Nothing Phone 2a Plus Review: Same Same but Different?

Nothing has been generously launching smartphones in different price segments in the past few months. We saw the company’s sub-brand first smartphone, the CMF Phone 1, taking the budget segment. And now, the company has introduced an updated version of the Nothing Phone 2a by adding some Plus in terms of camera, performance, and battery. Thus, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus is here and is priced at Rs 27,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB variant, while the 12GB RAM and 256GB model comes with a price tag of Rs 29,999. So, does it make sense to go for the Plus model or stick to the original Phone 2a? Let’s find out in this review.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Design: Nothing New Here

• Dimensions – 161.74 x 76.32 x 8.55mm
• Weight – 190g
• Colours – Grey and Black

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus is essentially the Phone 2a with a new colour option. Visually, you cannot make any distinction because there are none. This means you get the same transparent look with the same Glyph interface at the top half of the rear panel, along with a horizontal camera module placed at the centre of the phone inside the NFC coil.

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus is available in Grey and Black colour options.

The company has introduced a new Grey colour option, which marks some differences from the original Phone 2a model. That said, there is new Nothing to talk about here about the design, and if you want to know more about it, then you can read our Nothing Phone 2a review to get a better understanding.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Display: Does the Job Right

• Display – 6.7-inch Full HD+ flexible OLED display
• Refresh Rate – 120Hz screen refresh rate
• Other Features – 2160Hz PWM Dimming, HDR10+, 10-bit colour, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, 1,300nits peak brightness

The display on the Nothing Phone 2a Plus is identical to the Nothing Phone 2a. This is not necessarily bad, as the display performance is up to the mark. The colours are vibrant, and the viewing angles are excellent on this device.

The smartphone features vibrant display that delivers sharp colours.

The phone also comes with two different display modes: Standard and Alive. The latter gives punchier colours, making the whole experience smooth. While watching ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ on Netflix, the colours came out to be good, and the blacks were deep. Even the low-light shots appeared pleasing, and I didn’t notice the grey scale much in darker scenes. The phone also comes loaded with a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, making the whole experience better.

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus also comes loaded with an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is quite reliable and fast. The handset also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, though it only offers an IP54 rating. This means that the device can get away with some minor spillage.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Software: Clean and Unique

• Software – Nothing OS 2.6
• Version – Android 14
• Updates Promised – 3 Years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches

The latest Nothing Phone 2a Plus runs on the latest version of the Nothing OS 2.6, which is based on Android 14. The company has confirmed that the Plus model will get the same level of software support as seen in Nothing Phone 2 and Phone 2a. This means you get three years of software updates and four years of security patches.

The company promises three years of Android update and four years of security patches for Nothing Phone 2a Plus

That said, the user interface is certainly the most unique feature of the device. First, there is no bloatware, which is heavily customised to make it stand out from the competition. The Nothing’s signature dot matrix font and overall design style give it a consistent look. You also get the option to choose the Nothing styled theme or the normal one.

The Glyph interface offers a good level of customisation. You can use it for messages, calls, app notifications, battery charging status, and more. Moreover, with AI wallpaper, you can generate customised wallpapers. Apart from this, the OS also comes with an ‘Experimental Feature,’ which allows you to pair Apple AirPods with the device with ease.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Performance: Good Thermal Management

• Processor – MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro
• Memory – Up to 12GB (LPDD4X)
• Storage – Up to 512GB (UFS 2.2)

The new Nothing Phone 2a Plus comes loaded with a new chipset, which is specially developed for Nothing by MediaTek. The handset runs on MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro processor. The chipset is more like the overclocked version of the Dimensity 7200 SoC. The company claims that the device delivers almost 10 percent better CPU tasks and up to 40 percent better GPU tasks as compared to the Dimensity 7200 Pro, which is present in the Nothing Phone 2a.

In terms of daily usage, the phone feels fairly smooth. Whether be it app hopping or playing games, the phone’s performance is smooth and powerful. While playing Call of Duty: Mobile on Very High Quality and maximum frame rate, I didn’t notice any frame drop. The thermal management is also great on this device and you will not feel it getting too warm even with 45 minutes of intense gaming.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Cameras: Needs Optimisations

• Rear – 50-megapixel Samsung GN9 sensor with f/1.88 aperture + 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 Ultra-Wide Camera
• Front – 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor with f/2.4 aperture

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus made some improvements in the camera department in the selfie department. The phone now comes with a 50-megapixel front-facing camera as opposed to the 32-megapixel sensor found in Phone 2a. That said, the rear camera module is essentially the same.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus daylight camera samples. (Tap on image to expand)

The daylight performance of the Nothing Phone 2a Plus is good, as it captures sharp and vibrant photos. The contrast and dynamic range are decent as well. You also get to choose two different modes: Standard and Vivid. The latter uses AI to enhance the colours, which look more Instagram-worthy.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus ultra-wide camera samples. (Tap image to expand)

The ultrawide sensor, on the other hand, is underwhelming. The colour output is decent, but the details are slightly missing in the daylight shots. The portrait mode works well with edge detection, and the skin tone colours look natural.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus low-light camera samples. (Tap to expand)

In low-light conditions, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus does a decent job. The noises are reduced with Vivid mode. The shadows are well-developed, and the highlights are there as well. The colours also came out to be natural during the testing period. However, with ultrawide, we saw colours being a bit washed out, and the noises were quite prominent.

The selfie performance has improved this time. You get solid output in daylight conditions. The skin tones and texture look close to the source, and there are plenty of details. However, in low light conditions, the issue of focus persists, but you can still get a good amount of details.

The video quality is good as well. The phone is now capable of 4K@30fps from the selfie camera, which is also a good thing.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Battery: Impressive Battery Life

• Battery Capacity – 5,000mAh (Dual-cell)
• Wired Charging – 50W SuperCharge
• Charger – Not Included

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus comes loaded with a similar battery backup of 5,000mAh. However, the company is offering slightly better 50W fast charging support with the latest device as opposed to the 45W charging support found in the Phone 2a.

The handset comes loaded with a 5,000mAh battery and supports 50W fast charging.

The battery life output is similar as well. During the testing period, the phone delivered almost two days of battery life with normal to moderate usage. Under heavy usage, the phone lasted one full day without much issue. The phone lasted 22 hours and 38 minutes in our battery loop test. The company didn’t give any charger in the box, which is a bummer. I used a 68W fast charger to check the charging capabilities of the phone. During the testing, the phone got charged 30 percent in 15 minutes, 63 percent in 30 minutes, and it took almost 55 minutes to charge fully.

Nothing Phone 2a Plus Verdict

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus seems to be an interesting option at this price segment. The handset still brings a unique design language, which you don’t see in other brands. Compared to the Nothing Phone 2a, you get about 10 percent improvements in performance, charging speeds, and front-facing camera. But you need to pay some extra bucks as well.

The smartphone will face a stiff competition from OnePlus, Honor, and other phones.

So, if you don’t want to spend that much on the Plus, you can go with the Phone 2a, which is not a bad deal at a starting price of Rs 23,999. However, if you are looking for a slightly better performance, improved cameras, and slightly better faster speeds, then you can consider the Phone 2a Plus.
As far as the competition is concerned, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus faces stiff competition from the Honor 200 (Review), Realme GT 6T (Review), Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Review), and OnePlus Nord 4 (Review).