Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Smartphone Review

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Smartphone Review – The Nothing smartphone is expanding its reach into the mid-range segment with the Nothing Phone 2a Plus. While the hype for the Nothing CMF Phone 1 hasn’t faded yet, the smartphone makers have come up with a new phone in just four months. Over the past few years, the track record of Nothing phones hasn’t been that extreme. But, being a new smartphone company, they were able to come out with some great phones in just a few years.

Not long ago, Carl Pei introduced the new Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. It can be considered the upgraded version of the Nothing Phone 2a with a larger design and powerful hardware configuration. Overall, the Plus variety ensures that users do not lack in performance, design, and even size. There is no denying that it is a better choice than its sibling. But still, is it worth buying or not? Let’s find out in the review below!

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Smartphone Review

Highlights

1. The device is equipped with a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with 1300 nits brightness support.
2. As for the software layers, it will bring the Nothing OS 2.6 update based on Android 14.
3. Meanwhile, the hardware section is handled by the Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset.
4. In terms of camera support, the phone features a 50MP dual camera setup at the back and a 50MP selfie camera.
5. Under the hood, the device packs a 5000mAh battery setup that is tagged with a 50W wired charger.

Design and exhibition

There is no denying that Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is an aesthetic masterpiece when it comes to the back panel design. The raw texture with gradient effect makes this phone stand out from the rest of the phones. Even the camera island gives an attractive feel at the first impression. But the real charm lies in the multi-function LED lights.

On the other hand, users can choose this fabulous phone in black and grey colour variants. Both look quite attractive with their signature metallic back panel. With thick edges, the phone becomes easier to grip, while the three LED lights integrate the Glyph interface. You can perform up to 26 different functions including notification timer, progress, charging, and more! Aside from this innovative feature, the lightweight body provides smooth one-handed usage.

As for the front display, the 6.7-inch AMOLED screen comes with Gorilla Glass 5 protection with pre-applied thin screen protection. However, this pre-installed protection is made of plastic, which can later be replaced with glass. Anyway, the display grants 1B colors, HDR10+ support, 120Hz refresh rate, and FHD+ screen resolution. Moreover, the brightness levels are adequately managed with support for different refresh rate modes.

Memory and internal

The performance department of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has received the upgrade it deserves with the Dimenisity 7350 Pro chipset. It is an exclusive chip developed by the collaboration of Mediatek and Nothing. Through this chipset, users can receive performance equivalent to the Dimenisity 7200, which is quite evident. The octa-core CPU will perform normal tasks while the GPU will not be left behind to deliver an impressive gaming experience. After this, the device has been incorporated with 256GB of non-expandable storage with 8GB to 12GB of RAM.

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus runs Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.6 UI. The software interface will provide three years of core Android updates with one year of security patches. As far as track record goes, Nothing phones typically offer on-time software updates. However, the custom interface requires several bug tests to be rolled out to a broad audience.

Apart from the classic notifications and the custom Nothing theme, there are plenty of always-on display features available. At the same time, users won’t notice any additional bloatware apps except for the traditional apps from the Google ecosystem. The thermal management of this phone isn’t that bad, even at overclocking settings. Moreover, the display didn’t get that hot either.

Camera

As far as specifications are concerned, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus offers a dual 50MP sensor at the rear and a 50MP selfie lens at the front. Unlike the Nothing 2a, the main camera setup features a primary and an ultra-wide lens. The native camera app comes with minimalistic features, with an identical design as that of the OnePlus and Realme phones. Along with this, there are plenty of exclusive modes like Expert, Live Photos, cinematic videos, etc. Using the camera in daylight produces crisp colours, textures, and natural lighting in almost all shots. Following this, portraits look fantastic with autofocus control, while the ultra-wide lens captures precise details.

But still, skin tones, textures, and background colors are accurately managed. Overall, photos look pretty good with adequate dynamic range and contrast control. As for low-light images, the camera app produces videos with little noise and plenty of details in each shot. Light sources are contained so that they don’t produce the glare effect. The video recording aspect of the Nothing 2a Plus exceeds our expectations. It can record up to 4K videos at up to 30fps with natural and partially noise-free colors.

Battery and others

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus offers a 5000mAh battery that keeps you on track. The device offers excellent battery life, be it for calling, internet browsing, content consumption, or hardcore gaming. The performance of the battery configuration is quite good compared to devices in the same price range. Overall, users can get about 6 hours or more of screen time for all necessary activities.

Battery drain is not an issue as the device comes with a decent standby time. Also, you don’t have to worry about the charging speed with this Nothing phone. It is possible to top up the battery up to 50W with wireless charging. But sadly, the phone lacks wireless charging. Also, there is no retail charger inside the box, so buy a new one with a Type-C to Type-C charger.

Last but not the least, let’s talk about the miscellaneous aspects like the speakers. The phone is able to produce above-average ratings during the speaker test, while the volume can be considered excellent. However, the same set of stereo speakers was used on the Nothing 2a, which yields identical results. Apart from this, the phone offers 5G connectivity, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and other sensor supports. But sadly, there is no FM support. Last but not the least, the smartphone is expected to be priced at $334 (Rs 27,999 in India) approximately.

Pros and cons of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus

Detailed specifications of Nothing Phone (2a) Plus

Below you can see the Full specifications of Nothing Phone (2a) Plus smartphone.

Conclusion

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is a unique smartphone in the mid-range segment. You won’t see many phones that put effort into making a flawless design right out of the box. But is it a better option than the Nothing 2a? To some extent, the Plus offers slightly better performance, more brightness, and an improved selfie camera. All of those improvements are much appreciated.

However, both devices are in a fairly close price range. Usually, the company tends to make compromises when it comes to performance, cameras, batteries, and other aspects. Hopefully, that’s not the case with the Nothing phones. However, if you’re looking for good value for money, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus is a pretty good choice. But you’ll also find other competent phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus smartphone in the same price range. Still, we recommend that you choose a phone that makes you happy.