I miss covering a few devices at launch but come back to them later to see if they’re still worth writing about. Some of them lose their charm overtime or don’t standout from the crowd. The Nothing Phone 2a doesn’t fit in any of those criteria – it has gotten better with updates and stands out in the segment with its unique design. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it is.
The best experience I’ve had on a sub-$350 phone
You might think that the best part about the Nothing Phone 2a is its hardware design but it’s not. The software is equally good, if not better. I’ve loved interacting with the user interface on the Phone 2a. The Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5.5 is clean and not barebones clean like the Pixel UI. Instead, it adds the right amount of customizations to make life easier. One of these is Nothing Widgets, which I’m glad the company isn’t limiting to its more expensive offerings.
For instance, I’ve added a Focus mode widget (using the Quick Settings widget) on the lockscreen to silence my social media notifications while I’m working. It reduces the three-step process of turning on the screen, swiping down to reach the notifications panel and toggling Focus mode to a two-tap process (one tap for turning on the screen and second tap for Focus mode).
Another Quick Setting widget that I use often is the QR code scanner. From scanning cafe menus to paying on Google Pay, it makes life so much easier. Usually, the process looks like this – Unlock the phone, tap on the Google Pay app, tap on scan and then pay. Now, I tap from the lockscreen to wake the phone, tap on the said widget and I’m ready for scanning the code. Once it detects that it’s a QR code for payments, it asks me to unlock the phone and then opens the app.
These are two use cases that I’ve found immensely helpful in my time with the Nothing Phone 2a. I also like the Atmosphere and Glass effects in Wallpaper, especially the latter, as it blurs the background for a more pleasing-looking homescreen. These system-level customizations enhance your experience to feel like you’re using a more expensive device than its price tag suggests.
It wouldn’t be a Nothing phone without the Glyph interface. While there are lesser LED strips on the Phone 2a, Nothing has done well to give it a unique design around the two cameras. It’s still equally fun to play around with the Nothing Composer. The last time I think I tinkered with ringtones and other sound on a phone for fun was the previous Nothing smartphone.
The Glyph interface is now also enabled to work as a progress bar for Zomato and Uber as well as a volume indicator (when changing volume levels). It’s like Dynamic Island but on the back of the phone. You can also have the LEDs act as a visual music representation of music playing on the phone, which is a cool party trick.
Nothing Phone 2a – Everything else you need to know
The Nothing Phone 2a features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate and full-HD+ resolution. It offers bright and good-looking colors, and is legible outdoors. But I found adaptive brightness to consistently make it dimmer than I’d prefer indoors. I liked my content consumption experience on the phone because the big screen didn’t strain my wrist. It’s comfortable to hold for long durations, thanks to the curved corners and back edges.
The Nothing Phone 2a is powered by a custom MediaTek Dimensity 7200 (called the Dimensity 7200 Pro) chipset, paired with 8GB/12GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of storage. It’s plenty fast, and I didn’t face random stutters or UI lags, which is usually a problem I face on phones in this price range.
You get a dual camera system that includes a 50MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide angle sensor. It had a few glaring issues like overexposing scenes in bright conditions that has been fixed.
The photos clicked on Nothing Phone 2a well-exposed and have real life-like color temperature. The low-light shots aren’t super detailed and have low contrast. The portrait shots have good edge detection and the phone allows you to click them in 2x too. Overall, it delivers satisfactory results but nothing extraordinary.
The Phone 2a packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. It consistently lasted me an entire day with ease, which includes hopping between social apps like Instagram, WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter), work apps including Slack, Teams, and making a few calls. Notably, you don’t get a charger in the box.
Should you buy the Nothing Phone 2a?
As mentioned above, the Nothing Phone 2a is easily the best experience I’ve had on a phone priced less than $350 or 25,000 Indian Rupees. It offers a unique blend of features in both the software and hardware that you wouldn’t get on any other phone in the segment.
While it’s not for the gaming-centric crowd – the Poco X6 Pro would serve you better in that case. I’d recommend the Nothing Phone 2a people who want a phone with top-notch software experience, great battery life, smooth performance, satisfactory cameras and a good display, the Nothing Phone 2a is for you. The company promises three years of Android OS upgrades, so it should last you a few years too.
