From the beginning, Nothing has made it clear that it won’t start releasing lots of phones every year, as is the case with some companies.
Instead, it would rather release new phones only occasionally, but make sure each is the best it can be.
However, that doesn’t mean the Phone (3) will be the only Nothing phone released in 2024. Nothing has now confirmed that a brand-new handset, known as the Phone (2a), is on the way. Here’s everything we know so far.
When will the Nothing Phone (2a) be released?
Nothing has confirmed that it’ll be holding an event at the MWC trade show in Barcelona on 27 February 2024. The announcement also included the following poster:
Nothing
That doesn’t give much away regarding what will be announced. But based on the release dates of previous Nothing phones, it feels too early for the Phone (3):
Before the event was announced, Mashable India said a new launch would take place in January 2024. It suggested we’d see a successor to the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds, but that they could be joined by an “undisclosed device”.
That hasn’t materialised, but it seems likely that the Phone (2a) will be announced at the MWC event. In a February 2024 Community Update video, Nothing confirmed that the Phone (2a) will be its next smartphone. You can watch it for yourself below, with discussion of the (2a) starting at around the 5:38 mark.
How much will the Nothing Phone 2a cost?
In the video above, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis says that some users are “focused on the core smartphone functionalities but still eager to experience Nothing’s unique and innovative hardware and software”, a group of people the company is targeting with the Phone (2a).
That all but confirms it’ll be a more affordable version of the Phone (2), though it could be priced similarly to the Phone (1). Here’s how much both devices cost at launch:
Will the Phone (2a) start at under £250/$250 and so be considered a budget handset? Or will it stay as a mid-range phone? That remains to be seen.
What specs and features will the Nothing Phone 2a have?
Nothing might have announced that the Phone (2a) is on its way, but the Community Update video doesn’t give much away. Co-founder Akis Evangelidis says the phone will have “doubled down on the core user needs – performance, camera, you name it.”
Evangelis suggests some of the Phone (2)‘s features will make it to the (2a), but “it delivers on clear upgrade compared to Phone (1) on every single front”.
Design
Reports suggest that the Phone (2a) is placing a significant emphasis on centering its design elements. Notably, the punch hole selfie camera transitions from the top-left corner to the center, the dual rear cameras shift from the top left to the center, and even the distinctive Glyph lights are now centered around the rear cameras, which have been slightly lowered to accommodate the new design.
Yogesh Brar suggests that the Phone (2a) will blend key features of the both Phone (1) and Phone (2):
It remains uncertain whether this design will be a standard for all upcoming Nothing phones or specifically reserved for the A-series phones that Nothing might be focused on iterating.
As for color options, it’s highly likely that the Phone (2a) will be available in black and white.
Display
Courtesy of a X leaker, Abhishek Yadav, live images of the device have surfaced. Although the Phone (2a) has a design-concealing case, the screen remains visible, allowing us to get a clear look at its punch-hole cutout.
Yadav believes that the phone will have a 6.7 inches, FHD+, AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate.
According to similar photos, shared by Yogesh Brar back in December and believed to be a manufacturing validation unit, the panel is also claimed to measure 6.7 inches, matching the specifications of the Phone (2)’s screen.
Smartprix also asserts that the Phone (2a) will feature a 120Hz AMOLED display with a resolution of 1,084 × 2,412, sourced from Chinese manufacturers Visionox and BOE.
Glyph Interface
Android developer, Dylan Roussel, shared animated demonstrations illustrating the Glyph as a simpler three-section circle-like shape. It comprises a straight, vertical line at the 90-degree position, a curved stub section at 120 degrees, and a long curved filament at 315 degrees.
Similar to the previous Glyph, LEDs will indicate various statuses such as volume and alert modes.
Performance
The Phone (2a) is allegedly codenamed ‘Aerodactyl’, identified by the model number A142. In contrast, the Phone (2) was designated as ‘Pong’ with the model number A065, and the Phone (1) was named ‘Spacewar’ with the model number A063.
While Nothing’s initial two phones featured Snapdragon 8 series chipsets from Qualcomm, Dylan Roussel says that the Phone (2a) is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 7200, released in February 2023 to compete with the Snapdragon 7 series.
According to Roland Quandt, the Phone (2a) will be available in two memory configurations: 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage and a higher variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Cameras
As per Smartprix and developer Kamila Wojciechowska, the two centrally positioned cameras on the Phone (2a) are reported to house 50Mp sensors. The wide-angle lens might feature the Samsung S5KGN9, a 1/1.5-inch sensor, replacing the slightly smaller 50Mp Sony IMX890 found on the Phone (2).
Additionally, the ultrawide camera might utilize the S5KJN1, a 1/2.76-inch sensor. Sony remains in the mix, contributing its 32Mp IMX615 sensor for the front-facing selfie camera.
Battery & charging
The Phone (2a) has surfaced on both the TDRA and TUV certification websites, bearing the well known A142 model number. The TUV certification listing discloses that the device will feature both USB Power Delivery and 45W fast charging support. However, no additional specifications for the device are provided in the certification details.
As for the battery, it is expected to be a 4920mAh cell. This would be more than both the Phone (1)’s 4500mAh battery and Phone (2)’s 4700mAh capacity.
Software
In terms of software, the Phone (2a) is expected to run on Nothing’s upcoming OS 2.5 over Android 14 out of the box. Interestingly, developer Kamila Wojciechowska (via Smartprix) has also leaked new wallpapers for the phone.
We will update this article if anything more is revealed. In the meantime, take a look at our picks of the current best Android phones, best mid-range phones and best budget phones to see what else is out there.
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