Nothing Phone 2 Review: A Closer Look at the Revolutionary Device
Nothing Phone 2 Review: Nothing announced its new generation of smartphones in July 2023 with the Nothing Phone (2), and now we’re presenting our detailed analysis of the new flagship. Continuing the bold aesthetics of the first generation and the same concept, the phone features a transparent design on the back with the traditional Glyph, an LED interface that interacts with the operating system.
The difference now is that the Nothing Phone (2) comes with a top-tier chipset, while its predecessor targeted the premium mid-range market. But is it on the same level as already established brands in the global market?
Design and Build
Visually, the Nothing Phone (2) has hardly changed compared to its predecessor. Apart from some minor details in the positioning of the Glyphs – the LEDs on the back of the phone – everything looks very similar to the Nothing Phone (1).
Of course, the distinctive look is one of the main attractions of this brand, so it’s natural for the company not to make significant changes to the transparent rear structure. All of this is complemented by a premium build: metal on the sides, glass on the back, and Gorilla Glass for the screen. The only slight disappointment is the water resistance, with an IP54 certification instead of the expected IP68 for a flagship.
Configuration and Performance
The Nothing Phone (2) features a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, delivering excellent performance, even in demanding tasks. During use, I didn’t notice any lag or slowdown, even when running heavy games available on the Play Store. I played CoD Mobile and Genshin Impact, and both games performed satisfactorily.
In the standard benchmark test, it reached 1,167,098 points on the AnTuTu Benchmark, which is a great score for a flagship. For comparison, the Galaxy S23 Plus scored just slightly higher, at 1,181,150.
Display
When it comes to the display, Nothing continues to use an OLED panel. The Nothing Phone (2) features a 6.7-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
The display is good, and the brightness level is medium to high – not bad, but slightly below expectations, much like the Nothing Phone (1). The OLED panel is of good quality and great for power efficiency, but it doesn’t reach the level of an AMOLED display, for example. The color saturation is acceptable but lacks the vibrant intensity of advanced smartphones. It’s good but somewhat subdued.
Cameras
The Nothing Phone (2) boasts a pair of 50 MP rear cameras, and this setup delivers excellent images. Photos taken with both the ultrawide and primary sensors have plenty of detail and rich in detail.
Selfies work in a similar way, and even in indoor environments, the device manages to produce good results. The portrait mode, both in the rear and front cameras, provides precise background separation. The maximum video recording is in 4K with the rear camera and 1080p with the front camera. The overall video quality is satisfactory in both cases, as is the stability.
Battery
The Nothing Phone (2) battery falls slightly short in day-to-day usage. It’s not really bad, but in our tests, the battery life was a bit below average. After over six hours of various app usage, with the screen being off intermittently, the battery dropped by 31%.
Considering this real-world usage scenario, it’s estimated that the phone’s full charge would last about 17 hours. For comparison, the average battery consumption for other smartphones, whether flagship or mid-range, is in the range of 24% to 26%.
Features and Connectivity
In terms of wireless connectivity, the Nothing Phone (2) doesn’t disappoint in any aspect. The phone comes with Wi-Fi 6 support, which allows for faster and more stable connections with compatible routers. Additionally, it has 5G capability and NFC for contactless payments.
However, the standout feature of the Nothing Phone (2) is the Glyph interface, which consists of LED points positioned on the back that interact with the operating system. They light up or flash when receiving calls, notifications, or when the phone is charging, for example.
Direct Competitor
The primary competitor of the Nothing Phone (2) is the Galaxy S22 Ultra. With similar chipsets and 12 GB of RAM in both models, their performance is quite comparable. However, Samsung’s model stands out for its more refined software and a more robust camera setup.
On the other hand, Nothing distinguishes itself with slightly better battery performance and an “elegant” interface with the Glyphs on the back.
Sustainability
Nothing says the battery maintains at least 80% of its original capacity for at least 1,000 full charge cycles. The Phone 1 is generally repairable in the UK and the battery is replaceable for about £28 plus labour and shipping by Nothing.
The device is made of recycled aluminium, copper, plastic, steel, tin and other materials accounting for 20% of the phone’s weight. It has a carbon footprint of 53.45kg CO2 equivalent. The company publishes sustainability reports.
Nothing Phone 2 Review
Is it worth buying the Nothing Phone (2)?
The Nothing Phone (2) is a device that makes a lot of sense, and for the price range, it’s worth buying. It is a very competent flagship and delivers performance within what is expected.
Its camera setup is also quite respectable and produces excellent images. Although it falls a bit short in terms of battery life, it is not far behind the Galaxy S22 Ultra, its main competitor, in this aspect.
Therefore, if you want to pay a more reasonable price, the best choice is the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Verdict
The Phone 2 is a solid update on its predecessor but does not change the core formula of the device. It feels more premium while containing more recycled materials. It has more advanced lights, a significantly faster chip and solid battery life, while continuing to undercut much of the competition on price.
It is the novel design across the LED-strewn back and software that is the main draw. There is something very attractive about being a bit different without ruining usability.
The Phone 2 ships with an older chip than its rivals, which may not matter to most, and cannot match the competition on camera. But its biggest weakness is software support — four years of updates from release is simply not good enough anymore, losing it a star.
Pros: novel back and light design, great screen, good performance and battery life, recycled aluminium, slick Android 13 software, premium feel but competitively priced.
Cons: camera only so-so with no optical zoom, only four years of security updates, only splash-resistant, undercut by chief rival Google.
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