Nothing has launched the second-gen phone in the market and after building all the hype for the product (which they do quite well), it is time to see if all the talk has delivered. The Phone 2 looks to build on the early promise of the Phone 1 and Nothing has already set its sights on the premium section with only its second smartphone in the market. Nothing has become known for its transparent design and the Phone 2 takes that identity to newer and polished heights.
But the questions are ringing in louder this year, now that the Phone 2 gets a starting price of Rs 44,999 going up to Rs 54,999 for the top 512GB variant. So can Nothing Phone 2 become the first choice for buyers in a market where the options are plenty? Our review here gives you the details after using the phone for over a few weeks.
Nothing Phone 2 Review: What’s Cool?
Nothing has definitely nailed it with the design, fit and finish of the Phone 2. If you felt the Phone 1 had a premium approach, the Phone 2 goes a step further. The curved layout at the back gives it a solid grip. The recycled aluminium frame adds to its durability.
But talking about a Nothing phone is incomplete without taking a closer look at the back panel. Yes, it is still transparent but the Glyph LEDs have been tweaked to make it feature rich and likely to get further additions in the near future. The front and back glass panel gets Corning Gorilla Glass protection which should give you some peace of mind while keeping the phone on its backside.
Nothing has upgraded the OLED display which now gets an LTPO panel which offers adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz to 120Hz based on what you are doing on the phone. The screen is crisp and the colours are punchy, which is helpful when you consume a lot of textual content on the phone. And even though it supports Full HD+ resolution, you won’t find it lacking in any way. The bezels on the screen are symmetrical which adds further appeal to the front of the phone and the punch hole cutout it at the top-centre this time around.
The company has bumped the performance levels of its second phone, moving from a mid range-ish to a flagship-level hardware. Using the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip with up to 12GB RAM delivers an excellent boost in its overall usability.
Adding further richness to the experience is the Nothing OS 2.0 version which has to be one of the best UI we have come across outside of Google’s Pixel UI. In fact, the Nothing software has elements that were the hallmark of the OxygenOS from OnePlus during Carl’s stint at the company.
The interface is fluid, aided by the high refresh rate screen and a powerful hardware. But there is a lot more that works seamlessly for the UI, for instance, the apps open without any lag, we didn’t notice major issues while multitasking and running videos for hours without any hiccups.
The primary camera on the Phone 2 is a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor which is the same you get on the OnePlus 11 5G and a few other phones in this range. This camera offers crisp, detailed and colour-rich photos in bright conditions. We barely noticed any lag in the shutter speed and the processing part of the Nothing OS 2.0 polishes the image further, something people might like.
And finally, it is time to talk about one of the more important features on a smartphone, its battery life. The Phone 2 has a 4700mAh battery which is 200mAh more than what you had on the Phone 1 and might not sound like a big upgrade. But when you start putting the Phone 2 through the daily grind, you realise the optimisations done under the hood, and using this chip has paid rich dividends.
Phone 2 was easily lasting us over a day and half in moderate usage, which means for most people it would last through a day and more. In terms of the metrics, the Phone 2 gave us 8 hours+ screen-on-time on an average over 10 days which is quite decent for the battery size the phone offers. You also have wireless charging like the Phone 1, and reverse wireless charging, in case your wireless earbuds are running low on juice.
Nothing Phone 2 Review: What’s Not So Cool?
While the Glyph interface has its attraction, we still feel it is a work in progress. Nothing is relying on people keeping the phone on the backside to make the LEDs work effectively or offer any value. You have the Uber ride progress chart through the timer which is a new addition, you have the jazzy ringtones but the novelty value of this feature tends to wear out after a few days.
The design is definitely catchy but the glass panel, especially the grey variant tends to be a fingerprint magnet and definitely slippery when you face it towards the screen.
The phone’s main camera feels a bit underpowered with low light shots. However, Nothing has shown us that a few updates can fix those chinks, and we expect the same in the coming months. The ultrawide shooter clicks photos but the details can be inconsistent which negates its purpose for most users.
The phone’s battery life is a big plus but you only get 45W wired charging speed out of the box. Add to that, Nothing doesn’t give you the charger in the box, which means you have to add another 2 grand to your overall budget when buying the Phone 2. We expected the brand to boost the speed, now that the rivals in this range offer as high as 100W charging speed.
Nothing Phone 2 Review: Should You Buy It?
The Phone 2 is an upgrade and there is no doubt about that. But it is not for anybody using the Phone 1. If you have a phone that is 2-3 years old by now, the Phone 2 makes sense. But here’s the catch, for Rs 44,999 you only get the 8GB RAM variant of the Phone 2. So the best value Phone 2 option comes for Rs 49,999 which makes it expensive in a lot of ways.
Make no mistake, the design is premium, the hardware boost is undeniable and the software is one of the best in the market. But Nothing is trying to dine in the premium table and for that, it needs more than just a premium design, especially when the competition is offering something better.
So, if you are happy spending on a phone with the LEDs, crisp display, reliable performance, and solid battery life, Phone 2 is a definite choice, but you also have the iQOO Neo 7 Pro with the same chip but faster charging at a lower price or the OnePlus 11R with similar features and also at lower price tag than the Phone 2 in the market.
