The mobile device landscape constantly changes, with new products continually on the horizon. Though many fans on the Android side are now focused on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, another device will likely get a launch date early in the new year. We’re talking about the Nothing Phone 2a.
For the first time, Nothing is expected to launch a budget phone to accompany its flagship offerings. That’s what the Nothing Phone 2a is expected to be, and the rumor mill for it is quickly picking up steam.
Here’s everything we know (so far) about the Nothing Phone 2a!
Nothing Phone 2a: release date
Nothing has released two phones to date. The first phone, the Nothing Phone 1, was released in July 2022 and was followed by the Nothing Phone 2 in July 2023.
Nothing has confirmed that it’s holding an event at Mobile World Congress on February 27, and the company also announced that the Nothing Phone 2a will launch a few days after that on March 5.
Smartprix says the Nothing 2a will be available in four regions. These include PacmanIND (India), PacmanJPN (Japan), PacmanEEA (Europe), and Pacman (global). Nothing is also opening up the Glyph interface to developers, but it also looks like this is the only way to obtain the device in the U.S., as it has no plans for a wide release in the U.S. However, for those in Asian markets and Europe, sales will be available to all and not just developers.
Nothing Phone 2a: price
Nothing is already known for launching relatively low-cost smartphones compared to the market leaders. The Nothing Phone 2, for example, starts at $599. By contrast, the entry-level Samsung Galaxy S24 and Apple iPhone 15 cost $800. Not surprisingly, a Nothing Phone 2a would be priced slightly lower than the Nothing Phone 2.
On X (formerly Twitter), leaker Yogesh Brar said the new phone would start at around $400. This is below the price of the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE ($500) and the OnePlus 12R (also $500).
Nothing Phone 2a: design
There have been conflicting reports about what the Nothing Phone 2a will look like. It’s hard to say with any certainty which ones are true and which are false, so here’s a recap of everything we’ve heard.
According to leaker Dylan Roussel, the upcoming Nothing Phone 2a will feature a redesigned back with three Glyph lights, significantly fewer than the Nothing Phone 2, which has 33 Glyphs. However, the Glyph controls are expected to remain similar to those on the Nothing Phone 2.
The camera placement on the new model will differ from previous models. It is expected to have a horizontal dual-camera setup that is center-aligned. Many, including TechRadar, have suggested the Nothing Phone 2a takes some design cues from the Google Pixel A-series and Samsung Galaxy S10.
Meet the Nothing Phone (2a)!
Model: A142.
Codenames: Pacman / Aero(dactyl?).Nothing's next phone comes with a Mediatek SoC for the first time. The Mediatek Dimensity 7200. It has 3 Glyph parts, and a brand new design.
Launch event at MWC? pic.twitter.com/UTwk2bUjjA
— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) December 15, 2023
The Nothing Phone 2a should still look like a proper Nothing smartphone, but it should also have a unique identity compared to the Nothing Phone 1 and Nothing Phone 2. Considering how safe the Nothing Phone 2’s design was compared to its predecessor, that’s really encouraging to see.
Here’s where things get particularly interesting. According to another leak from @OnLeaks and Smartprix, the Nothing Phone 2a could ditch the Glyph lights altogether. The above render came out earlier this month, but it appears not to be an accurate depiction of what the Nothing Phone 2a will look like. In fact, the above render is actually a published render of a Nothing device that never came out.
So, what will the Nothing Phone 2a look like?
SmartPrix and OnLeaks shared another render of the phone on February 20, claiming that this one is actually the Nothing Phone 2a. Although we’re hesitant to believe any design claims at this point, this latest render does line up with previous reports. In the image above, we can see a centered and horizontally arranged camera bump and three glyph lights near the top — just like what earlier leaks suggested. If this is, in fact, the Nothing Phone 2a, it’s shaping up to have one of the year’s most interesting designs.
Nothing Phone 2a: specs
In an exclusive interview with Digital Trends, Nothing CEO Carl Pei confirmed that the Nothing Phone 2a is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset. This marks the first Nothing Phone with a MediaTek chip inside, and it also marks the first phone with the 7200 Pro. Nothing says it worked closely with MediaTek and designed the Dimensity 7200 Pro exclusively for the Phone 2a.
In Pei’s own words:
“Built on TSMC’s latest second-generation 4nm process technology, it effortlessly powers through any task with unparalleled power efficiency and blazing speed. Together, we have brought optimizations such as Smart Clean (+200% UFS read/write speed over prolonged usage) and Adaptive NTFS (+100% file transfer speeds with Windows computers, as our internal research shows this platform is important to our target user base), and have been able to reduce power consumption of specific components by up to 10%.”
Tipster Sanju Choudhary and others have said the new Nothing Phone 2a will feature a 120Hz 6.7-inch AMOLED display. The new phone will likely include a hole-punch at the top center of the display. SmartPrix concurs, saying the phone will likely sport a 120Hz AMOLED panel boasting a resolution of 1084×2412 pixels.
Regarding onboard storage, the Nothing Phone 2a could offer options starting at 128GB, with a minimum of 8GB of RAM.
Nothing Phone 2a: cameras
Limited information is available about the cameras on the Nothing Phone 2a, but the phone will likely have dual cameras on the back. Brar has suggested that the rear camera system of the phone will be 50MP. For context, the Nothing Phone 2 offers a 50MP dual rear camera with a 32MP front camera.
Smartprix, working with Kamila, offers more details about the new phone’s camera system. According to the sources, the Nothing Phone 2a has a dual-camera setup that will be arranged horizontally. The primary camera is claimed to be a 50MP Samsung S5KGN9 shooter with a 1/1.5-inch sensor size and 1.0-micron pixel size. This is the same camera as the one found on the Moto G84. The secondary camera is reportedly a 50MP Samsung S5KJN1 ultrawide camera with a 1/2.76-inch sensor size and a 0.64-micron pixel size.
Nothing Phone 2a: software and updates
The Nothing Phone 2a is expected to come with Android 14 and Nothing OS 2.5. Nothing OS 2.5 is currently only available for the Nothing Phone 2 and offers several upgrades compared to Nothing OS 2.0. These upgrades include enhanced customization options, changes to the glyph interface, and more. The Nothing Phone 2 comes with three years of Android OS updates and four years of security patches.
SmartPrix has published what it says are the official wallpapers of the Nothing Phone 2a. They’re even downloadable online.
There are still many unknowns about the Nothing Phone 2a. As we wait for the official launch, we will update this post with more details. Stay tuned.
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