Nothing’s been busy this year – the brand has gone all-out with launching multiple products over the past few months, and even offers buyers more affordable tech via its CMF sub brand, which recently debuted its first ever smartphone. With that said though, the spotlight is once again on Nothing with the launch of the Phone 2a Plus. We’ve actually gotten to spend some time with the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, and you can check out our full video review linked below. So what’s new with the Phone 2a Plus this time around?
Design Changes
Of course with this being a “Plus” model, there’s bound to be some upgrades in terms of hardware. Perhaps one of the most obvious changes right off the bat is the slightly revamped design – while the 2a Plus looks a lot like the regular 2a model, there are some subtle changes if you take a closer look.
The 2a Plus features a more metallic finish, which is available in two different colour variants. This does somewhat evoke a more premium look and feel of sorts versus its predecessor, and unlike the recently launched CMF phone it also features Nothing’s signature Glyph interface on the rear panel.
Better Performance?
Another upgrade with the Phone 2a Plus is the chipset inside – powering the handset is MediaTek’s Dimensity 7350 Pro 5G, which interestingly is only available on the 2a Plus, at least for the time being. Nothing says that the specially-designed chip provides the phone with a 10% increase in overall CPU performance, alongside up to 30% improvement with GPU speeds, at least when compared to the regular Phone 2a.
Nothing has also equipped the 2a Plus with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which outshines even more expensive smartphone rivals like the Google Pixel 8a, which starts at a 8GB + 128GB configuration.
Other Upgrades
With that being said, Nothing has also upgraded other areas of the device – for example, the 32 MP front camera from the Phone 2a is no longer there, having been replaced with a higher resolution 50 MP sensor on the 2a Plus. The rear sensors remain the same at 50 MP for both the main camera and ultrawide camera as well.
For users who want a phone with slightly faster charging, the 2a Plus also trumps the Phone 2a when it comes to charging speeds (albeit not by a lot). More specifically, the Phone 2a Plus now comes with support for 50W wired charging speeds, a small bump from the 45W charging on its predecessor.
Pricing and Availability
Of course with all these hardware upgrades, there’s a difference in price between the Phone 2a and the newer 2a Plus. Thankfully though, it’s not a lot with the Plus model priced at £399, a slight pirce hike compared to the Phone 2a’s £349 price tag.
This then leads us to question what the point of the Nothing Phone 2a is, especially with the Plus model being the more ideal version between the two. If you’re really on a tight budget, the regular 2a is undoubtedly the better choice, but given the overall improvements to hardware, we’d recommend getting the 2a Plus instead for a more complete package.
