Nothing Phone (2) Review

Verdict

Though it ’s pricy than its predecessor , the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) is a tempting buy . It fixes the self-aggrandising complaints with the original while offering performance similar to that of flagships that be much more . It also depend somewhat cool with Nothing ’s signature gauzy LED - tincture rear .

Pros

Cons

Key Features

Introduction

The Nothing Phone ( 2 ) is last here . It reckon the same as theNothing Phone ( 1)and features a much high £ 579/$599 cost tag – but has nothing really change ?

gratefully , that ’s not the case .

Even with the gamy Mary Leontyne Price rag , the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) represents a alluring option in themid - range mart . It sports a flagship - layer processor , a twin 50MP camera system and solid all - Clarence Day performance that allow it to contend with some of thebest headphone , and lease ’s not forget about its stylish , see-through , LED - laden design that assist it tolerate out from the crowd .

Essentially , this is the Nothing Phone that Nothing would ’ve liked to have release the first prison term around , bushel most of the big complaints with the budget - focused first - gen model .

Design and screen

Nothing created a striking visual expressive style with the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) , and that ’s very much the case with the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) . Like the original , the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) sports a transparent rearward reminiscent of other 00s tech like the Game Boy Advance , allowing you to see the component within power the experience .

It ’s just as clean as it was on the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) , with no openhanded changes to the componentry on show . I do it being capable to see the snaking cable television running between the factor , the gravid Qi wireless charging coil and the intricate way everything fits together . Everything jibe too , with all element coloured in either white or gray depending on the conclusion you opt for – there ’s no black choice for now , but that might modify in future .

The crystalline rear is n’t the only excogitation feature borrowed from the Phone ( 1 ) either ; the illustrious Glyph interface is also present and accounted for . Though the placement of the white LED strips is identical to that of its herald , there have been improvements to the underlying tech .

These range of a function from little quality - of - life rising slope like auto - brightness tech to mechanically blind or lighten the LEDs found on environmental inflammation to more material upgrade like segmented LEDs within the funnies that provide best restraint of the light within – but more on that a niggling afterwards .

The core functionality of the Glyph port remains the same , however , chiefly being used as a flashy notice organization to alert you to incoming subject matter and call when facing screen - down . It can also be used as a soft fill light in the Camera app , and as a torch too .

I ’ve not grown old-hat of the Glyph user interface during my week of testing , though it did take me a while to get used to put my sound screen down to truly take advantage of the system .

I also liked that I could flip the phone to mute the audio of calls and notification when work , or else of swear alone on the light-emitting diode light to alert me of incoming notifications . Some might indicate that it ’s more distracting than a notification sound , but I did n’t really discover that to be the case .

fundamentally , if you liked the idea of the Glyph interface on the Phone ( 1 ) then you ’ll be happy with what ’s on offer from the Phone ( 2 ) . If you did n’t , however , there ’s very footling here to change your mind .

Flashy lights away , there are minimal change elsewhere to the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) ’s intent . The exhibit is a lilliputian larger , but the slim bezel of the display mean it does n’t feel that much bigger than the 6.55 - in Nothing Phone ( 1 ) , and the little curve to the rear panelling makes it fit more comfortably in the hired man than its angular herald .

The cloth are also premium for the price , sporting an aluminium frame and a methamphetamine rear protect byCorning ’s Gorilla Glass , help the telephone feel much more expensive than it is .

The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) was praised for its eminent - end presentation despite its affordable focus , and that continues with the Phone ( 2 ) – even with its higher request price . You ’ll determine a slightly orotund 6.7 - inchOLED panelwith a smooth120Hzrefresh rate andhigh - last LTPO techthat allows it to drop down to as little as 1Hz to save battery life . LTPO tech at this price gunpoint is very rarified indeed , and Nothing has to be commended for it .

first-rate - smooth refresh charge per unit aside , corroborate forHDR10+and a maximum brightness of 1600nits provide a great movie - watching experience in apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , with vivacious color and the mystifying , ink-black black that OLED technical school is famed for . That brightness also make for rather well-heeled wake open , with no substantial issue using the telephone on bright sunny days .

Size aside , you ’ll encounter a fingermark sensor within the display that works rather faithfully , and there ’s a centrally - placed trap - lick camera too .

Cameras

The Nothing Phone ( 1 ) was a great first stab at an low-cost telephone set , but we found that the camera performance was hit - and - drop with rather odd tuning and performance issuing . gratefully , that ’s not the casing with the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) – in most situations , anyway .

Though you might be forgive for assuming that the matching 50MP main and ultrawide lenses are selfsame to their precursor , that ’s only one-half true . While the Samsung JN1 sensor of the ultrawide detector is identical , the main camera boasts a new Sony IMX890 sensor – the same as that of the£729/$699 OnePlus 11 .

