Nothing’s reveal of the Phone (2a) Plus in July resulted in raised eyebrows rather than amazement or excitement. Despite the “Plus” moniker, the new variant comes in the exact same size and design as the company’s mid-range entry that was launched earlier this year, but features upgraded chipset and selfie camera, as well as faster charging speed. It also comes in a new colourway and has a slightly higher price tag of RM1,999, which is RM300 more than the initial model.
To put it bluntly, the Phone (2a) Plus is basically a higher specced variant of the original that arrived late. Nevertheless, its introduction gives those who have been mulling on getting a mid-range Nothing smartphone an additional option to consider, especially if they’re looking for something a bit more high-end than what was initially offered.
What Is It?
As mentioned above, the Plus is a new variant of the Nothing Phone (2a). While it features the same size, design, IP54 rating and Glyph lighting system, this particular model is offered with an all new Grey colour that’s exclusive to it. In my opinion, this new colourway stands out more than the original black and white options of the original, especially with the shiny finish on its metal parts. This is something I hope gets transferred over to the next-gen Nothing flagship, which is expected to be introduced next year.
The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is unchanged, complete with 1080 x 2412 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300nits peak brightness, under-display fingerprint scanner, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection (both sides). What’s different on this model is its slightly powerful Mediatek Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset with Mali-G610 MC4 GPU, a new 50MP sensor for its selfie camera, and a faster charging speed of 50W via USB-C. Everything else is identical to the original Nothing Phone (2a).
Is It Any Good?
When compared to the initial model, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus definitely offers higher performance, albeit just slightly. It is also one of the better mid-range choices available in the market currently, but don’t expect the onboard Dimensity 7350 Pro chip to deliver “flagship killer” level results.
As a daily driver, the Phone (2a) Plus works very well. I’ve not experienced any lag or slowdowns, while multitasking and app switching is seamless. In case you’re wondering, you can definitely play games with it, but at the expense of having lower frame rates. Genshin Impact runs fairly well on the highest setting, with frame rates averaging from 30 to high 40s. Impressively, I’ve not noticed any stuttering, and it’s also worth mentioning that the phone’s heat management is pretty decent.
The battery performance of the Plus variant exceeds that of the vanilla Phone (2a), coming in at over 18 hours based on our non-stop video loop test. Using it regularly, with occasional use for photography and gaming, the phone managed to push over two days before calling it quits. Meanwhile, charging the phone with a charger that supports its 50W rate allowed for 60% top-up in 30 minutes, while a full charge took about close to an hour.
Included is the Nothing UI interface which provides a design as well as features that are unique to phones from the brand. Navigating it is simple and straightforward, and there’s plenty of ways to customise the layout and icons to your liking. Apart from a handful of first-party apps, you’ll be glad to know that you won’t find any bloatware installed on the phone.
Much like the vanilla model, the simpler Glyph lighting system on the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is both fun and practical. It can function as a neat lightshow when playing music, highlight crucial alerts or messages, and even serve as a progress bar for deliveries and so on when used together with third-party apps like Grab. In terms of connectivity, the phone supports 5G, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC.
Photography-wise, “essential” is perhaps the best way for me to describe the Plus’ imaging system. What you get is a dual 50MP setup for its primary and ultra-wide cameras, which delivers decent image quality for both photos and videos, regardless of lighting conditions. One standout feature that I really like is the image stabilisation, which does a great job of keeping things steady, especially when recording videos. Meanwhile, the 50MP front-facing camera provides generous amount of detail for selfies, but lacks autofocus.
More sample photos
What’s The Catch?
While there isn’t much, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is far from perfect. For one thing, it lacks wireless charging capabilities, and there’s no eSIM support nor a memory card slot. The latter can be an issue for some users, especially content creators, as the phone only has 256GB of storage.
Another thing to note is that the Phone (2a) Plus lacks any optical zooming capability, so expect the image quality to take a nosedive when shooting over its 2x digital zoom limit. There is quality compensation, but its effects will be very jarring on higher zoom levels, even more so in low-light. Meanwhile, bear in mind that 4K video recordings are limited to only 30 frames per second.
Should I Buy It?
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus makes for a solid choice if you’re in the market for a mid-range device that’s priced just shy of RM2,000. While not without its limitations, the phone comes with several elements that are unique to it, including Nothing’s signature design language, Glyph lighting system, and a handful of built-in features. These, without question, make it stand out from other models in the market.
Ironically, the phone’s strongest competitor would be its own sibling, the vanilla Phone (2a). Even though slightly inferior in terms of hardware, the latter shares most of the same selling points as the Plus, but at a more affordable price.
In the end, the Phone (2a) Plus is merely an additional choice for your consideration. If you’re choosing between the two Nothing mid-rangers and don’t mind forking a couple of hundred ringgit more, then the higher specced variant is the one to go for. Else, there’s always the base model.
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