2 min readNothing's next budget phone looks familiar and different in all the right ways.
Announced overnight, the Nothing Phone 2a is billed as the brand's take on something like the Google Pixel 7a. If you're after the transparent aesthetics, stylish software or playful LED lights of the flagship Nothing Phone or Nothing Phone 2, you'll find it here at a much more wallet-friendly price.
On the front-facing side of the Nothing Phone 2a, there's a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. According to Nothing, this screen can swing above its weight class with up to 1300 nits of brightness. This spectacle is rounded out by the inclusion of a 32MP selfie camera.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the handset, there's a 50MP dual-lens camera that pairs up a wide (f/1.9) and ultrawide (f/2.2) lens and a trio of LED lights that make up the Nothing Phone 2a's version of the Glyph Interface. As with other Nothing Phones, the lights can be used to convey everything from charging status to notifications and more.
Under the hood, the Nothing Phone 2a comes powered by a Media Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, a 5100mAh battery and the latest version of Nothing OS 2.5. According to the company, those who pick up the device can expect three years of software updates and four years of security patches for it.
While the Nothing Phone 2a doesn't come with any sort of IP rating, it is said to be splash-resistant. It also lacks wireless charging but supports wired fast charging of up to 45W.
The real selling point here is the price. In Australia, the Nothing Phone 2a starts at $529. That'll get you the baseline model, which features 8GB of RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. $589 gets you the more expensive configuration, which comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Even by the standards of budget-friendly bangers like the Pixel A-Series and last year's Galaxy A54, that's a pretty thrifty asking price.
