Modern smartphones are boring. At least that’s what Carl Pei thinks. Pei is well known among smartphone enthusiasts; he was the cofounder of OnePlus, and now runs his own tech company named Nothing.
To “solve” the smartphone’s “boring” problem, his company has released its own line of phones, and the second generation product just hit store shelves from U.S. to Hong Kong, U.K. to Bangkok.
The phone’s name is as simple as its user interface: It’s called the Phone 2, and it’s an Android phone with some attitude and unique design elements. These include a semi-transparent back plate that allows the users to see some of the guts of the phone; along with several strips of LED lights that Nothing markets as the “Glyph Interface.”
The Glyph Interface flashes patterns, some pre-set, some can be customized by the user, to give the user context into what’s happening. For example, I can set one specific pattern (along with sound effects) to only one contact in one app. I can set another pattern for my work Gmail only. So just from glancing the back of the phone, I can tell if that a specific person is calling/messaging me, or if it’s a work email.
This, of course, only comes in handy if you’re insisting on putting the phone face down, with its backside within your peripheral vision’s reach. Pei says his phone is trying to encourage people to do that more, to allow consumers to stare at their phone screen less.
These messages are not new, the whole idea that we are too consumed with screens, and that we should have more time away from them has been preached before. Whether you believe in it depends on your views. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with my heavy phone usage, as the majority of my phone interactions are for productive reasons. So I will keep checking my screen, I don’t need a hipster phone to tell me I shouldn’t. But I appreciate Pei’s sentiments and do see some use for others.
Plus, the screen looks great. It’s a 6.7-inch OLED panel with refresh rate up to 120Hz. I love the symmetrical bezels that wrap the screen, and the flat panel is rare in Android flagships. The flat screen goes very well with Nothing’s monochrome, flat icon UI design.
Yup, the minimal homescreen with black and white icons without labels are also part of Nothing’s whole minimalistic, check-your-phone less approach. If you’re not a fan, you can add colors and app labels back to the homescreen. Nothing’s software packs plenty of customization options. The software is based on Android 13, and zips around smoothly.
The rest of the components are close to high end. You have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, along with 8GB or 12GB of the latest RAM. The 4,700 mAh battery is large enough to power the phone all day, and it’s just overall a powerful phone by any standard.
I’m also impressed by the main camera, a 50MP f/1.9 shooter using Sony’s newer IMX890 sensor, and shots are punchy, sharp, with colors that pop off the screen. Nothing’s software image processing is very advanced for a barely three-year-old company. But it’s because Nothing has poached a bunch of talent from OnePlus, and OnePlus makes very, very good phones.
The ultra-wide camera is solid, but the lack of a zoom lens is what keeps the system from being ranked among the very best. But the Nothing Phone 2 is priced a bit lower than those “very best” phones, too, so it’s fine. Not having a zoom lens here is acceptable for its price.
At 201g and 8.6mm in thickness, the device isn’t small per se, but it’s not unwieldy either. It’s more comfortable to hold than the big iPhones or Samsung phones for sure, thanks to its more curvy design without sharp corners or edges.
Overall, the Nothing Phone 2 is a very polished and fun phone that zigs where others zag. As I said, I don’t really have much use for the Glyph Interface, as I don’t think I need to put my phone face down. But even if I don’t use the Glyph lights, the phone’s backside is still very attractive to my eyes.
The Nothing Phone 2 starts at $599, or about the equivalent in regions around the world. In the U.S. or U.K. this can be considered an attractive, inexpensive price. In Southeast Asia where there’s a lot more competition and also value brands like Xiaomi, then the Nothing Phone 2 isn’t as no-brainer a recommendation. The Phone 2’s design and main camera keeps it very competitive against any phone in its price range, however.
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