While owning a flagship smartphone is always nice, most consumers will relate to having to make compromises to obtain the best bang for your hard-earned ringgit. Enter the Nothing Phone (2a), a bold step forward towards minimalism without cutting corners when it comes to performance and capability.
This is the third handset from Nothing, which aims for the masses more than its previous outings. The Nothing Phone 1 and Nothing Phone 2 targeted the lower echelons of what most people would deem a flagship smartphone.
Launched early last month, the Nothing Phone (2a) arrives in Milk and Black shades with a single configuration: 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage, accompanied by an asking price of RM1,699.
The Phone (2a) boasts a sleek and minimalist design that stands out in a sea of smartphones. The signature transparent case makes an appearance alongside the Glyph interface, resulting in an illusion of floating components for a visually stunning effect.
The USB-C port at the bottom is flanked by the SIM tray, microphone, and bottom-firing speaker. The right side houses the power button, while the left features the volume buttons.
Considering the price point, plastic is heavily featured, which makes it less fragile than having a glass back and offers more grip. It also follows the trend of flat-edged aesthetics and a curved frame.
Sadly, the Phone (2a) is a fingerprint magnet, making the included protective case a no-brainer.
The Glyph lights behind are more muted than other handsets from the same stable. You can assign different patterns via the integrated app, but with fewer LED strips, notification options are limited. All the notification basics are covered albeit at the expense of more outlandish patterns.
The 6.7-inch (17cm) Amoled display is stunning to look at, given the price. Boasting a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, you will not have any issues making out content while viewing under the bright noonday sun.
At 2K resolution, everything is sharp and responsive. There is a single 32MP front-facing camera in a centre punch-hole format on the upper middle display.
With IP54 rating, you get limited protection against dust and water. This makes the Phone (2a) usable in light rain and when you’re indulging in sweat-heavy workouts without worry.
Performance & software
The Phone (2a) offers stunning performance for a phone in its class. The Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro SoC runs perfectly well without overheating issues even when pushed in benchmarks.
For everyday use, the Phone (2a) doesn’t stutter, be it when switching among multiple apps or while enjoying more processor-intensive games.
The Phone 2a is powered by Nothing OS 2.5 out the box, which is the brand’s Android 14 skin. The unique visual identity remains, offering a near-stock Android 14 experience that previous Nothing Phone users would be accustomed to. New users will take to it like a fish to water.
Sporting a very distinctive graphical language inspired by a dot-matrix look, you can play with unique widgets, stylised app icons, and near-colourless palette.
Nothing continues its pursuit of excellence by offering three years of Android upgrades and four years of security updates. This means you will have the latest version of Android running on the Phone (2a) by the time 2026 rolls around.
Camera and battery
Flip the Phone (2a) on its back and you will find a uniquely arranged dual-camera configuration behind, looking like a pair of eyes. The 50MP primary sensor and 50MP ultra-wide sensor work well enough in brightly lit conditions, as should any decent smartphone camera these days.
There might be instances when launching the camera app causes a slight, almost imperceptible stutter. Hopefully this niggling issue will be fixed in future firmware updates.
Without a telephoto sensor, zooming in on a subject from afar is not advisable owing to the limitations of the built-in algorithm. Most of the colours are saturated and warm enough, although certain situations might result in underexposed shots.
Low-light performance proves to be better. Perhaps Optical Image Stabilisation plays a role to ensure sharp night shots sans any motion blur.
Nothing has ensured the Phone (2a) can last longer than a regular day with a 5,000-mAh battery cell. Of course, battery life heavily depends on the usage context.
On an average day with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled around the clock, while replying to instant messages, streaming Spotify and Netflix for a couple of hours, and even warding off pesky scam callers, approximately 30% of battery life remains.
The Phone (2a) charges at 45W and does not support wireless charging. While Nothing includes a USB-C to USB-C cable, there is no accompanying charger to reduce waste.
The bottom line
You cannot stretch your ringgit any more than with the Nothing Phone (2a), which touts excellent performance mated to a smooth and bright display, with a head-turning design underpinned by an elegant software interface.
Glyph lights that are more a gimmick than an essential feature are good enough, while the OS and security upgrades are more than what other budget or mid-range smartphones can deliver.
Apart from its limited water resistance and a missing 3.5mm audio jack, the Nothing Phone (2a) is highly recommended for those on a budget.
Edwin Kee dreamt of being a pro-gamer only to have circumstances mould him into a programmer in a past life. He has since moved on to write about consumer electronics and other topics.