Mario Bautista
For $399, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus offers a distinct design, a big, bright screen, and quick wired charging. It also performs quite well, thanks to its combination of a MediaTek 7350 processor and 12GB of RAM. That said, the phone‘s limited availability and 5G connectivity are likely deal breakers for most people. If you don’t want to deal with all of those hurdles, Samsung’s Galaxy A35 5G provides comparable performance and reliable 5G for the same price. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 8a gets you those same advantages, better cameras, and seven years of software support for $499, making it our Editors’ Choice.
Availability: Limited in the US
The Nothing Phone (2a) isn’t as easy to get as most phones in the US: You have to join the Nothing US Beta Program for a chance to buy it as long as supplies last. If you’re successful, the company says it typically takes between five and seven days to receive the phone.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
For context, the Nothing Phone (2a) sits between the $349 Nothing Phone (2a) and the $599 Nothing Phone (2) in the company’s portfolio. The Phone (2a) is very similar to the (2a) Plus in that you must obtain it through the Beta Program in the US. It has the same rear cameras but a slightly slower processor. Meanwhile, the Phone (2) is available to order directly with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It uses a Qualcomm processor rather than a MediaTek one and has more Glyph lights on the back.
Design: Glyphs Are Unique, But Not Very Useful
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus measures 6.37 by 3.00 by 0.33 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.70 ounces. For comparison, the Galaxy A35 (6.37 by 3.07 by 0.32 inches, 7.37 ounces) is similar in size but heavier. The Pixel 8a is the smallest and lightest of the group at 5.99 by 2.86 by 0.35 inches and 6.63 ounces.
The rounded, rectangular front looks like that of most other phones. The display uses a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panel and has a pre-applied screen protector. This is a step above the Pixel 8a’s Gorilla Glass 3, though not as advanced as the Galaxy A35’s Gorilla Glass Victus+. A front-facing camera is visible at the top center; an earpiece speaker above it acts as a second speaker for media playback and speakerphone use.
Volume buttons are on the left side, while the power button is on the right. These all provide a satisfying click. A fingerprint sensor is under the display, which I found finicky at times. Face Unlock is also an option, but it isn’t as secure. A SIM card tray with two nanoSIM slots, a USB-C 2.0 port, and a speaker grille are all on the bottom; eSIM is not an option. The frame is made of polycarbonate plastic and feels tough.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Nothing goes for a more unique look on the back. The slightly inset rear panel features a thick slab of clear polycarbonate plastic that showcases lights, screws, silver ribbon cables, and an NFC coil around the camera array. Branding is minimal, with just small white text that spells out the company name, phone name, and model number. I’m not a big fan of the silver-ribbon look, but I appreciate bold design choices in the currently homogeneous market. The phone is available in Black or Grey (the version I tested).
To further differentiate the device, Nothing includes its Glyph Interface. This customizable light system can alert you to calls, notifications, timers, and more without requiring you to look at the screen. It worked as advertised in testing. Although this is an inventive idea, I question its practicality. Memorizing all the specific light patterns isn’t intuitive, and I often felt the urge to just flip the phone over instead. You can always turn off the Glyph interface if you don’t want to use it.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Rounding out the design, the phone has an IP54 rating, which means it has limited protection against dust and splashes of water. In contrast, both the Pixel 8a and Galaxy A35 have superior IP67 ratings.
Display: Big and Vibrant
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,412 by 1,084 pixels. A dynamic refresh rate between 30Hz and 120Hz results in smooth animations, while the 240Hz touch sampling rate makes inputs very responsive. With a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, visibility remains high even in sunny outdoor settings. Taking pictures outdoors was easy, thanks to the bright viewfinder.
Samsung’s Galaxy A35 has a slightly smaller 6.6-inch screen with a similar resolution, for comparison, but its maximum brightness is just 1,000 nits. The Pixel 8a’s 6.1-inch screen is downright tiny by comparison, though its 2,000 nits of brightness allows it to overcome even harsh lighting conditions.
