When British electronics company Nothing hit the scene 3 years ago, it was clear that they wanted to do things differently, assembling a supergroup of former employees from companies like Apple and OnePlus and tapping Teenage Engineering to handle the design aesthetic. Now, the brand is looking to expand its smartphone lineup with an even more affordable alternative, the Nothing Phone (2a).
Building off the OG Nothing Phone (2), this budget-friendly redesign is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro 5G and runs on Nothing OS 2.5. As for the cameras, you’re getting dual 50 MP main and ultra-wide cameras and a 32 MP selfie camera. On the front, there’s a 120Hz 6.7″ AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1,300 nits, and it’s all powered by a 5,000mAh battery (bigger than the (2)’s 4,7000mAh battery) that gets you up to 29 hours of video playback and around two days of battery life. Making a return from previous Nothing Phones, the signature flashing Glyph Interface lets you customize the light patterns and sounds on the back of the phone, so you can put the screen down and still be alerted whenever you get a call or text.
Not only is this a more inexpensive version of the label’s flagship smartphone, but it also features a midframe made with 100% recycled aluminum, 100% recycled tin on the circuit boards, and 100% recycled copper foil on the main circuit board. Over 50% of the plastic parts are sustainably sourced as well, giving this the lowest-ever carbon footprint in a smartphone for the company.
The Nothing Phone (2a) is available for pre-order now, starting at $349 for the max storage option with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (it’s also available with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage). You’ll have three colorways to choose from, including black, white, and a brand-new milk colorway.
