Nothing Phone 2 vs Phone 1: Should you Upgrade?

With the Nothing Phone 2 already out in markets worldwide, fans of Carl Pei’s unique hardware brand finally have something new to sink their teeth into, and folks on the fence about trying out Nothing’s newest smartphone have a chance to see what all the fuss and excitement is about. With that in mind, the Nothing Phone 2 does pack some nice upgrades over its predecessor, which make it a very tempting choice as far as smartphones go.

On the other hand though, the Nothing Phone 2 is a bit more expensive compared to last year’s entry, which can be a bit of a conundrum for more budget-conscious buyers. In that case, should you stick to the Nothing Phone 1 instead? We’re going to take a quick look at how both phones compare to each other, and give you an idea of what to expect – let’s get started.

Power and Performance

Perhaps the biggest consideration with the two devices is in terms of difference in performance, due to the different processors used inside. Both the Nothing Phone 1 and Phone 2 come with chipsets made by Qualcomm, although there’s a considerable contrast when it comes to processing power.

The Nothing Phone 2 comes with the somewhat newer Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which easily out-performs the midrange Snapdragon 778+ chip inside the Phone 1. While you can get both smartphones in a maxed-out version with 12GB of RAM, it should be said that the 8+ Gen 1’s overall performance will be preferable over the 778+; after all, there’s a reason why the former was used in a ton of flagship phones.

Design Refinements

While both phones might look very similar, there are some subtle differences when it comes to the design, particularly with the glyph interface. The Noting Phone 2’s Glyph interface features even more LED segments compared to its predecessor, allowing for more customisability in terms of function, and letting users configure the lighting system depending on their needs.

This means the LEDs can now serve as countdown timers, delivery progress indicators, and even features a new Essential Glyph Notification, which works by keeping the top-right LED segment turned on when a notification remains unchecked by a user. While you can say that this is a minor upgrade, the choice between the Phone 1 or 2 will ultimately depend on what you need from the Glyph Interface in general.

Display Quality

The Nothing Phone 1 debuted with a pretty solid screen setup, which consisted of a 6.55-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as a peak brightness of around 1200 nits. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with this setup, users might also want to consider the upgrades that come with the Nothing Phone 2.

To be more specific, the Phone 2 features a slightly larger 6.7-inch display, which comes with an LTPO OLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, and a much higher peak brightness of 1600 nits. For those not familiar with the term, LTPO OLED displays essentially mean better power efficiency compared to their more “basic” OLED counterparts.

Battery and Camera Hardware

When it comes to imaging hardware, not much has changed – both the Nothing Phone 1 and 2 sport the same dual-camera setup on the rear panel, with a 50MP main camera aided by a 50MP ultrawide sensor. However, Nothing has upgraded the front-facing camera on the Phone 2 this year, which now packs a higher-resolution 32MP sensor, versus the 16MP sensor on last year’s Phone 1.

Battery capacity has also been increased, as the Nothing Phone 2 features a slightly larger 4700 mAh battery that outsizes the 4500 mAh unit in its predecessor. The Phone 2 also comes with faster charging speeds with 45W wired charging support against the 33W charging speed on the older model. Wireless and reverse charging speeds stay the same, however.

Based on these, it would seem that the Nothing Phone 2 is definitely the better device based on hardware alone, although it is priced higher at around £629 versus the Nothing Phone 1’s £319 price tag. Discerning buyers will definitely want to take this factor into consideration, depending on their needs and wants. Will you be getting a Nothing Phone this year? Let us know in the comments below!