Faisal Ghaffar 
Carl Pei, a former executive at OnePlus, starting the Nothing brand in 2020, which has released three models of earbuds and a phone so far. Even though the products have managed to create some hype amongst tech enthusiasts, they have not managed to break through the mainstream. The Nothing Phone (2) is the company’s new smartphone, which is an improved version of its previous one. This one is getting a full US release, so it remains to be seen if the company can manage to break through or not.
Design and build
The design of Nothing Phone (2) is similar to that of 1, which means it is quite interesting. It is well-designed and built with transparent glass on the back that have an array of internals and LED light strips and 100% aluminum frame. These lights flash when you get notifications, calls and other programmable things. They are different from the previous model. For instance, the camera lights have been divided into two, the central one is in six strips and the ones near the bottom highlight the charging level.
One strip of the central light boasts 16 sections that can be used for showing volume level, countdown timer and the time of your Uber arrival. Thanks to these glyph lights, the phone distinguishes itself from the iPhone 12, as the designs are very similar. The back glass gives a smooth feel due to slightly curved edges but the front Gorilla Glass is flat.
The Phone (2) weighs 201g and its dimensions are 162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6mm. This makes it heavy and uncomfortable to hold in one hand. The haptics are also of low quality, which is a bit disappointing. The bottom of the phone is where you will find a USB-C port, but no headphone jack can be seen.
Screen and speakers
A 6.7inch OLED screen using LTPO tech and a 120Hz refresh rate make for a good quality display on the Nothing Phone (2). A screen protector is already fitted, but it is plastic and cheap. The brightness is also not too high and you might have trouble using it outdoors. The dual stereo speakers are loud enough for YouTube, podcasts and gaming and good enough for music as well.
Specs and performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, the Nothing Phone (2) comes with 8GB and 12GB of RAM, with storage options of 128, 256 and 512GB available. You also get 5G support and the phone is powerful enough to be used for day-to-day tasks and even gaming without any issues.
None of the models come with a microSD card slot, but they do have dual slots for physical SIM cards. There is also a fingerprint scanner built into the screen and it works quite well. The phone also has face unlock and it is effective and fast for unlocking purposes.
The Verdict
With a decent battery life and a starting price of $599, the Nothing Phone (2) is a decent device in the mid-range category, even if it is a bit awkward to handle.
