This is the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and you should see it as a more powerful (rather than larger) version of the 5-month-old Nothing Phone (2a)not as its replacement. In fact, both phones will be available for sale at the same time.
So what does a Plus guarantee? A new 50MP selfie camera (vs 32MP on the regular one) and an upgraded chipset – the Dimensity 7350 Plus uses the same design as the Dimensity 7200 Pro, but has been overclocked. It might not sound like much, but Nothing claims a 10% faster CPU and 30% faster graphics performance, which is… well, something.
This new Metallic Grey color also suits the phone very well, so that’s a bonus.
The Phone (2a) Plus’ retail package is business as usual – you get a nice USB-C cable from Nothing and a SIM eject tool. You’ll need to bring your own charger – the phone supports up to 50W (5W more than the non-Plus model).
You get the same Glyph interface on the back as the Nothing Phone (2a). Right now, the Glyph interface may be used primarily for notifications and alerts, but it’s a nice differentiator in a world of gray and black bar phones with diminishing visual personalities.
Nothing OS is a joy to use. It is very responsive and the custom haptics add a physical dimension to the virtual world as you interact with it. Continuing on that thread, the phone feels great in the hand. The slightly rounded edges on the back panel make the Phone (2a) Plus comfortable to hold.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus starts at $399/£399 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. Pre-orders start today via nothing.tech. In the meantime, we’ll begin work on our review, and you can expect to see it on our homepage in the coming weeks!