As well as improving the hardware , Nothing take that an improved ISP allows the phone to fascinate up to 4000x more data than the Phone ( 1 ) , and 8 frames of exposure becharm in HDR shots compared to just 3 from its predecessor . It has also spend a lot of time tuning both television camera to get the most out of the organization .

That ’s all well and safe , but how does that transform to real - world functioning ? Reader , I ’ve been enjoyably surprised . I ’ve used the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) to capture snaps for the retiring week and , generally speaking , it ’s a reliable snapper that delivers a substantial photo in most weather condition – especially at its mid - range terms .

In well - lit environments , the snaps are detailed , lifelike and packed with Light Within , thanks in part to the pixel - bin tech used by the sensing element . I can just direct and snatch without induce to worry .

That ’s just as true when taking photos of full-grown London skyscrapers as it is when look at pushover of more detailed subjects like my furry German Shepherd , Luna . It ’s the same with leafy trees , Brobdingnagian swathes of Gunter Grass and other finer item in prototype , really showcasing the benefit of that improved ISP .

It ’s bully at appropriate more subtle sack in color too , like the red - to - Orange River hue of sunshine beam through the trees at sunset , without being too OTT in terminus of colour vibrancy . Samsung , I ’m looking at you here . The colour profile is more natural than some alternatives , though still punchy enough for share on social media .

The Nothing Phone ( 2 ) wo n’t be winning any awarding for thebest camera phonefor downcast - light picture taking any time soon , especially with 1 - inch sensors float around at the high ending of the market , but it ’s still capable of pulling extra luminousness and detail out in sullen shots with a nearby source of light . It ca n’t quite manage true down - brightness scenarios , however , gaol behind the likes of thePixel 7a .

We had complaint about the 50MP ultrawide on the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) , with a noted modification in color tuning compare to images captured from the chief lens system , but it appears Nothing has spent a lot of time fixing this issue with the Phone ( 2 ) with near - monovular colour across the two snappers .

The matching 50MP declaration also mean you are n’t dealing with a drop in solution like many mid - rangers and their low - Ra ultrawide lens , render crisp shots packed with detail . In fact , they ’re pretty in line with the images capture from the chief lens , even when capturing HDR shooting . There is still a bit of distortion around the edges of ultrawide shot , but it ’s not too distract .

When it comes to selfies , users can look forrard to a boost 32MP selfie camera – up from 16MP . That should more than answer for video calls and quick selfies with a raw bokeh , though shot can sometimes come out looking a little soft , likely down to the touch on stress of the Chrysophrys auratus .

telecasting - wise , you ’re looking at a boosted 4K@60fps gaining control with decent stabilisation , though for truly shaky videos , the consecrated Action Mode get in ready to hand . It ’ll crop your video in more than standard video recording , but the super - quiet stabilization on offer is a suitable trade .

Performance

The Nothing experience is fix not only by the hardware but the software in the form of Nothing OS . The first iteration of Nothing operating system , based onAndroid 12 , was visually pleasing with a hard stylised port with dot - intercellular substance - style picture and appliance , but aside from that , it was stock Android . There was nothingthatspecial about Nothing OS aside from its flavour .

Well , that has changed with Nothing OS 2.0 based onAndroid 13found on the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) . The greyscale dot - matrix visual manner is very much still present and describe for , helping the phone stand out from practically every other Android cutis out there , but there are now new features that come with it .

Like withiOS 16 , you could now add widgets to both the lock screen and always - on display , providing at - a - glance info that stops you from mindlessly unlock your sound and scrolling . It is restricted to official Nothing widgets for now , limiting just how helpful the feature can be , but the company take that third - party livelihood is on the way .

There are also a smattering of young Glyph - themed features to take advantage of thanks to the improved rear inflammation scheme . This includes the ability to display the current intensity levels via the light-emitting diode , as well as to display position information from apps like Uber so you could tell if your ride is on the mode or outside , though these are rather gimmicky .

The rear light-emitting diode light can also function as a visual timekeeper , although the process of access it through the preferences app and Glyph menu is slightly inconvenient , and you ca n’t create a home screen shortcut for the functionality at present .

For most , though , it ’s the Glyph Composer that ’ll be a favorite . The composer fundamentally offer a synthesiser - elan interface that allows you to create your own tradition visual ringtones , attach together sound and the rear LEDs into one .

There are several auditory sensation packs uncommitted right now , with Nothing work with artists like Swedish House Mafia and a yet - nameless British acoustic artist to contribute theme sound packs for users to remix a little later down the line . For a phone that relies so heavy on the glyph interface , it ’s a fun , advanced little feature film .

Nothing has also fulfill the remarkable exploit of deport greyscale Nothing image sustenance for all apps , even if they do n’t formally support it . No other manufacturing business , not even Google , has achieved this . Although some icons may exhibit slight pixelation , the monochrome esthetic remains entire without any jarring soda water of people of color .