Performance: Competitive Benchmark Results
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus uses the MediaTek 7350 Pro system on a chip (SoC) that tops out at 3.0GHz, along with 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB (UFS 2.2) of non-expandable internal storage. This SoC is exclusive to Nothing.
(Credit: Geekbench/PCMark/GFXBench/PCMag)
On Geekbench 6, which measures raw computing power, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus scored 1,202 on the single-core test and 2,608 on the multi-core test. These results are on the same level as the Samsung Galaxy A35 (1,010 and 2,790), which uses the Exynos 1380 SoC. The Google Pixel 8a, with its Tensor G3 SoC, scored better than both (1,545 and 4,208).
When I ran the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which simulates general mobile tasks, the Phone (2a) Plus scored 13,860. It outperformed both the Galaxy A35 (11,785) and Pixel 8a (11,982).
For evaluating graphical performance, I ran the GFXBench Aztec Ruins benchmark at a resolution of 2,286 by 1,021 pixels. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus managed 34 frames per second (fps) here, which is higher than the Galaxy A35’s 19fps at 2,251 by 1,041 pixels, but lower than the Pixel 8a’s 55fps at 2,279 by 1,017 pixels.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
To evaluate real-world gaming performance, I tried playing the resource-intensive Genshin Impact. At lower settings, the game ran smoothly without any noticeable slowdowns. When I enabled medium graphics settings at 60fps, the phone continued to perform well. Even at the highest settings and 60fps, the Phone (2a) Plus never dropped a frame. The back of the device barely got warm during a 20-minute session, making for a comfortable gaming experience.
Battery: Fast Charging
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus features a big 5,000mAh battery that ran for 11 hours and 20 minutes in our rundown test, in which we continuously stream a 1080p video at full brightness. It lands between the Galaxy A35 (5,000mAh), which ran for 10 hours and 35 minutes, and the Pixel 8a (4,492mAh), which managed 12 hours and 15 minutes.
Charging the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is quick thanks to its 50W wired fast charging support (you don’t get a charger in the box). It goes from 0% to 100% in around 65 to 70 minutes. A 15-minute charge brings the battery to 34%, while a 30-minute session takes it to 63%. The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus doesn’t support wireless charging (something the Pixel 8a does), but it can charge other devices at 5W over a wired connection.
Connectivity and Calls: Restricted 5G Support in the US
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC. Limited compatibility with US wireless networks complicates the 5G situation. Here are the details:
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AT&T: The phone supports 3G and 4G (LTE Bands: 4/5/66), but not 5G or VoLTE/VoWiFi.
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T-Mobile: It supports 3G, 4G (LTE Bands: 4/5/41/66), and some 5G (Band: N41).
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Verizon: Nothing doesn’t recommend using the phone with Verizon. It supports 4G (LTE Bands: 4/5/66) but not 5G or CDMA. You also need to contact Verizon to add the IMEI.
I tested the Phone (2a) Plus on T-Mobile’s 5G network in New York City. It turned in slow download speeds of 83.6Mbps and upload speeds of 50.4Mbps. For comparison, the Pixel 8a connected to T-Mobile’s 5G UC network and reached far better peak download and upload speeds of 607Mbps and 67.1Mbps. This difference isn’t surprising since the Pixel 8a supports both sub-6GHz 5G (including C-band) and mmWave.
(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Next, I connected the phones to the Wi-Fi 6 access point in my apartment. In this scenario, the Phone (2a) Plus hit download speeds of 468Mbps and upload speeds of 12.0Mbps. Those are in line with the Pixel 8a’s results (443Mbps down, 10.7Mbps up). I then moved the devices as far away as possible from the access point in my apartment. The Phone (2a) Plus dropped to 292Mbps down and 9.95Mbps up, while the Pixel 8a managed 299Mbps down and 10.1Mbps up.
I recorded a voicemail message to assess the call quality. My voice sounded muffled even in a quiet room, but it was still understandable. Background noises were audible, though quieter than my voice. Overall, the call quality could stand improvement. During test calls, the speakerphone reached 72.0dB, and the earpiece speaker hit 62.8dB. I find that volumes at or above 70dB are easy to hear, even with moderate background noise, so I would prefer a louder earpiece.
