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Nothing's latest feature is highly illegal in many regions
A 'discreet' call recording functionality is now available
The Nothing Phone 2a is now official and reaching customers, but it's only available as part of a developer program in the US, missing out on standard retail availability via Amazon, Best Buy, etc. Hot on the heels of the phone's global release, Nothing CEO Carl Pei has announced the rollout of a new "discreet" recorder widget for all three of its phones — the Phone 1, Phone 2, and the Phone 2a.
Nothing Phone 2a review: Nothing you're missing out on
In an about-face from Phone 2, Nothing's latest is made for Europe and Asia
The Nothing Phone 2a is a decent budget device with a unique look — par for the course for Nothing. For an asking price of $350 or so, the 2a offers Nothing's striking design, a nice display, long battery life, and more-than-good-enough performance.
The Nothing Phone 2a only makes sense in a world without the OnePlus 12R
When sheer performance meets a fashion-first line of thinking
We’re only a few months into the year, and Android smartphones are already making headlines. Samsung delivered the goods in its S24 launch and managed to snatch everyone’s attention right at the start of 2024. However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any competitors in the year’s first quarter. OnePlus specifically came swinging out of the gate with the release of the OnePlus 12 alongside a newer budget offering, the OnePlus 12R.
Since December, there's been plenty of speculation surrounding the price, specs, and design of Nothing's newest phone, the Nothing Phone 2a — including here at Android Police. Some rumored details were confirmed by the manufacturer early on, like the phone's use of a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, while others, like the theory that the scaled-back version of the Nothing Phone 2 might lack the series' iconic glyph lighting, were eventually disproven.
These new Nothing Phone 2a renders reveal an unseen color
The latest leak showcases two colorways for the Phone 2a
While the Nothing Phone 2 isn't the most expensive flagship phone, the company is prepping the release of an even cheaper model, the Phone 2a. There was initially some confusion about the Phone 2a's design attributes, but it seems like we've got enough information on that aspect courtesy of subsequent leaks. Following up on a recent leak that detailed the dark gray/black version of the Phone 2a, we're now getting a glimpse at the Phone 2a in white, thanks to a post on the Nothing Community page.
Here’s what the Nothing Phone 2a probably really looks like
Some earlier leaked renders showed a vastly different and likely incorrect design
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Nothing will release its first budget phone, the Phone 2a, on March 5. With the date fast approaching and Nothing itself teasing preliminary details about the upcoming handset, there are only some open questions left. The exact design of the phone’s back was long left up for debate, with an incorrect render recently retracted, but it looks like we now have a good look at what the Nothing Phone 2a will actually look like.
Nothing Phone 2a: News, leaks, rumored price, and release window
Nothing's next phone is a cheaper version of its last one — but it might be hard to buy
The Nothing Phone 1 stood out with its premium, unique design and clean Android experience. But the phone was riddled with bugs, and the Carl Pei-led firm took its time to address them. With 2023's Nothing Phone 2, the company targeted a premium price point and made improvements to deliver a better experience. But the higher price meant the Phone 2 did not deliver the same value as some of our favorite budget Android phones.
The Nothing Phone 2a is launching on March 5
It's only coming to the US as part of a limited 'Developer Program,' though
Nothing has just announced that it will launch its latest smartphone, the Phone 2a, on March 5 at 6:30 am ET. In contrast to its flagship Phone 2, it looks like it won’t see a wide US launch. It will only be available as part of a limited “Developer Program” statesides. Besides the announcement, the company hasn’t revealed anything about the design and specifications, though you can watch the full 10-minute of the company talking about the ideas and goals behind its first budget phone.
New Nothing Phone 2a leak is all business in the front, nothing in the back
Other spec rumors will hopefully prevail, but we don't still know if it'll be a US phone
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There's a lot we still don't know about the Nothing Phone 2a, a recently-announced more affordable alternative to the $600 Nothing Phone 2. However, new morsels of information are emerging as the official 2a drop approaches. The 2a will reportedly scale back on features found in the higher-end Nothing Phone 2, which delivered a mostly-positive mixed-bag experience for us, with outstanding overall performance but a camera that failed to consistently deliver.
Leaked Nothing Phone 2a price positions it as a serious Pixel 7a competitor
A 12GB/256GB model is also on the cards
Despite being new to the smartphone business, London-based Nothing has managed to strike a chord with the masses thanks to a blend of minimalism and an attractive price tag. Then with this year's Nothing Phone 2, the company broadened its horizons a bit, making it the brand's first phone to be sold in the US. Since then, we've learned about the Nothing Phone 2a launching as a cheaper version of the Phone 2, potentially launching during MWC 2024. Ahead of that anticipated announcement in late February, we're now gaining insight into how much it could cost in Europe, thanks to a leak.
The Nothing Phone 2a could feature an impressive dual-camera setup
You can also download the phone’s wallpapers for use right away
With the Nothing Phone 2 this year, the Carl Pei-led company made the right upgrades in all key areas. The phone has a more premium built quality, a bigger display, and a faster SoC, helping it deliver a better user experience. But these improvements came at a higher price tag, putting the device out of reach for many. For 2024, rumors suggest Nothing plans to launch a cheaper variant of the Phone 2. The first real-world images of the Phone 2a leaked recently, and now, a new report details the phone's display and camera specs.
