Nothing Phone (2a)

Technical specifications

The phone is larger than what I have used until now. It is somewhat problematic for me for this reason. After starting, there are no unnecessary programs installed - this is a definite advantage. A protective film is on the screen as standard (my 256 model), a charging cable, and a tool for ejecting the tray for 2 nanoGSM cards. The card tray is tiny, the cards are mounted one from the top and the other from the bottom - they do not stay in place securely, so you have to manually assist them to slide into the phone. Startup + configuration are standard. There is a possibility to choose the "visual appearance" of the software as Android or the Nothing interface. In my opinion, the phone at this price is currently one of the better options on the market. Of course, there are several omissions such as wireless charging, but the question is whether it is necessary for a higher price.

I received this phone on March 27 and since then it has completely changed in terms of optimization and bug fixes. Sometimes the phone would lose display brightness even when auto brightness was disabled, but this has been fixed. The camera loading speed and photo processing speed have been increased. The camera takes quite good photos for its price range and records video well at 1080p 60fps or 4k 30fps, or slow motion at 120 frames and 1080p (personally I prefer recording video to taking photos). Nothing OS 2.5.5.a itself has many additional conveniences, such as neat and comfortable widgets (fully editable along with icons and icon folders), AI generated wallpapers (still developing, but a nice addition), the ability to hide apps that others should not see if they have access to your phone, functions can be added to the lock screen, and additional information like temperature or current weather can be displayed. The processor and graphics chip perform well compared to phones in the same price range, and sometimes 3DMark tests show up to 50% better performance than other phones. The 6.78 inch 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ and Gorilla Glass 5 serves its purpose. The appearance of the phone is interesting and stands out from others in a positive sense (I recommend getting the white version because fingerprints are too visible on the back of the black one). Glyphs are not used excessively by me, but they are useful at times and are also a nice addition. The phone may seem heavy at first, but you can get used to it over time; however, the weight and the plastic back improve the grip. The lack of slow wireless charging does not change anything. Unfortunately, this phone does not have an IP68 rating, and it would be beneficial to have a bit more protection. The packaging looks good and makes a positive first impression, but unfortunately, it does not contain many accessories, as it only includes a tool for removing the SIM card tray and an interesting looking 45W charging cable (unfortunately without the power adapter). For me, this is the best phone available in its price range.

I have been using the device for 2 weeks. I switched from a Galaxy S23. Initially, I was delighted – the design, system consistency, and battery life. Then, I had mixed feelings – stutters, frame rate drops, and poor fluidity. After about 10 days, everything stabilized; the phone likely learned my usage patterns. Everything now operates smoothly. The camera is simply adequate, without unnecessary features, and is sufficient for daily photos or vacations in good lighting. The useful zoom goes up to a maximum of 3x. I switched mainly because of the clean operating system and the battery. Nothing's version of Android is beautiful, consistent, smooth, and free of unnecessary applications (Samsung had many), and the battery easily lasts the entire day with 5-6 hours of screen-on time (SOT) using only 5G (!). For me, this is a revolution; the S23 could show 15-20% battery after only 2.5-3 hours (on 5G). I sincerely recommend this device, especially for a technology enthusiast; for this price, it is absolutely worth every penny.

I have been using the phone since September 2024. It is smooth in operation but has many annoying small errors:
-The screen often interprets a finger swipe as a click, which causes the activation of a link (very annoying)
-Shorts in the YouTube app very frequently and repeatedly freeze or do not play at all.
-Several applications did not connect to the network for some time.
-Today, Google Assistant stopped working
-The Gboard keyboard sometimes does not respond

Overall, I do not recommend it; I regret that I bought it.

The dual SIM phone does not have the ability to set different ringtones for individual SIM cards - a disappointing lack of options for people using a phone with two SIMs - private and professional. After switching from a Chinese brand phone, it is a pleasant surprise to see the absence of unnecessary applications and advertisements. However, the price is excessive. I hope that support fulfills the promises of long-term support, because otherwise it is a waste of money

Great phone, I have been using it for a year and there has not been a single lag.