A few months ago, Nothing released its first-ever budget phone, the Nothing Phone (2a), and while it pushes relatively far from the design of the Nothing Phone (2), it very clearly maintains the same DNA that makes it instantly recognizable as a product from the design-focused company.
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus was teased out of nowhere a few days ago and now, its existence has finally been made official. The Phone (2a) Plus brings a few upgrades over the regular Phone (2a), but are they enough to justify its existence? Let’s find out.
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Brings A Recognizable Design With A Little Extra
Nothing has launched the brand-new Phone (2a) Plus, which seems to target those who want budget, but a little more than the relative bare minimum that the regular Phone (2a) provides.
The Design
On first glance, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus looks almost exactly like the regular Nothing Phone (2a). It’s got the same see-through style plastic back, giving a glimpse at the internals. However, the ribbon inside has a metallic finish to it, which I like. It is available in black, just like the Phone (2a), but trades out white for a sleeker silver colorway.
Besides that, other design elements remain mostly the same. You get Glyph lights in the same position and the phones are generally hard to tell apart. The Phone (2a) Plus is also IP54-certified.
The Screen
Despite being a “Plus” phone, this new entry from Nothing doesn’t make any changes to the screen that was in the Phone (2a). That’s unsurprising since the Phone (2a) already had 6.7-inch unit and they don’t tend to get any bigger than that these days.
It’s a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 1,300 nits of peak brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ certification. Generally, a good screen on paper.
The Hardware
Inside is where you’ll find one of the few upgrades this phone boasts of. The MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro in the Nothing Phone (2a) gets upgraded to the Dimensity 7350 Pro, and this is the first time that the chip is being used in any device. Nothing says that you’ll get a 10% increase in CPU performance and a 30% increase in GPU performance.
You can get the phone in a 8/256GB or 12/256GB configuration, just like the Phone (2a). The battery stays the same at 5,000 mAh, but the charging gets a tad faster. When I say a tad, I mean it, because it merely climbs from 45W to 50W fast charging. According to Nothing, that’s a 4-minute difference for a full charge. Nothing to go crazy about.
The Cameras
The Phone (2a) had a dual 50MP camera setup on the back, utilizing a primary lens with OIS and an ultrawide as the secondary option. That stays exactly the same here.
However, the 32MP camera for selfies has been pushed up to a 50MP unit, which is nice to see. It can now shoot 4K/30 instead of just FHD/60. This is where the improvements end though.
The Pricing
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus has just three boosts over its vanilla compatriot: a better chip, slightly faster charging, and a better selfie camera. The 12/256GB model will be available for $399, which is just $50 over the regular Nothing Phone (2a)’s launch price. However, it’s up to you to determine whether so few upgrades are worth half a Benjamin extra.