It ’ll keep to get better over time too , with the promise of 3 OS upgrades and 4 years of bi - monthly security patch taking the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) all the style to Android 16 .

Granted , it ’s not the latest flagship C.P.U. , but the 8 Plus Gen 1 was a very popular chip due to its combining of big businessman and efficiency . That ’s paired with either 8- or 12 GB of RAM and either 128 , 256 or 512 GB of storage depending on the var. you choose for . For reference , I ’ve been try out the mid - range 12GB/256 GB model .

That in high spirits - remnant processor , unsurprisingly , delivers top - mountain pass routine performance , with the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) comfortably capable to handle anything I have at it – and at a rapid tread too . Everything feel instant , whether it ’s opening or switching apps or taking cracking .

in high spirits - end play claim like Call of Duty Mobile run well , even with high - level graphics enabled . It can get hot , however , especially after longer catamenia of romp . That ’s fine for casual gamers , but consecrate peregrine gamers might want to consider agaming phonelike theAsus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate .

passion aside , it ’s a day - and - nighttime comparability compared to the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) with the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) easily able to compete with flagship - level smartphones that cost much more , leaving the immense absolute majority of mid - range options in the rearward - prospect mirror – and our benchmark tests back that up .

Battery life

With features including an LTPO - enabled display , the imposingly efficient Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset and a tumid 4700mAh bombardment than its forerunner , it should come as no surprise that the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) manages to keep on perish no matter what you have at it – and that ’s with those undimmed light-emitting diode on the rear .

To say that the earphone alleviated my battery anxiousness would be an exact statement , with the phone able-bodied to power through an 18 - time of day day with 4 time of day of music playback and a phone conversation that endure over an hr as well as the regular compounding of sending texts , scroll through Twitter ( and now Threads ! ) , replying to messages on WhatsApp , taking snaps to examine the camera and even scrolling through TikTok for over an minute .

The final result ? I still had about 35 % kick leave by the prison term I went to bed .

And that ’s with a full - on day – days that I used the phone less fared even better , with the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) easily able to reach the ending of the day with close to 50 % thrill . That fundamentally intend that , if you ’re not a power user , you’re able to comfortably squelch two day of use out of the earpiece before it ’d require a top - up .

The phone charges via USB - C and fall with a snazzy semi - transparent USB - C cable in the box , but you wo n’t find a 45W charger to take advantage of the telephone ’s fast buck functionality . That was more acceptable at the Nothing Phone ( 1 ) ’s £ 399 price tag than the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) ’s £ 579 toll tag , but considering it ’s usable for around £ 20 at Amazon , it ’s nottoomuch of an issue .

I did n’t have a Nothing battery charger to turn over but I used a 100W UGreen charger I had handy to juice the phone up as promptly as potential . Doing so , I find out 43 % in 15 minute of arc , 75 % in 30 minutes and a full charge in just under an hour , but this will likely reckon on the charger in question .

15W wireless charging has also made a retort – far from a given at the mid - kitchen range – with 5W vacate wireless thrill also available for those pinch earphone top - ups .

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Should you buy it?

away from its predecessor , the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) does n’t take care like anything we ’ve seen before . The transparent design , Glyph interface and heavily conventionalize Nothing OS for certain make a statement .

While the rear camera system is a capable one , it does n’t do the best Book of Job at low-toned - luminousness photography with options like the Pixel 7a capturing more light , colour and item than Nothing ’s option .

Final Thoughts

Some might lament the Mary Leontyne Price increase of the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) , but I think it ’s a suitable trade - off for a phone that looks and feel just as fashionable as the original but with enough power to compete with flagship - horizontal surface phones that are much more expensive .

The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset deliver this in bundle , pound most of thebest mid - rangecompetition in benchmarks . It also has the additional benefit of the 8 Plus Gen 1 ’s might efficiency which , when coupled with a gravid 4700mAh cell does n’t struggle to last all day , with the power to stretch well into a 2nd sidereal day with middling habit .

The twin 50MP cracker bonbon are another highlighting , with the main camera delivering consistently great - quality snaps in most scenarios , though it ’s not quite as capable as the likes of thePixel 7ain low - brightness level scenarios . The 50MP ultrawide also boasts significant improvements , particularly in the colour tuning department , to well match the main sensor .

The Nothing bone experience is a heavy stylize one that wo n’t be for everyone , but there is a lot to like . It not only look visually different to much every other Android peel out there , but it brings helpful feature article like gizmo on the lock screen and AOD . It also fetch Glyph - focalise features like Composer to make for more functionality to that cool rear lead light system .

Essentially , if you ’re looking for a great performer that bet different to practically every other phone around , the Nothing Phone ( 2 ) is the one to go for .

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