Even though Nothing hasn’t launched a ‘flagship killer’ smartphone this year, it has put out a couple of exciting products in the budget and midrange segments. The Nothing Phone (2a) was launched in March and was an instant success, particularly in India. 5 months later, the UK-based tech outfit refreshed the model with a ‘Plus’ variant. In the meantime, its subsidiary brand, CMF, released the budget beast in Phone 1 (without the flashy Glyphs and see-through design). The Phone (2a) Plus has been out for more than a month. It retains the design and form factor of the Phone (2a) but gets some key upgrades under the hood. We thought we’d give the upgraded model a try and use it as our daily driver for a week. Here is our in-depth review of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus.
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In This Article
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside Nothing Phone (2a) Plus’ retail box:
- Smartphone
- USB Type-C to Type-C cable (with transparent casings)
- SIM ejector (with transparent thumb grip)
- Safety and warranty information booklet
The design of Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is indistinguishable from the base variant. The transparent back panel gives a look into the NFC coil surrounding the camera array and the maze-like pattern occupying the bottom segment. This pattern is inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s New York subway map. The Glyph lighting is dialled down on the Phone (2a) and (2a) Plus compared to the Phone (2). The three Glyph strips are placed around the NFC coil. The Phone (2a) Plus is available in an exclusive Grey colour option.
The body and the frame of the Phone (2a) Plus are made entirely out of plastic. Despite the plastic build, the smartphone oozes a premium feel. The left edge of the frame houses the volume rocker while the side key is positioned on the right edge. The SIM tray, primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and primary speaker grille are placed on the bottom edge of the phone. The solitary secondary microphone lies on the top edge. The earpiece acts as the secondary speaker unit.
The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is surrounded by uniform bezels on all sides. This may not be a big deal for some people, but it is tricky to pull off on midrange devices. The AMOLED panel is bright, vivid, and very responsive. Its 120Hz refresh rate contributes to the fluid browsing experience while 1,300 nits of peak brightness ensures that the content on the screen is legible even under direct sunlight. This experience is consistent with the Phone (2a).
The content-watching experience on the Phone (2a) Plus is similar to the base variant. The AMOLED display packs a lot of contrast and produces deep blacks which significantly elevate the picture quality. The dual speaker setup produces a well-balanced output. The audio output is loud enough to not be inhibited by the background noises from the ceiling fan and the AC. The audio quality remains undistorted as you reach the higher volume levels.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Review: Performance and Cameras
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus receives a key upgrade under the hood. The MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro replaces the Dimensity 7200 chipset at the heart of the smartphone. On the Geekbench 6 app, the Phone (2a) Plus scored 1,210 points in the single-core test and 2,665 points in the multi-core test. The base variant garnered 1,121 and 2,589 points respectively.
The chipset upgrade slightly improves the general performance of the device. We did not hit any lags even after running a dozen apps in the background. The apps on the Phone (2a) Plus load a little faster and switching between the active apps is a very smooth experience. The smartphone has a good thermal management system in place as we did not experience any overheating issues during the review period.
The gaming experience on the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is very similar to its base variant. The smartphone handles games like Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt Legends Unite expertly as long as you stick to medium graphics and a 60fps frame rate. The back panel starts heating up after 30 minutes of gameplay. Random jitters and frame drops only become imminent when the smartphone heats up considerably.
One of our favourite things about Nothing Phone (2a)/Plus is the software experience. For starters, Nothing hasn’t held back any aspect of its OS on the midrange offerings. You get Glyph-exclusive features like Flip to Glyph, Glyph Timer, Composer, Music Visualisation, Glyph Progress and more.
Nothing OS 2.6 uses stock Android for the most part, but makes some key changes that enhance the experience. For example, the WiFi and Bluetooth tiles in the Quick Settings Menu act as quick toggles to turn on and turn off the respective functions. The brightness bar, placed below these two tiles is more reachable. We hope that Google assimilates these changes in stock Android OS as well.
What gives Nothing OS its unique identity is the all-black icon pack, cleverly designed widgets, and the dot matrix font. We like the extensive range of customisation options for home page folders. You can change their layout and assign them a cover in dot matrix font. The software optimisation is very snappy and makes browsing the phone very phone. However, the icing on the cake is the lack of bloatware on the device. This is something that we rarely get to see in midrange smartphones.
The Phone (2a) Plus packs a 5,000 mAh battery pack under the hood. Its battery life is similar to its predecessor’s, which is not a bad thing at all. When we reviewed the Phone (2a) we were pleased with the 8-hour screen time we were able to squeeze out of it. During the week-long review period, we put the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus through the same series of daily tasks and achieved similar results.
One of the complaints we had with the Phone (2a) was that despite supporting 45W charging, it took more than 90 minutes to fully charge. Nothing has fixed this issue on the Phone (2a) Plus, equipping the device with 50W charging support. The smartphone takes just under an hour to reach a 100% charge.
The Phone (2a) Plus retains the two 50MP sensors on its rear camera array and features an upgraded 50MP selfie camera on top of it. The camera performance of the two rear sensors is identical to what we saw on the base variant. In bright daylight conditions, the 50MP primary shooter takes vibrant pictures with colours that truly ‘pop’. The images are detailed and showcase a good dynamic range and white balance.
The 50MP ultrawide sensor takes good pictures as well, although there is a visible colour shift when you compare its results with the primary shooter. The images are slightly ‘softer’ but the colour palette is good. The images are bright and clear, which is what we look for from an ultrawide lens in this price range.
In limited lighting conditions, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus takes good images. The smartphone relies on Night Mode to smoothen the grain and eliminate the noise. The subject is well light and bright. The smartphone does a good job of assigning realistic colours to the image.
In Portrait mode, the smartphone takes well-focused images. It does a good job of separating the subject from the background but its blur application leaves more to be desired. The upgraded 50MP front-facing camera takes good pictures in indoor and outdoor lighting. The new sensor can record 4K videos, which is something the selfie camera on the Phone (2a) cannot do.
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Conclusion
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus delivers a good performance on every front. The smartphone separates itself from the generic mid-rangers with its unique and expressive design. The dialled-down Glyph lighting is as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing. The MediaTek Dimensity 7350 SoC bumps the power specs of the device ever so slightly. Another key upgrade is the support for 50W charging. However, our favourite aspect of the device is its bloatware-free software experience. Nothing OS 2.6 brings together the best aspects of stock Android and gives it a unique ‘Nothing’ flair. At Rs 28,000, we’d say the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is an amazing deal.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus: Pros
- Unique design
- Good form factor
- Bloatware-free software experience
- Snappy performance
- Versatile battery performance
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus: Cons
- Does not ship with an adapter inside the box
- Portrait shots need better background blur
 Plus for a week, here is our review of the smartphone. The smartphone is currently priced at Rs 28,000.){kind=link}