After months of official and unofficial teasers, former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has now revealed the second generation of the high-style Nothing Phone, which gains a bigger screen, refined Glyph light show, and better cameras.
Where the original handset came with a 6.55-inch AMOLED display, Nothing has bumped things up a notch for the Phone (2) with a 6.7-inch LPTO OLED screen topped by durable Corning Gorilla Glass. The adaptive refresh rate runs from 1 Hz to 120 Hz, the display boasts a 10-bit color depth, and it comes with a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits.
There's a 32-megapixel selfiecam hole-punched up top that's capable of Full HD video at 60 frames per second, and the handset is reported to have a thinner midframe plus a "pillowed glass back" for a more ergonomic feel in the hand.
It's powered by last year's mobile platform of choice for flagship Android phones, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. That's not to suggest weak performance chops here, this is the chipset at the heart of the new Razr Plus as well as the Galaxy Fold4 so the Phone (2) is by no means a slouch. System support comes as either 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, a 12-GB/256-GB combo or a 12-GB/512-GB flavor.
The 50-MP dual camera array around back benefits from "advanced algorithms for true-to-life photography." The main camera is based around Sony's IMX890 image sensor, and is capable of recording 4K video at 60 frames per second with hybrid electronic and optical stabilization cutting down on shake. The ultra-wide camera module offers a 114-degree field of view and feeds light to a Samsung JN1 image sensor.
The handset's 18-bit image processor can handle much more camera data than the first-gen setup for the promise of improved photo/video accuracy, with the HDR algorithm combining information from eight frames at different exposures for "a final image that captures the most true-to-life result." AI-based smarts are cooked in for subject tracking and focus, too.
Also to the rear is a revised Glyph interface, which has been designed to fire light and sound sequences for alerts, notifications and augmented ringtones so that users don't need to keep checking the main screen. Nothing has included more LED segments than before, which gives users more options when setting up custom alerts, as well as additional functionality such as volume checker, timer and visual countdown clock.
The smartphone comes packing Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as 5G mobile internet, and gains a slightly bigger (4,700-mAh) battery that supports 45-W cabled fast charging for 50% topups in under 20 minutes, plus 15-W Qi wireless fast-charging as well.
The new distraction-hating Nothing OS 2.0 skin has been optimized for zippy performance and smooth operation without the bloat. Users can look forward to a new monochrome layout with reworked widget-packed home and lock screens, and they can customize grid design, widget size and color schemes. The company is promising at least three years of Android updates, and four years of security patches.
The Phone (2) also ticks a number of sustainability boxes, including 80% of its plastic parts being made from recycled/bio-based materials, 100% recycled aluminum for the mid-frame, buttons and SIM tray tip, 100% recycle copper foils on the main board, and the final assembly plant being powered by 100% renewable energy.
The Phone (2) is rated IP54 dust/splash-resistant, and will go on sale from July 17 at a starting price of US$599. That's for the version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, if you want the top of the line you'll need to stump up $799 for a handset with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Your color options are dark gray or white.
Product page: Nothing Phone (2)
