What just happened? After months of rumors, speculations, and an inordinate amount of media hype, UK-based tech startup Nothing has finally launched its second smartphone. Called the Nothing Phone (2), the new device is a major upgrade over its predecessor in terms of the hardware on offer, though it carries a considerably higher price tag.
The Nothing Phone (2) features a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 2412 x 1080 pixels and an adaptive refresh rate ranging between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on the use case. It also has a 240Hz touch sampling rate, 1600 nits of peak brightness, and SGS Low Blue Light and HDR10+ certifications.
The device is powered by last year's flagship mobile SoC from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The chip comprises an octa-core CPU with 1x Cortex-X2 core clocked at 3.0GHz, 3x Cortex-A710 cores running at 2.5 GHz, and 4x Cortex-A510 cores at 1.80GHz. It also has an Adreno 730 GPU to take care of all the graphics processing duties. Nothing is offering the Phone (2) in three variants, with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
The Nothing Phone (2) offers a dual rear-camera setup, including a 50MP Sony IMX890 primary sensor paired with an f/1.88 lens. It features both optical image stabilization (OIS) and electronic image stabilization (EIS) for steady images and videos, supporting 4K video recording at 60fps, 1080p at 30 or 60fps, and live HDR at 4K/30fps.
Alongside the Sony primary sensor, the Nothing Phone (2) also has a 50MP Samsung JN1 ultra-wide camera with a 114-degree field of view, an f/2.2 aperture, and EIS. It also doubles as a macro camera (4cm). On the front, you get a 32MP camera (Sony IMX615 sensor) with an f/2.45 aperture for selfies and video chats.
Connectivity options on the Nothing Phone (2) include dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Wi-Fi Direct, 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), and a USB Type-C 2.0 port. The device also includes an under-display optical fingerprint scanner and runs Nothing OS 2.0 based on Android 13. It sports a 4,700mAh Li-ion battery with support for 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
The Phone (2) incorporates the company's Glyph interface that uses LED strips at the back to sync with various apps and services on the phone to offer a visual representation of everything from the battery level to message notifications. With apps like Uber, it even shows how long until your cab shows up.
The Nothing Phone (2) is available in White and Dark Gray, with prices starting at $599 for the 8GB/128GB model. The 12GB/256GB variant is priced at $699, while the top-tier 12GB/512GB version is available for $799. Pre-orders for the phone are now open, with general availability set to begin on July 17.