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OnLeaks x SmartPrix
Nothing phone (2)
The Nothing phone (2) will be officially unveiled on July 11 2023. For now, though, rumours suggest it’ll feature a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, a larger display and some sleek design alterations. It’s set to be Nothing’s first foray into flagship territory.
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Nothing
Nothing Phone (1)
The Nothing phone (1) is probably the coolest-looking mid-range smartphone you’ll find on the market today – and one of the only ones that has wireless charging support. If you want to stand out, this could be the one for you.
The Nothing phone (1) was arguably the most exciting phone of 2022. Not only was it a brand new player entering the Android market, but it came with a fresh new design approach and an affordable price tag.
Nothing
The Nothing phone (2) is right around the corner, and we can’t wait to see what it brings to the table. Rumours are already flying about the specifications and features.
At this stage, aside from a few aspects that have been confirmed by Nothing itself, these are just rumours. So take the specifications detailed below with a grain of salt. But, we do think that they’re quietly likely to be correct, based on what we know so far.
So, with that in mind, we’ve put the Nothing phone (2) up against its predecessor to help you decide which one is right for you.
Specs, price and availability
The Nothing phone (1) launched in July 2022 and has been available to purchase at a price of around £399 ever since. Unfortunately for our US readers, it didn’t get a stateside release.
The Nothing phone (2) will be officially revealed at a special Nothing event on July 11 2023. We aren’t sure on the pricing just yet, but it’s expected to come with a higher MSRP than the phone (1). It’s also going to launch in the US from day one, this time around.
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Nothing phone (2) Nothing Phone (1) SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ Display 6.7 inch 120Hz OLED 6.55 inch OLED 1080×2400 RAM 12GB 8GB / 12GB Storage 256GB 128GB / 256GB Battery 4700 mAh 4500 mAh Front camera Unknown 16MP Rear cameras Unknown dual cameras 50MP + 50MP Dimensions 159.2×75.8×8.3 mm 159.2×75.8×8.3 mm Colors Black / White Black / White Weight 193.5g 193.5g
Design
The Nothing phone (1)’s design is a huge part of its appeal. It has a unique transparent glass back and a “glyph interface” – which essentially means it has white LED accents across the rear that can react to the phone’s different functions.
Both of these design elements will make an appearance on the phone (2), as well. We’ve seen high-quality renders, via OnLeaks and SmartPrix, and it would appear that they’re quite accurate. Nothing posted a teaser video recently, and the shape of the glyph interface matches the one shown in the renders very closely.
It’s a pretty similar design and first glance, but there are subtle changes to behold. Firstly, the shape of the glyph has changed on this model, and we think that’s mostly an aesthetic choice. Though some have speculated that the split design of the LED ring flash could have practical benefits.
The red LED recording indicator will be a slit on the new model, rather than a circular dot on the phone (1) – again, we think this is probably just an aesthetic decision.
SmartPrix x OnLeaks
Elsewhere, the Nothing phone (2) has subtle curved edges on the display and the back panel, and the aluminium bumper is rounded off to join the two. The phone (1) has a more squared-off design and a flat display, quite similar to most of the current iPhone models. The phone (2), on the other hand, reminds us more of a Samsung or the curvacious iPhone 6 of days gone by.
Display and features
The Nothing phone (1) has a 6.55-inch 120Hz OLED panel with a 2400×1080 resolution, and we were impressed by its performance. It has completely symmetrical bezels, which is almost unheard of in a mid-range phone, and it gives the device a very pleasing look.
The Nothing phone (2) is set to feature a slightly larger OLED display, at around 6.7 inches. And as we mentioned in the last section, it’ll have a slight curve to the edges.
Not much more is known about the Nothing phone (2) display, we expect it’ll be 120Hz if not higher and have great HDR support.
Hardware and performance
The Nothing phone (1) runs on the Snapdragon 778G+, which is a mid-range chip that’s been customised to support wireless charging and reverse wireless charging – two features that are missing from 90 per cent of mid-range handsets.
In our testing, we found the performance of this mid-range SoC to be more than good enough for our daily needs, but power users and gamers would certainly be left craving more performance.
The Nothing phone (2) will almost certainly run on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. A vastly more powerful option, if not quite the latest and greatest that Qualcomm has to offer.
It’s an interesting move, choosing a 2022 chip for your 2023 device, but we think we might know why. Nothing has been very clear that it values user experience and battery life over chasing benchmark scores, and it has also been very aggressive with its pricing, and we suspect that the theme will continue with the Nothing phone (2).
SmartPrix x OnLeaks
We’ve had a lot of experience with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and all of it has been positive. It’s very powerful, which is great if you enjoy graphically intensive mobile games like PUBG and Genshin Impact, but it’s also very efficient, meaning that you can go for a long time between charges.
Elsewhere, the Nothing phone (2) is rumoured to come with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Both of these are options for the Nothing phone (1), so this wouldn’t be too surprising, and we reckon that we’re likely to see higher capacity options, too.
Cameras
The cameras are a bit of a weak area on the Nothing phone (1). On paper, it sounds like a good configuration, with a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide and 16MP selfie snapper. But, the reality is that the results aren’t quite up there with the likes of Google and Samsung.
That’s not to say they’re awful, but you’re unlikely to find anyone purchasing the phone (1) based on its camera performance alone.
So, we’ve got our fingers crossed for some photographic improvements on the Nothing phone (2). Unfortunately, there haven’t really been any concrete rumours about the camera configuration, so at this stage, we’re not too sure of what to expect.
Verdict
Rumours point towards the Nothing phone (2) being a slightly larger and significantly more powerful device, which will make it more appealing to those accustomed to flagship smartphones.
Nothing
At the moment, there are still a lot of unanswered questions, especially when it comes to the camera system, so it’s far too early to recommend one device over the other.
We think the Nothing phone (1) is likely to continue being an appealing choice for those that want a stylish mid-ranger, whereas the phone (2) will bring some of Nothing’s signature quirky design into the higher-end market.
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