The Nothing Phone 2's cheaper sibling emerges in leaked images for the first time
Alleged specs of the Nothing Phone 2a have leaked
The Nothing Phone 2 was a significant upgrade over its predecessor, packing a more premium build, a bigger display, and more powerful internals. These improvements came with an equally higher price tag, though. And while the Phone 2 still offered decent value for money, it did not provide the same value proposition as the original model. Recent rumors suggest Nothing is working on a cheaper Phone 2 sibling, with a new leak giving us a look at the Phone 2a's design and detailing its specs and price.
Nothing Phone 2a with scaled-back Glyph lights could launch early next year
Mid-range power at a somehow lower price point
Carl Pei founded Nothing back in 2020 after leaving OnePlus, which he also co-founded. He’s gotten tons of much-deserved credit for his contributions to the smartphone industry, and at 34 years old, he’s got decades of impact left in the tank. Likewise, Nothing has done a great job establishing itself as a phone manufacturer that focuses on price-saving without compromising on the power of the device. The Nothing Phone 1 launched in 2022 and it was impressive, but it had tons of flaws. The Nothing Phone 2 packed all the right upgrades and launched at an incredibly low $599. There were rumors that the Nothing Phone 1 would have a “Lite” variation created back in 2022, but nothing (hah) came to fruition from that. Now, it looks like a new phone that branches off from the Nothing Phone 2 is in the works that aims to be even more affordable than its mainline counterpart already is.
Nothing Phone 2: News, specs, cameras, price, availability, and more
Nothing's second smartphone packs all the right upgrades
The Nothing Phone 1 was among the most impressive phones to launch in 2022. While the device failed to find a spot in our list of the best budget phones, it stood out with its unique and premium design. Considering the Phone 1 was Nothing's first smartphone, the company managed to nail many things, including the bloatware-free experience and performance. This doesn't mean the phone is perfect. Its sub-par camera performance, limited availability, and other minor issues negatively affect the user experience.
Sunbird shuts its iMessage app down 'for now' after Nothing Chats debacle
The app's already disappeared from the Play Store
It was just one week ago that Nothing — the company behind a couple of midrange Android smartphones and some admittedly stylish wireless earbuds — announced its biggest swing yet. Nothing Chats was meant to be a new messaging platform exclusive to Nothing Phone 2 users built on the back of an app called Sunbird. Thanks to some truly terrifying security holes, however, Nothing pulled the app from the Play Store less than 24 hours after its launch. The fallout isn't over, however, as Sunbird's own service is also disappearing — at least, for a while.
Nothing's iMessage solution might not be as secure as we thought
New report may contradict the company's encryption claims
Apple's iMessage has such a deathgrip on the messaging situation in the United States that companies like Nothing feel like they need to take drastic measures in order to assuage green bubble concerns from potential customers. Earlier this week, the tech world collectively gasped when the design-focused smartphone brand announced it would be bringing iMessage to its Android devices using a service called Sunbird that forwards messages from Apple's servers to a client app called Nothing Chat. We had seen similar third-party hacks before, but an OEM offering this functionality for free almost sounded too good to be true. Now it seems like there may be a serious security problem with Nothing's iMessage implementation.
Nothing Phone 2 gets its second official Android 14-based beta
Meanwhile, the wait continues for Nothing Phone 1 owners
London-based electronics brand Nothing has been on a roll lately. If it isn't revealing the products that were in the pipeline only to be unceremoniously killed later, the company was launching new devices, including a smartwatch, under its sub-brand CMF. Amidst all these developments, the manufacturer started rolling out its first open beta of Nothing OS 2.5 — based on Android 14 — solely for the Nothing Phone 2. Less than a month later, the company is now ready with the Nothing OS 2.5 Open Beta 2, available to all Phone 2 owners, with no additional info on when it would make it to the older Phone 1.
Check out this innovative Nothing product that was ditched just before launch
The Nothing Power 1 was slated to launch just after the Ear 1
Since releasing its first smartphone in January 2021, Nothing has unleashed multiple new products on the market, including earbuds like the Ear 1 and Ear 2, the Phone 2 this July, and another set of earbuds plus a smartwatch under its newly established CMF sub-brand in September. But what about some of the products that were being worked on but never saw the light of the day? The company has given the world some interesting insight into one such item, the Nothing Power 1.
Nothing makes its super-cheap CMF earbuds and watch official
The new products will first sell in the UK and India
Price is a major pivot point when making tech investments these days. While folks on the upper end of the scale are always ready to splurge on the best flagship phones every generation, not everyone can afford to pay for good design. There has always been a gap between the topmost products and the budget devices that focus solely on cost-cutting, particularly when it comes to aesthetics. You can spend a small fortune on a nice-looking wearable, or you can save money and rock something that looks like an old Timex — there's not much in-between. Thankfully, CMF by Nothing professes priority in quality design and affordability, and it has just launched its first products.
Nothing's budget brand CMF will have its first launch event later this month
Expect a budget smartwatch, earbuds, and a 65W GaN adapter
Since Nothing's debut in 2021 with the Ear 1, the Carl Pei-led company has made a name for itself with some impressive products. This year's Nothing Phone 2 was its most ambitious product yet, moving from mid-range to the premium segment with a more premium design, faster internals, and a higher price tag. But Carl Pei believes his company can also disrupt the budget segment, which is why he announced the CMF by Nothing sub-brand in early August. And now the company is gearing up to announce its first set of products later this month.