Nothing Phone (2) Review: A Difficult Second Album?

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The Nothing Phone (1) was one of my favourite smartphones of 2022. Behind the viral marketing and gimmicky flashing lights, there was real substance – it was a budget device that knocked hard on the doors of the established flagships.

Starting a new smartphone brand in an age when those devices are going one of two ways – either playing it safe or folding themselves in half – is a brave thing to do. We’re at a crossroads; there doesn’t seem to be much innovation left on the table.

Nothing’s CEO and founder, Carl Pei, doesn’t seem to care. As one of the co-founders of the original smartphone rebel brand, OnePlus, he knows a thing or two about shaking up an industry with super affordable tech that doesn’t appear to cut any meaningful corners.

The Nothing Phone (1) was the epitome of that approach. Now, we have the Nothing Phone (2), and with a price tag that’s £180 more expensive than its predecessor, it really does feel like ‘that difficult second album’.

I’ve been playing with one for the last two weeks and, as you’d expect, I’ve got lots of thoughts.

Pricing and specs

The Nothing Phone (2) gets off to a positive start on paper and goes some way to justify that price hike.

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Nothing Phone (2) doesn’t have the newest Qualcomm silicon on the market, but it’s a big upgrade over the original device’s 778G+ chip (although that didn’t feel like it was hampering things last year).

There are two RAM options to choose from which are coupled with the amount of storage you choose. The base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB, and an upgrade to either 256GB or 512GB of storage nets you 12GB of RAM. I’ve been testing the base model.

The Nothing Phone (2) display is a tiny bit bigger than the previous model at 6.7 inches, and features a peak brightness of 1,600 nits along with the rapidly standardised 120Hz variable refresh rate.

As for the rest of the spec sheet, face and fingerprint unlocking are joined by IP54 water resistance, a slightly larger 4,700 mAh battery with faster 45W charging, and there’s a new Glyph interface on the back which now has 21 extra controllable LED zones.

The camera system on the Nothing Phone (2) represents more of a tweak than a revolution, with the main 50MP shooter receiving an upgraded Sony sensor and the selfie camera getting a bump up to 32MP. Video recording on the main camera is now capable of 4K at up to 60fps, but the selfie camera is still stuck at 1080p.

Powering everything is the brand-new Nothing OS 2.0 (which is also coming to the Nothing Phone (1) soon).

Design, look, and feel

Available in either white or a new shade of dark grey, the Nothing Phone (2) is a handsome-looking device. The first version never felt cheap, but this new phone nudges the quality dial further to the right thanks to the curved rear glass and a touch more heft (it’s still super light – which was always one of the big draws of the Nothing Phone (1)).

Dimensions-wise, and just like its forefather, the Nothing Phone (2) is almost identical to the iPhone 14 Pro Max and features the iconic translucent rear casing that reveals the Glyph Interface.

A quick note on those flashing lights. They are gimmicky. If you buy one of these phones, the Glyph Interface will be the first thing you play with. You’ll blindly cycle through the ring tones while awkwardly swinging the rear of the Nothing Phone (2) to face you and you’ll smile at the way the Glyph Interface indicates the charging status. You’ll show your mates. You’ll confuse your dad with it. Then, you’ll forget about it. But that’s fine; the Glyph Interface is nothing more than a neat marketing trick and a genuine point of differentiation in smartphone design – I like it for both of those reasons.

Nothing has done a nice if understated job with the look and feel of this new device. Until it folds, flips, or is made available in different display sizes, there isn’t much more they could do.

Nothing OS 2.0 and performance

I’ve realised something about the Nothing Phone (2). The crowning glory of this smartphone is the operating system.

I’m not a fan of butchered versions of Android. Most manufacturers do it to some degree, whether it be completely changing the look and feel of Google’s lovely interface, or simply chucking as much bloatware onto the device as possible, leaving owners with no choice but to spend ages removing it all during the setup process.

Nothing is, arguably, one of the most brutal third parties when it comes to its customisation of Android. But, you know what? I really like it. In fact, I think this is the Nothing Phone (2)’s defining feature, and it’s one that really does set it apart from the competition.

