Last week, Nothing, a London-based company, launched The Nothing Phone 2, the company’s new smartphone and successor to the Phone 1. The transparent back design is still present but has been tweaked, and Glyph functionality has been improved. The Phone has a bigger FHD+ 120Hz LTPO-AMOLED screen and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 SoC. It also has a slightly larger battery.

Since it has moved to the premium category, its price has also increased. Does it deserve the price tag? We will find out by diving into the review.

Box contents

• Dark Grey color of the Nothing Phone 2 12GB + 512GB
• USB Type C to C cable
• SIM Ejector Tool
• Information on the user manual and warranty

Display Hardware and Design

The display of the Nothing Phone II is a flexible 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED screen with a resolution of 2412×1080 pixels. It has a 20:9 aspect and 394-pixel density. The display is bright thanks to 500 nits (typical) and 1600 nits maximum brightness. This is activated when watching HDR content.

It has a 1-120Hz display refresh rate. Depending on the content, the display can be switched from 10Hz to 60Hz to 90Hz to 120Hz. When the always-on display is turned on, it goes as low as 1Hz. It has a 240Hz sampling rate for touch. It offers a smoother user experience when enabled, especially while scrolling and gaming. HDR 10+ is also supported and works with YouTube.

There are several options under the display for adjusting colors to your liking. You can also reduce the display’s blue light emission to avoid eye strain while reading at night. The dark mode is available, just like on other Android devices. It offers an always-on option but only has a few customization options. It is very similar to the Pixel. The Phone does not have MEMC dimming or DC dimming. Corning Gorilla Glass is included in the Phone.

The Phone has a small hole in the center that houses a camera with 32 megapixels, as opposed to the 16 megapixels on this Phone. The Phone’s top edge has an earpiece that doubles as a speaker.

The Phone features an optical fingerprint scanner on the display. Similar to Phone 1, the small bezel is uniform on the sides and top. Although the Phone’s bottom bezel is small, the side bezels are thicker than other mid-range smartphones.

The power button is on the right, and the volume controls are on the left. Dual SIM, primary microphone, and USB Type-C ports are all on the bottom. The secondary microphone can be found on top. The sides are 100% recycled aluminum and do not attract fingerprints.

Over 80% of plastic parts are made of recycled or bio-based material. According to the company, the Phone uses 100% recycled tin on nine circuit boards, 100% recyclable copper foils for the main board, and over 90% recycled metal for the 28 steel stamping components. The carbon footprint is 53.45 kilograms, lower than the Phone 1.

It still has a transparent, unique back. Corning Gorilla Glass is also installed on the back. It would be best to use a protective case for the back, as it is slippery.

Glyph Interface is the main feature of the Phone. It has 33 LED lighting zones that can be customized, as opposed to the 12 on the Phone (1). The center section has six separations, and the top-right area has 16 lighting zones that can be customized.

The Phone is also available in White. It is only 8.6mm thin and weighs just 201.2 grams, but it has a large screen and a back made of glass. The Phone 1 has an IP53 rating for splash resistance, whereas the Phone 2 has IP54. This means that it can withstand light rain or minor spills but not submerge in water. Would have liked to see IP67 or IP68 water resistance ratings.

Camera

• OIS and 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera with f/1.88, 1/1.56″ sensor
• 50MP ultra-wide camera with Samsung JN1 sensors, f/2.2, 4cm Macro option
• 32MP front camera with Sony IMX615 f/2.4 sensor

It has been updated with new options but still maintains a simple interface. Slo-mo is available as a video, photo, portrait, and other options such as time-lapse, macro, and expert mode. Expert mode allows you to adjust shutter speed, white balance, ISO, and focus. You can also choose RAW.

The images look natural and have a good dynamic range. With pixel-binning, the output of both main and ultra-wide cameras is 12.5MP. HDR photos are improved with an increased dynamic range. The 50MP wide-angle shots are excellen, and have the same colors as the main camera.

It is possible to use the ultra-wide macro, but it can only be used up to 4cm away. Therefore, it is best to take close-up photos in 2X. The 32MP front-facing camera is an improvement over the 16MP on the Phone 1. You also get the total 32MP output. Edge detection is excellent in portrait. The main and ultra-wide cameras perform well in low-light conditions, and auto night mode helps keep the noise down.

Take a look at the sample cameras.

The primary camera and the ultra-wide camera can both record 4k videos at 60 fps. Slow motion is also available in 4K resolution at 120 fps and up to 480 frames per second for 1080p. The OIS on the main camera is effective. The video quality of the main camera with the ultra-wide lens is excellent, but you may experience some jelly effects when panning if you are using HDR video at 1080p and 30 frames per second.

The Action Mode option allows you to keep your Phone stable when moving. It works with EIS, EIS, and OIS. However, this mode is only available in 1080p at 60fps. Front camera videos can be recorded in 1080p with up to 30fps. You can use the Glyph led lights to take photos and record videos.