The Phone (2a) Plus reached 91.3dB when I tried playing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” That’s plenty loud, but the track lacked depth. Lower bass notes, like those in The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” are difficult to discern. As usual, I suggest getting a good pair of Bluetooth headphones for better audio.
Cameras: Mostly Up to Par
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus packs a triple 50MP camera system. The main 50MP f/1.88 unit has optical image stabilization (OIS), the 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide optic has a 114-degree field of view, and the 50MP f/2/2 front-facing camera has an 81.2-degree field of view. Generally, images from the rear cameras have crisp details and natural colors.
The main and ultra-wide cameras capture 12.5MP pixel-binned images by default, but you can opt for full-resolution photos via the camera app. Images at 12.5MP and 50MP from both rear cameras have consistent colors, though the 50MP pictures preserve a greater amount of detail, as expected.
Main camera, 12.5MP (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Main camera, 50MP (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The rear cameras offer Natural and Vivid modes. The latter provides automatic fixes in real time, such as reducing highlight brightness to enhance color layering in the sky. I noticed a slight difference in resulting images from the two modes, but nothing drastic.
(Credit: Nothing)
Ultra-wide photos look good, and distortion corrections keep the sides in check for a natural look. Shadowy areas are a little dark but ultimately fine.
Ultra-wide, 12.5MP (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Ultra-wide, 50MP (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Interestingly, you can use the Glyph lights on the back as a fill light. They don’t help much but could be useful in especially dark situations.
The front-facing camera leaves Beauty Mode off by default, which is helpful for those who prefer a natural look. Beauty Mode softens the image to help remove facial imperfections.
I took the below images back-to-back. You can see how different the selfie and portrait modes look outdoors: Regular selfies appear much darker. Indoors, the results are more consistent. The portrait mode does a good job of separating a subject from the background.
Left to right: Selfie, portrait (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
The rear cameras can capture 4K/30fps video. Image quality is generally very clear, though some fast motion can cause blurring. The stabilization system is good, but not gimbal-like. I noticed steadier results at 1080p/60fps than 4K/30, though at the expense of oversaturated colors and overexposed highlights. Video clips from the front-facing camera at 4K/30 are just as detailed as from the rear camera. That said, 1080p/60fps recordings have muddy colors.
Software: Stark Looks
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus ships with Android 14 and Nothing OS 2.6 atop it. The company promises three years of software updates and four years of security updates, which is good but not great. The Samsung Galaxy A35 offers four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, while the Pixel 8a gets a class-leading seven years of OS updates, feature drops, and security fixes.
A tutorial guides you through navigation and introduces the Glyph Interface upon setup, highlighting the latter’s call recognition, essential notifications, and timer functionality. The phone also lets you choose between a custom Nothing interface and the default Android style, which is a nice touch for personalization.
(Credit: Nothing)
Nothing revises Game Mode with new features like quick access to the game dashboard during gameplay and support for one-tap callback after rejecting a call. This mode also locks screen brightness to prevent accidental changes during intense gaming sessions.
The Nothing OS 2.6 launcher can provide stark black-and-white icons and widgets if you prefer. I like the look since it makes you slow down and be more mindful, thanks to fewer visual cues. However, this cosmetic change doesn’t significantly alter how Android functions.
Verdict: A Captivating Design Only Takes It So Far
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus impresses by providing a fast, bright display, reliable performance, and an intriguing design at a midrange price. However, the phone’s limited carrier compatibility is a serious problem, as is the convoluted process of acquiring it in the US. Call quality could be better, too. Overall, most people should spend $100 more to get the Google Pixel 8a instead. The Pixel offers fast 5G connectivity, longer battery life, and better software support, earning it our Editors’ Choice award.
Pros
The Bottom Line
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has a standout design and plenty of power, but 5G compatibility issues make it difficult to recommend.
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About Iyaz Akhtar
Mobile Analyst
