Nothing Phone (2) has landed
Nothing Phone (2) has landed
Hands-on with the latest smartphone from one of the most interesting tech companies of the decade.
Just over a week ago, Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei sent out a tweet, asking everyone who was testing the upcoming Phone (2) to share still photo samples to help demonstrate the capabilities of the device’s camera system. It was at this point our cover was blown: I along with many of my tech buddies have the Nothing Phone (2), and today, it was finally announced.
During a fun launch video featuring Casey Neistat, Nothing unveiled the Phone (2), a successor to last year’s Phone (1) that generated equal amounts of hype and skepticism. It was a strange device, the Phone (1); the light-up Glyph Interface, mid-range specs, and lack of North American availability left a lot of people wondering whether Nothing could survive in the endless sea that is the smartphone market. You have to start somewhere, and the Phone (1) kicked off firmly in the mid-range category.
It seemed to do well for such a young company, so much so that Nothing is able to do it again—but this time, bigger and better. Enter Phone (2), which soups up the specs to a more flagship-appropriate level and marks the first time a Nothing-branded phone will be sold in the United States. Everything from the Glyph Interface to the chips to the software seems to be getting better, all for a starting price of just $599.
I can’t tell you if the phone is any good (that’ll have to wait for my full review, which will go live on CNN Underscored), but I can tell you about all the new stuff.
The Glyph gets an upgrade
The Glyph Interface on the back of the Phone (1) was striking, bold, and distinct enough that other companies tried to rip it off. Not only did it look cool, but it was also functional; it could tell you who was calling, which notification just arrived, and give you a sweet light show synced to music using unique light patterns. The Phone (2) takes all of that and makes it even better.
For starters, the actual LEDs on the back have been improved. Nothing has increased the number of LED segments, along with the total number of individual LEDs, for better precision when displaying certain light patterns. You’re still getting all the classics here like flip to glyph (which silences your phone and only alerts you of new notifications through the lights), custom light patterns for notifications and contacts, the ability to use it as a flashlight or fill light for photography, and a charging indicator at the bottom.
New with Phone (2) is the ability to display an indicator when you turn up and down your volume, so you know how loud your speakers are while your screen is face down. You can also use the same progress bar-like functionality with alarms, as well as third-party applications like Uber, which will let you track the distance of your ride using the Glyph.
Nothing is also including a fun Glyph Composer app that lets you create custom light and sound patterns with a sound board. It was created in collaboration with Swedish House Mafia.
Combined with the transparent backplate (now with a cool 3D layered visual effect), the Phone (2) will stand out just as much as Phone (1), if not more since Nothing is really encouraging you to use it face-down more often than not. It’s an attention grabber, one that’s hopefully enough to sway people’s interest away from the Samsung Galaxies and Google Pixels of the world.
A better screen, flagship specs, improved cameras
Many reviewers refused to call the Phone (1) a “flagship smartphone” due to its mid-range specs, to Nothing’s great contention. The same can’t be said for Phone (2)—this one’s definitely a flagship.
The display is slightly larger at 6.7 inches versus 6.55 inches on Phone (1). It still uses an OLED panel, a Full HD+ resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Nothing increased the brightness significantly this generation, going from 700 nits of peak brightness to 1,600 nits. It’s also completely flat with no curves in sight.
Under the hood is a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. It’s last year’s chip, mind you, but I found it be very reliable in the Moto Razr+ so there shouldn’t be any issues here. You can pair it with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage.
There’s also a 4,700mAh battery, which is a minor upgrade over the Phone (1)’s 4,500mAh cell. The Phone (2) supports 45W wired fast charging, as well as 15W wireless and 5W reverse wireless.
On the back, you’ll find dual 50MP cameras, similar to what the Phone (1) had. There’s a mian 50MP f/1.9 lens and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide with a 114-degree field of view. Nothing says it includes a new 18-bit image signal processor that can capture 4,000 times more data than Phone (1). It’s also improved its HDR and post-processing algorithms. It’s also added 4K 60fps video capture to both rear cameras.
There’s another upgrade worth mentioning: the IP rating. Granted, Nothing is going from IP53 on Phone (1) to IP54 on Phone (2), but at least it’s something. It’s still not as strong as the more typical IP68 rating other flaghships have, so you’ll want to be careful around water with this phone.
Nothing OS 2.0
Nothing keeps its skin on top of Android very light, even though its custom dot-matrix fonts and iconography wouldn’t make it seem that way. Nothing OS 2.0, which is launching with Phone (2), takes things a step further with even more customization.
On the home screen, you can mask all of your app icons with simpler monochrome ones, helping you use your phone with intention instead out of impulse. Nothing told me during a briefing that they believe companies have too much power over their iconography; while it’s true they can do whatever they want—they build the apps, they belong to them and so do their icons—you’re far more incentivized to tap a colorful Instagram or TikTok icon rahter the one you were actually looking for, resulting in time lost from scrolling an endless sea of dopamine-filled content.
With these custom icons on the Nothing launcher, the company hopes you’ll go out searching for the app you intend to use and not be tempted to jump into something distracting. You can even remove the app titles from the bottom if you wanna get crazy.
Nothing also redesigned a lot of widgets in Nothing OS 2.0, complete with dot matrixes and interactivity. You can also add widgets to the lock screen. In addition, there’s a plethora of new wallpapers to pick from that match the Nothing aesthetic.
Nothing OS 2.0 also has a bunch of custom optimizations for improved performance and responsiveness. The company told me they optimized over 500 animations and transitions for improved speed, which is quite impressive.
Okay, software support. Nothing says the Phone (2) is promised to get three years of OS upgrades and four years of security patches. That’s slightly behind some of the lenghtier software support roadmpas we’ve seen from flagships, but it’s solid enough for a company like Nothing who hasn’t been in the game that long.
Pricing and availability
Nothing will launch the Phone (2) on Thursday, July 13th. It starts at $599 for 8GB RAM/128GB storage and floats up to $699 for 12GB RAM/256GB storage and $799 for 12GB RAM/512GB storage.
If you happen to be in New York City on Thursday, Nothing is hosting a pop-up kiosk where you can get the phone early. They’ll have each version of the device for sale, as well as its excellent Ear (2) and Ear (stick) earbuds. The kiosk is at 69 Gansevoort St. New York, NY and runs from 7 PM - 10 PM. I unfortunately won’t be attending, but I bet it’ll be a fun time nonetheless.
So, Carl kinda spoiled it: my review is dropping on Thursday along with many others. I’m anxious to share my thoughts on this phone because, quite frankly, it’s one of the most interesting brick-shaped devices to launch in recent history.
What are your early impressions? Do you think this phone might be worth switching to, or are you happy with more established brands?