This is the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and you should think of it as a more powerful (rather than larger) version of the 5-month-old Nothing Phone (2a), not as its replacement. In fact, both phones will be on sale simultaneously.
So what does a Plus warrant? A new 50MP selfie camera (vs 32MP on the regular) and an upgraded chipset – the Dimensity 7350 Plus uses the same design as the Dimensity 7200 Pro, but is overclocked. It may not sound like much, but Nothing claims a 10% faster CPU, and 30% faster graphics performance, which is… well, something.
This new Metallic Grey color also suits the phone greatly, so there’s also that.
The retail package of the Phone (2a) Plus is business as usual – you get a nice Nothing-branded USB-C cable and a SIM eject tool. You’d need to supply your own charger – the phone supports up to 50W (5W more than the non-plus model).
You get the same Glyph interface on the back as the Nothing Phone (2a). At present, the Glyph Interface can be used primarily for notifications and alerts, but it’s a fine differentiator in a world of grey and black bar phones with diminishing visual personalities.
Nothing OS is a true joy to use. It’s very responsive and the tailor-made haptics add a physical dimension to the virtual world as you interact with it. Continuing on that thread, the phone feels lovely in the hand. The slightly rounded edges on the rear panel make the Phone (2a) Plus comfortable to handle.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus starts at $399/£399 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage trim. Pre-orders start today from nothing.tech. Meanwhile we’ll be starting work on our review and you can expect to see it on our homepage in the following weeks!