After countless teasers and leaks, the Nothing Phone (2a) has officially launched today with pre-orders opening at a lower-than-expected price of £319.
The 2a is the brand's first strictly budget-focused smartphone, with one of its biggest changes being the switch from the Snapdragon chipset of previous models to a slightly customized MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro. The new chip, nothing indicates, is much faster than the Snapdragon 778+ found in the phone (1) and is also built on TSMC's newer 4nm process.
The Dimensity 7200 Pro's main attractions are some of the software features that integrate with the chip, such as “Smart Clean” which boosts read/write speeds to 128GB or 256GB of storage. There is also a RAM Booster, which can use this storage space to give the device up to 20GB of memory. The base version has 8GB of RAM, while the top model has 12GB.
The phone (2a) also has a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a variable refresh rate between 30 Hz and 120 Hz, and the panel is brighter than the phone (1). The device is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W wired charging and is IP54 water and dust resistant.
The phone (2a) also retains the brand's signature Glyph lighting on the back, but it's a simplified design with just three lights. However, one of these lights still supports HD illumination which is useful for timers etc on the phone (2).
As for the cameras, the phone (2a) has a 50-megapixel Samsung GN9 sensor for its primary sensor with another 50-megapixel Samsung sensor handling the ultra-wide camera. There's no telephoto lens, but the front camera is a 32-megapixel sensor.
The device ships with Android 14 and “Nothing OS 2.5” and promises three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates.
It's a solid overall package, but as with any budget phone, it's all about the price.
None, for that matter, seem to offer really good value, with UK prices for the phone (2a) starting at £319 for the 8GB/128GB variant. This jumps to £349 for the 12GB/256GB model. In India, prices start at Rs 23,999 and there is an additional 8GB/256GB model in the mix. Colors include black, white and “milk”.
What about the United States?
The 2a won't be sold as widely in the US as the 2, but the device will be available immediately as part of the Developer Program where it will cost $349 and will be available in black.
Pre-orders for the Nothing Phone (2a) are now open in the US, UK and India, with the device scheduled to ship on March 12.
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