Nothing Phone (2) Review: Style meets substance

With the Phone (2), Nothing has raised the bar even further, but has upped the cost as well

The Nothing Phone (2)

You’ve probably heard of Nothing, the design-first tech brand from OnePlus Co-founder Carl Pei that has, within two years of its launch, racked up an impressive product portfolio. As a successor to its much-hyped Phone (1), the new Phone (2) has big shoes to fill, and it does so by raising the bar in almost every department – performance, display, cameras, and design – while also bumping up the asking price to INR 44,999 for the base 8 GB / 128 GB variant.

Also read: Sony SRS-XB100: Big Sound in a Small Package

Straight out its slim packaging – a dead giveaway that Nothing ships the Phone 2 only with a USB-C cable and a SIM ejector tool, no charger – the Phone (2) carries forward the Phone (1)’s design language, flat sides, transparent glass rear, “Glyph” LED strips and all. There’s refinement all-round, from the symmetrical bezels around the larger 6.7-inch screen to the improved IP54 dust/water resistance, yet it’s the use of subtly curved pillowed glass on the rear, which gives the Phone (2) an excellent in-hand feel. It still the most unique phone this side of the foldables category, and I’m here for brands pushing the envelope on the familiar candy bar design.

The Nothing Phone (2) has a 6.7-inch screen

Yet, it’s the “Glyph” LED light strips, this time available as 33 separately addressable LED zones split into 11 sections, that are the centre of attention. Flip the phone on its face, and they light up to indicate new notifications or when specific contacts call or message…or stay lit until you dismiss an important notification. The increased number of LED segments now afford the Glyphs more functionality – the curved strip can now indicate volume levels, work as a countdown timer or integrate with apps like Uber to track your ride’s distance from your location. You can even create custom ringtones with the Glyph Composer, with associated light patterns and Nothing sounds.

Of course, as with any new notification mechanism, your mileage may vary. It’s not life changing, but it’s a cool addition to an already well-rounded smartphone, plus it may just help you use your phone a little less while still staying on top of your important notifications. That’s all part of the ‘intentional consumption’ theme that runs through the new Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0.1, with the monochrome launcher and glanceable lock/home screen widgets theoretically tempting you to use your phone less.

It comes with a larger 4,700 mAh battery

Elsewhere, upgrades touch almost every aspect – from the new Gorilla Glass-protected LTPO (1 Hz – 120 Hz) display that offers 1,600 nits of peak (HDR) brightness for HDR content to the inclusion of last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 flagship chipset with 8 GB or 12 GB of memory and up to 512 GB of storage. Unlike the Phone (1), the everyday fluidity isn’t solely a function of good software – the hardware is plenty capable to run the most demanding of games, without running warm to the touch.

Battery life is better too, up to seven hours of screen time, and with a larger 4,700 mAh battery and faster 45 W charging speeds and wireless/reverse wireless charging, Nothing’s got you covered. The camera too is a vast improvement over the predecessor – images are bright and punchy without being oversaturated, and selfies and night photos are good as well – but there’s no telephoto camera. The only other nitpicks – average screen haptics, slightly tinny speakers and lack of HDR10+ support on Netflix.

Also read: Netflix ends password sharing in India

In all, the Phone (2) is a great upgrade, and a legitimate contender in the now-higher price segment, but you have to want that extra style, personality and software finish in your phone to pick this over the likes of offerings from OnePlus and Samsung.

Rating: 8/10

Price: INR 44,999 onwards