After releasing two excellent phones that sat at the upper end of the mid-range price bracket, upstart tech brand Nothing is back with a new $320-$350-ish handset that, depending on your region (or spending power), can be considered either a budget or lower mid-range phone. However you want to categorize it, the Nothing Phone 2a is yet another polished Android phone that offers great value, plus some style and attitude.

About this review: This review was written with a self-purchased unit of the Nothing Phone 2a. The company had no input in this article.

Nothing Phone 2a: Pricing and availability

The Nothing Phone 2a is available for purchase in the US, but only via a "developer program." It's not as complicated as it sounds: you simply sign up on Nothing's website and you'll be sent a link to purchase the phone. However, the device will only work fully on T-Mobile, as it lacks some of the 5G bands that Verizon and AT&T use. In other markets, such as the UK, Hong Kong and India, the phone will be easier to buy, with availability at physical stores, as well as support for all networks.

The US is only getting a slightly higher tier 12GB/256GB model priced at $350, the rest of the world gets that version plus a cheaper 8GB/128GB model priced at about the equivalent of $320 (converted from local currency).

Hardware and design

Same flashy design, just plasticky

The Nothing Phone 2a brings a simplified version of the Nothing Phone 2's design. The backplate is still transparent, but it's now plastic instead of Gorilla Glass, and the "internal components" you see are less intricate, mostly consisting of a camera module and a sheet that is designed to look like coils. The "Glyph Interface" — a series of LED light strips that flash patterns — is still here, but it consists of just three light strips as opposed to the Nothing Phone 2's eleven lights.

Inside is a Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip. It's a mid-range silicon, but built on 4nm architecture and 5G support, so it's still a capable SoC. There's also a 5,000 mAh battery that can be charged at 45W (charger not included).

The 6.6-inch OLED screen with 2K resolution looked good to my eyes, though it is not a top-tier LTPO panel, meaning the refresh rate cannot drop as low as 1Hz. But on the bright side, it gets up to 120Hz, which provides buttery smooth animations. The maximum brightness of 1,300 nits is respectable, as are the bezels. The side frame is plastic also, but Nothing gave it this matte coating that looks and feels nice. At 190g and 8.6mm thick, it's about average size in 2024 and thus comfortable to hold for most adults.

What I like

Two good cameras

The Nothing Phone 2a packs two rear-facing cameras, both 50MP, covering the wide (roughly 23mm) and ultra-wide (16mm) focal lengths. I want to applaud Nothing right off the bat for not inserting a pointless macro or depth sensor to pad the camera count, which is something mid-range Samsung and budget Chinese phones do often.

The main camera is good, with a respectable 1/1.56-inch sensor, though the f/1.9 aperture is not the widest. Nothing's processing has its distinctive style which dials up the contrast, so reds appear to pop more. Shutter speed is fast, and generally exposes light sources correctly. For example, in the last image in the set below, the light spilling into the coffee shop from outside was very harsh, but the Phone 2a did a solid job with exposure. Notice the shallow depth-of-field in shots with an object in the foreground.

The ultra-wide camera is also good in its price range. It being a more pixel-dense 50MP lens gives it more leeway than other mid-range phones which tend to use 8MP or 12MP ultra-wide cameras. Night mode kicks in very liberally, but if you can hold still for a second, you'll get some nice looking sweeping shots. There's also a 32MP front-facing camera that's fine, but the shutter has a bit of lag.

Clean software with style

I also like Nothing's software, named NothingOS, based on Android 14. It has some visual flair, like the monochrome app icons, and abilty to use large widgets and app folders. But it also does not get in the way of core Android or Google's intended aesthetic the way some other Android skins from Samsung or Chinese brands do. For example, every time I use a Samsung phone, I am annoyed at needing to swipe horizontally (instead of vertically) to cycle through apps in the app tray. It's just a random change that is there for the sake of it: literally every other version of Android scrolls through apps vertically. There's nothing annoying like that in the NothingOS. Even the monochrome homescreen UI can be turned off if you prefer a typical Android look.

The aforementioned Glyph Interface may be pared down, but it's still a fun little gimmick that can be genuinely useful if you take a lot of phone calls and you're the type to put your phone face down. I am not one of those people, but I know people who are, and for them, they can essentially assign specific light patterns to contacts, so they can tell if an incoming call is important by just glancing at the back of the phone.

What I don't like

Nitpick territory

The Nothing Phone 2a is a pretty good value but just how much of a good value depends on where you are. If you live somewhere in which Xiaomi's POCO sub-brand sells phones, then there's the POCO X6 Pro which is roughly the same price but has a higher-tier Mediatek chip, brighter screen, and an included 67W charger. However, that POCO device also has some bloatware in the software, and a weaker ultra-wide camera. The Galaxy A55, which I just reviewed, has a more premium metal and glass construction, and slightly more powerful Exynos chip (but it also runs hotter).

The lack of support for all US carrier bands also limits its appeal stateside, though this phone is definitely aiming at a more niche enthusiast crowd than casual consumers. I also find the video performance to be below par, with the occasional choppy framerate and overly saturated colors. These are all nitpicks though: at this price, the Phone 2a is perfectly capable and appealing.

Should you buy the Nothing Phone 2a?

You should get the Nothing Phone 2a if:

• You want a good value mid-range phone that nails the basics
• You are a fan of Nothing's visually striking design language

You should not get the Nothing Phone 2a if:

• You want a glass and aluminum phone at similar price
• You want the absolute best value

The biggest thing the Nothing Phone 2a has going for it, in my opinion, is a cool design and unique aesthetic. If you want the absolute best specs for the dollar, Realme and POCO offer a bit more, and Samsung's much improved A55 has more premium construction with a much bigger marketing budget. But the Nothing Phone 2a stands out from the crowd more, with a unique back design and the Glyph Interface. If you're on the market for a phone and your budget is under $350, the Nothing Phone 2a is a very worthy contender.