Doing something different in the mid-range phone market, the Nothing Phone 2a offers a lot for a reasonable price.
Made by the London-based team at Nothing, the Phone 2a is billed as a more affordable alternative to the challenger brand’s existing phones. Starting at $529 in Australia, it certainly makes a compelling argument.
On the outside, the Nothing Phone 2a sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a smooth maximum 120Hz refresh rate. Although at first glance, it looks like any other phone, turning it over reveals a striking rear design. With centrally-located dual cameras, a lighting array, and stylish angular accents, the Phone 2a looks extremely cool.
These cameras consist of a 50 MP main lens equipped with optical image stabilisation, which is supported by a 114-degree 50 MP ultra-wide sensor. Its 32 MP front camera also impresses on paper.
Looking inside, the Phone 2a uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip with up to 12GB of memory. Based on efficiency improvements and an additional 8GB of virtual memory availability, Nothing claims its latest device is 13% more powerful than Phone 1.
The Phone 2a runs on Nothing OS 2.5, the brand’s own system based on Android 14. Along with various widgets made to present helpful information at a glance, Nothing has promised three years of software updates and four years of security updates.
Other key specs to note include an IP54 rating, 5G support, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. Considered the standard for mid-range phones, it also includes a 5,000mAh battery capable of comfortably getting through a day, maybe even two, before charging.
Nothing Phone 2a release date and price details
Available to pre-order online now, the Nothing Phone 2a costs $529 for the 8GB memory and 128GB storage configuration. Want more power? The 12GB / 256GB version costs just $50 extra. It’s expected that orders will start arriving on 12 March.
One thing that’s fun about covering such a product launch, is that Nothing is clearly taking the mickey out of other companies’ increasingly extravagant naming conventions. Naming a phone just “Phone” followed by a number is audacious, and I’m entirely here for it. Although it also helps that the handset looks like a genuinely good piece of kit for the price.
As always, when buying a new phone, check out the cheapest SIM plans to save more money on your phone bill.
