There’s nothing I would like more than for Nothing’s Phone (2) to actually look like a major upgrade from the company’s first cellular device to hit the market. But instead, all the hints we now have about CEO Carl Pei’s jump into a more premium phone market seem to be a slight upgrade from the much-hyped, LED-backed device that came out a year ago.
Nothing has said it’s gunning for a July 11 release date, but so far has released little to no specs to the public, whether that’s internal or external. Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee showed off some details about the rather middling Nothing Phone (1)’s big claim to fame with the rear LEDs. Instead of five strips of lights, the Phone (2) has 33 lighting zones, even though they are formatted into the same rough outline on a clear plastic back. Certain apps can make use of the glowing strips, but perhaps the only two actually useful features would be for charging indicators or timers.
Like the Phone (1) users should be able to customize their glyphs to perform a small light display based on a ringtone. Beyond that, there’s little customizability beyond lighting up one of the LED strips for notifications on one select app. Other companies’ apps can also make use of the LEDs, and according to Brownlee Uber and restaurant aggregator Zomato will use the strips for counting down the expected time when your rideshare or delivery should arrive.
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So just based on externals the new phone is slightly greyer than the darker Phone (1)’s more slate-black color. It’s slightly bigger, slightly rounder, but you’d strain to see much difference on the latest video and images of the Phone (2). According to leaker Kamila the phone will feature a 6.72-inch Visionox AMOLED screen running at 1080×2412 resolution.
The UI is also getting a bit of a new look that stretches just how far you can take minimalistic design. The OS screenshots seem to indicate the default view is very black and white, which doesn’t seem to help with legibility.
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Nothing’s upcoming flagship still has a dual external camera array, though it could be getting a bit of a main sensor upgrade. Wojciechowska said the main lens will be a Sony IMX890 capable of 50 MP. It’s a slight jump from the Phone (1)’s IMX766, though this is notably the same sensor as the $700 OnePlus 11 that straddled the line between mid-range and premium. Otherwise, its ultrawide camera remains the same as the Phone (1) while the front camera will be upgraded from a 16 MP sensor to the Sony IMX615 32 MP camera.
Other than that, past interviews have hinted at the Phone (2) containing a slightly bigger battery, but that won’t necessarily mean a longer battery life. Only benchmarks and tests can truly confirm if the Phone (2) runs any smoother.
After leaving as the main head of OnePlus, Pei has focused the Nothing brand on aesthetics, and these latest reports and leaks for the Phone (2) are emblematic of that. Nothing can make good quality, relatively cheap products like the Nothing Ear (2), which according to leaker Roland Quandt should be coming out in black soon. So far, we still don’t have a price even though we’re a week away from release. If Nothing keeps the costs down, we could have a repeat of the Phone (1) as just another mid-range device that looks cool, but doesn’t really bring anything new to the table.
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