- Great battery life
- Excellent value
- Unique, thoughtful design
- Only rated IP54
- Shorter software lifespan than the competition
The Nothing Phone 2a is thoughtful in a way that's unique for a mid-tier phone. Most phones in this category are built to meet a price point, and the compromises they make come across in one way or another. These come in two categories: hardware and vibe.
Hardware is pretty obvious; cheaper phones have slower processors and worse cameras. That’s simple math. Conversely, vibe compromises are more minor quirks than issues that adversely affect the day-to-day experience. Things like chunky bezels surrounding the screen or a finish that doesn't feel quite right.
As a $529 device, the Nothing Phone 2a naturally makes some compromises in hardware, but small "vibe" choices make it feel like a much more expensive handset.
Let's start with the small things. The Nothing Phone 2a feels great in your hand. It's a largely plastic build, but it doesn't feel cheap, and it doesn't jut into your hand. The buttons have a reassuring click to them. And the bezels surrounding the screen are thin and symmetrical. On many cheaper phones these are either much larger, or you get a weird chin at the bottom of the screen.
None of these features make or break a phone, but they sure make the Phone 2a feel that much more premium.
When you couple with the Nothing Phone 2a's unique aesthetic, you get a device that's very fun. The back has a transparent cover, revealing some elements. It's a real throwback to the classic Game Boy and the old-school iMac, and I'm extremely here for it.
There are also three "glyphs" on the back that light up for notifications. A little flash if you get a new message, for example, and you can set a glyph to stay permanently on for priority unread notifications. If you want to take it to the extreme, you can set up custom light patterns to identify who's calling you without flipping over the phone. The glyphs are a little gimmicky, but there's still a certain charm to them.
Nothing's take on Android is also unique, with the manufacturer having rebuilt every single widget with its own design language. There's a sort of Braun-esque retrofuturism to it that really sets the Phone 2a apart. App icons also appear as monochrome out of the box, but I wasn't the biggest fan of that. It makes it a bit too easy to mistake one app for another, and not all third-party apps support a black-and-white icon. This is very easy to turn off, however.
As a side note, I love that the included UBS-C cable and SIM tool also have transparent details on them. 10/10 attention to detail.
Vibes are all well and good, but none of that matters if the Nothing Phone 2a doesn't deliver on other fronts.
The $529 asking price put it in the lower end of the mid-tier, so you miss out on some of the more premium features we're seeing on devices like Google's Pixel 8a. There's no eSIM support, no wireless charging, and the phone is rated IP54 for splash-resistance, instead of having proper water-resistance.
Water resistance is arguably the most practical out of these features, and a higher IP rating isn't exactly common at these price points yet. That being said, Samsung's Galaxy A35 is rated IP67 and sells for just a little more at $549 outright.
Samsung also offers better software support for the Galaxy A35, which will get four major operating system updates and five years of security. The Nothing Phone 2a's support life is a year shorter on both fronts, with the device set to receive three years of major operating system updates and four years of performance.
When it comes to core features, the Nothing Phone 2a either matches or exceeds expectations considering its price.
Battery is arguably its strongest point. I was able to get around six hours of screen time per charge, which is a day of moderate usage with a very comfortable. Lighter users may be able to get at least a day-and-a-half per charge, especially cause the Phone 2a has excellent standby battery. It only lost about 10% capacity on a day I didn't use it, but it was still switched on, connected to 5G and getting slammed with notifications.
The Nothing Phone 2a's cameras are also better than you might expect for the price. While they can be a little slow to shoot - meaning you can end up with blurry photos of moving subjects - you can get surprisingly detailed images. By and large, the results punch above the asking price, and deliver better colour accuracy and exposure than similarly priced devices.
Nothing Phone 2a camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Phone 2a. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
It's also hard to complain about performance. The Nothing Phone 2a may be powered by a modest chipset, but you get snappy day-to-day performance. I didn't experience any hitches or unexpected slowdowns. And while the Phone 2a won't be your best option if you're serious about mobile gaming, a demanding title like Diablo Immortal ran smoothly on mostly medium settings.
Nothing Phone 2a - Final Thoughts
Battery life, camera quality, and performance would all make the Nothing Phone 2a easy to recommend. Style really seals the deal. Unless you're desperate for water resistance, the Nothing Phone 2a is the best phone under $600 you can buy right now. It's even good enough it might tempt you away from a more expensive option.
These are the most popular SIM-only mobile plans with WhistleOut users this week:
|
#1
|
SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
|
|
#2
|
Boost Mobile
$39 Prepaid
$39.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
|
|
#3
|
Dodo
Editor's Pick
Medium Mobile Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
|
|
#4
|
TPG
Editor's Pick
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Yomojo
Starter 29GB Plan
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Tangerine Telecom
30GB 5G Mobile SIM
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
|
|
#7
|
Pivotel
25GB Mobile Swift Plan
$11.45/mth
Min. cost $11.45
|
|
#8
|
Swoop
30GB SIM Only 5G
$14.00/mth
Min. cost $14
|
|
#9
|
Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#10
|
felix mobile
felix 25GB Mobile Plan
$30.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
|
Alex Choros
Related Articles
