A recent leak has revealed our first look at the alleged Nothing Phone (2a). The images, shared on X by known leaker Yogesh Bar, give a good impression of what we could expect from the future Nothing release.
Nothing Phone 2a PVTGets:- 120Hz OLED panel- Dimensity 7200- 8/128GB- 50MP dual camera setup- Ships with Nothing OS 2.5- Android 14- New back design- Redesigned Glyph- Glyph controls similar to Phone 2MWC launch, Good for $400 pic.twitter.com/WNCoJoRMhWDecember 16, 2023
The images shared are supposedly the Production Validation Test (PVT) unit, which is the final stage of prototyping before mass production. This would indicate that the specifications shared would be as close to the retail model as possible.
It appears the Nothing Phone (2a) will come with a 120Hz OLED panel and run with a Dimensity 7200 processor. Which is an interesting diversion for the Nothing brand as the Nothing 2 was launched with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Perhaps Nothing is turning away from the majority of Android-running phones that make use of some form of the Snapdragon chipset. Looking at you, Samsung — the Galaxy S24 could be shipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 next year.
The Dimensity 7200 is by no means a weak cheap, but it pails in comparison to the Snapdragon series in most areas other than battery life. It could also be a cost-cutting measure by Nothing to make the phone more affordable. It should also be mentioned that the processor information is not shown in the two pictures, so this could be pure conjecture on Yogesh’s part.
One big change shown in the images is the location of the rear cameras. While the Nothing 2 had both cameras in a vertical position, the Nothing Phone (2a) apparently moved them to a vertical line. The post lists that both rear-facing cameras will output at 50MP, matching them with the Nothing 2's cameras. However, the front-facing camera has taken something of a downgrade, with it supposedly being dropped to only 16MP.
One thing the images don't make clear is if Nothing’s famous glyph interface will make a return on the rear of the phone. The phone in the post has its back covered by a privacy cover. However, looking closely we can almost make out that the Nothing Phone (2a) could make use of the same curved edges as its predecessor and the same narrow bezel.
In our review of the Nothing Phone 2, we listed the cameras as being one of the weaker aspects of the phone. As such, it is surprising to see that there appears to be little improvement in that regard. It is also interesting to note that the image appears to list the Nothing Phone (2a)’s battery at 1,000 mAh, a considerable downgrade from the 4,700 mAh of its predecessor.
This information should be taken with a pinch of salt due to the general lack of information. While some of the detailed specs would make sense, the use of a 120Hz screen, for instance, the specs of the chip still seem odd. As such, we will have to wait until the Nothing Phone (2a) reveal and release, which is rumored for some time in February during Mobile World Congress (MWC) in 2024
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