Nothing OS 2.0 is still unquestionably Android. Nothing has, smartly, decided not to fiddle with the way you locate apps, nor are there any irritating additional navigation or multitasking features slapped on top. They haven’t even butchered the settings app or preinstalled too much crap. Pei’s team has retained everything that is lovely about Android 13 and simply given it a coat of Nothing paint.

It’s a lovely coat of paint, too. If you choose the Nothing icon pack and add a few widgets, the Nothing Phone (2) looks like no other phone out there. Admittedly, the icon pack is a bit confusing at times (I’m forever hunting for Google Photos) and not all apps play ball with it, but this is easily my favourite Android remix.

It flies, too. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is still a superb chip, and given Nothing’s proven ability to take older generation silicon and squeeze every ounce of performance from it, we’re in good hands. The Nothing Phone (2) feels every bit the flagship challenger in everyday use.

The battery is great, too. A case in point – yesterday, it left the charger at 6:30am with 100% and spent the entire day having its camera tested in London. It was also used for general smartphone stuff – checking social networks, some light email, and messaging. I didn’t charge it last night, either, and at the time of writing (07:15am the day after my trip to London) it still has 20% battery remaining. The iPhone 14 Pro Max cannot compete with this.

Camera performance

The Nothing Phone (1) was always a competent shooter. It never set the world alight with its photos and video capabilities, and it certainly wasn’t bashing on the door of my favourite smartphone camera system – that of the Pixel – but there was never a feeling of being short-changed.

The Nothing Phone (2) continues this trend. It takes some utterly lovely photos and definitely has its own ‘look’. It’s sharp, detailed, and has great dynamic range.

It doesn’t over-saturate, either. Blue skies are captured damn-near perfectly, and green landscapes look as natural as they should.

The Nothing Phone (2) camera is anything but boring and I’d go as far to say that it will probably appeal to a much wider audience than smartphones that have too much of a signature look – the Pixel included.

The main 50MP camera deals with poor lighting very well, too, and the night mode is capable of delivering some stunning results.

Selfies do a good job of skin tones but there’s definitely a bit more processing going on than on the rear camera. As always, the way you react to these examples will depend on your personal preference for snapping photos of your own face.

Where the Nothing Phone (2) lacks – just like its predecessor – is the limited focal lengths on offer and the quality of those that are present. The ultra-wide does a relatively good job, but there’s noticeable distortion at the edges.

At 2x, the camera system does a fairly good job, but the quality does dip a little compared to that main 50MP lens, and it would be lovely to have more reach beyond that, without relying on digital zoom.

As for video the Nothing Phone (2) produces a nice clean 4K image with decent dynamic range, but is let down by weird, jerky stabilisation (why do so many smartphones get this wrong?). We’re also limited, again, when it comes to the focal length thanks to the less-than-stellar 2x optical zoom option.

I’d also love to see 24fps as an option on the primary camera, and 4K shooting on the selfie, please, Carl.

Conclusion

I have some good news for Nothing: Carl Pei and co. are still the rebels. Their marketing tactics are utterly brilliant (can you think of any other smartphone company CEO who would ride a rollercoaster with Casey Neistat?) and the use of gimmicky features to swing attention away from the big boys is deceivingly smart.

However, it feels like we’re on the cusp of the danger zone with the Nothing Phone (2). It is a superb device with concessions that are acceptable and which don’t ruin the ownership experience. But it is £180 more expensive than its predecessor.

As noted by my Eight or Sixteen podcast co-host, Rob, the Nothing Phone (2) is Google Pixel 7 Pro money (if you shop around), and fast creeping into a pricing bracket that removes it from the ‘no-brainer’ category.

Nothing is ok for now. I still think you’re getting a lot for your money with the Nothing Phone (2), and Nothing OS 2.0 is easily its most interesting, defining feature. Let’s just keep in mind that the exact same operating system is also hitting the much cheaper Nothing Phone (1) very soon. That’s the Nothing Phone (2)’s Achilles heel.

It’s what happens next that’ll define Nothing and either secure or put at risk its enviable position within an otherwise very dull smartphone market.

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