot with in a pinch, however removed from excellent. It’s not so good as the Pixel 7a for nonetheless pictures, a cellphone that prices over $100/£100/€100 much less.

In broad daylight – like most smartphones in 2023 – the principle digital camera is stable. It captures 12Mp stills by default however you can even shoot at full 50Mp. It provides comparatively true-to-life colors, with a good focal vary that reacts effectively after I tapped the display screen to vary focus:

However Nothing’s picture processing is overly aggressive, both sharpening images an excessive amount of or including an orangey tint to pores and skin tones and surfaces in all however one of the best lighting circumstances. It additionally struggles with vibrant solar, which means pictures can typically blow out the sky or make the topic too darkish relying on the main focus level:

There’s additionally unhealthy shutter lag, significantly when zoomed in, and typically the shutter button doesn’t react in any respect.

Video is normal and nearly as good as you’d count on from a cellphone of this worth. It might document at 4K as much as 60fps. There may be good stabilisation (each optical and digital) and an motion mode that efficiently retains judders down, nevertheless it isn’t nearly as good because the motion mode on the iPhone 14 (admittedly a pricer cellphone).

The ultrawide lens is appropriate for taking in additional of a scene with its 50Mp f/2.2 Samsung JN1 sensor. It even manages low-light OK, however picture high quality suffers once you zoom in and see element is misplaced:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

There’s no telephoto lens however you possibly can shoot at 2x with a toggle within the app utilizing digital zoom, after which zoom additional as much as 8x.

The 32Mp entrance going through digital camera is definitely essentially the most pleasing of all, producing crisp, vibrant, effectively detailed pictures:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

For a cellphone marketed partly round its picture enhancements, the Cellphone (2)’s cameras are merely OK. If digital camera is your precedence, get a Pixel 7a for cheaper.

Battery & charging

• Respectable all-day battery life
• 45W charging
• 15W wi-fi charging

Battery life is superb. Unplugging at 7am, I normally had 80% left by noon, and 30% left by 10pm or so. The 4700mAh cell is doing admirable work right here, and I reckon the energy-saving LTPO show tech helps too.

In PCMark’s battery take a look at it scored 14 hours and 17 minutes, a really first rate rating that betters the 5000mAh Galaxy S23 Extremely‘s 12 minutes and 43 minutes.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

There’s no charging brick within the field, however Nothing does provide you with its good sort-of-transparent USB-C-to-C cable. Nothing says you possibly can absolutely cost the cellphone in 55 minutes at 45W with the best charger – utilizing a appropriate one in every of my very own I obtained it to 32% in quarter-hour and to 65% in half-hour, and it certainly hit 100% on 55 precisely.

There’s additionally 15W wi-fi charging and the cellphone itself can act as a 5W charger for equipment like earbuds which have Qi charging in-built.

Software program & updates

• Considerate, trendy software program pores and skin
• Three years of Android updates
• 4 years of safety patches

The Cellphone (2) runs Android 13 at launch with Nothing OS 2.0, an up to date pores and skin. It’s one of the best factor concerning the gadget, providing a genuinely distinctive feel and look to the house display screen. I like it.

Android 13 helps you to ‘theme’ apps to a selected color palette however requires app builders to supply such a themed app icon. Even on Google Pixel telephones if you happen to theme the apps on your house display screen, some will doubtless not play ball and keep vibrant.

Nothing has a brand new icon pack that themes all apps for you. It’s superb, and means icons seem white with a black icon in mild mode or black with a white icon in darkish mode. It’s additionally simple to make your house screens look fairly completely different with some tweaks to the layouts, widgets, and Nothing’s wallpapers:

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Except for the house display screen customisation, the OS is definitely fairly plain. Menu headers and the brand new always-on show makes use of a digital clock-style dot matrix font, however in any other case the appear and feel are much like what you would possibly discover on a Nokia or Motorola cellphone that doesn’t change an excessive amount of from primary Android.

There’s additionally a ringtone composer (what is that this, 2002?) with sounds provided by Swedish Home Mafia, and you’ll program the glyph lights to flash in sync together with your creations. There are ten preset tones for calls and others for notifications, which you’ll assign to apps or contacts.

I appreciated the flexibility to set ‘important notifications’ – so now if I’ve the cellphone face down, one of many lights will keep lit if my spouse has messaged me. It’s useful.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

You possibly can flip the cellphone over to mute it, too, and set issues like double tapping the display screen to lock it.

Nothing is promising three years of Android updates (to 2026) and 4 years of safety patches each two months (to 2027). That’s stable, and just one 12 months behind Samsung on every entrance. It’s spectacular {that a} new firm is thrashing the software program assist of Nokia, Sony, and others. Then once more, thus far it solely has two telephones to maintain up to date.

Value & availability

The Nothing Cellphone (2) begins from $599/£579/€649 for the 8GB RAM/128GB storage mannequin.

You may also get 12GB/256GB for $699/£629/€699 and 12GB/512GB for $799/£699/€799. The latter sounds costly, nevertheless it’s an excellent worth for that a lot storage.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Nothing is just promoting the Cellphone (2) via its official retailer and some choose retail companions. It has no cell service companions for the gadget.

The entry worth is aggressive, however I’d suggest the OnePlus 10T over it at $649/£629/€699. It has a greater digital camera, sooner charging, higher display screen, and the identical chipset, however no wi-fi charging.

You would additionally go for the wonderful Google Pixel 7a, sacrificing an LTPO show for a significantly better digital camera at simply $499/£449/€509.

Verdict

The Nothing Cellphone (2) has flagship specs at a mid-range worth, nevertheless it nonetheless feels mid-range. The show and digital camera particularly are disappointing, and the cumbersome construct makes it a big and awkward cellphone to deal with.

But Nothing OS 2.0 is superb, and makes Android really feel completely different from different producers’ telephones in a great way. The cellphone additionally has nice battery life and packs in wi-fi charging, and the glyph lights are intelligent – however you’ll both love them or hate them.

Acquainted mid-range pitfalls stick out corresponding to an IP54 score, a dim display screen, and typically cheap-feeling haptics. However if you happen to love the aesthetic and don’t assume the lights are a gimmick, then the Nothing Cellphone (2) is value contemplating, particularly as it’s assured 4 years of software program assist.

Specs

• 6.7in 120Hz LTPO OLED show
• Rear digital camera:
  • 50Mp, f/1.8 OIS principal digital camera
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
  • 32Mp, f/2.45 selfie digital camera
• 4700mAh battery
• 45W wired charging
• 15W wi-fi charging
• 5W reverse wi-fi charging
• 5G
• Stereo audio system
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• NFC
• Glyph Interface LED lights
• IP54
• Gorilla Glass
• Android 13 with Nothing OS 2.0
• 159.2 x 75.8 x 8.3mm
• 201g