The sequel to the Nothing Phone (1) makes us very hopeful for the future of Android, and it’s a wild ride for sure
Last year’s Nothing Phone (1) is a mesmerizing, promising debut that brings back that ferocious creativity we often see in Android phones from yesterday; anchored by bygone brands that had left the smartphone game like LG, and it is also safe to say that innovators such as Nokia and HTC are barely making any waves with their recent releases today.
Enter Nothing Phone (2), the second smartphone from former OnePlus executive Carl Pei’s London-based company– to quote the man himself, a “refinement” over the first one. We agree. While we can’t be hip and unique like Nothing’s keynote (which includes OG YouTuber Casey Neistat), what we can do is present our findings in our unboxing article just for you: no frills, no cutting corners.
By the way, special thanks to Digital Walker for providing this unit for us. Let’s unbox this beast.
Digital Walker official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/digitalwalkerstore
Regarding the specs and pricing, click this link here: https://unboxdiaries.com/phones/nothing-phone-2/
Upgrade on packaging
The Nothing Phone (1) packaging is very minimal: kind of a CD cassette and the contents just slide in and out. This year, however, is much more exciting: it has an inner box and it is a book-style type, like when you buy a special CD copy of your fave band’s greatest hits. Outside, the Phone (1) and Phone (2)’s artwork look and feel almost the same.
The book-style box on the Phone (2) is filled with texture coming from the intricate design pattern that screams Nothing. Only 3 years since the company’s existence, and they managed to create a distinct brand image for them. Impressive.
Textured inner box packaging of the Nothing Phone (2)
Opening it reveals the phone itself encased in a special wax paper packaging. The charging cord has this transparent accent that elevates the whole Nothing aesthetics. The pill-shaped ejector pin is here to stay, looking refreshing as ever. There’s paperwork located on the bottom right. No casing or headphone jack included, since we believe that’s for the better: you wouldn’t want to use a case for what’s coming next.
The Glyphs, even better
Removing the wax paper (with an environmentally friendly statement) shows the intricate Glyph interface which consists of hundreds of LED lights to produce a distinct lighting effect that’s not only a gimmick but a useful tool as well. We also noticed the inclusion of a mute switch just sitting at level with the camera module. The LED strips are much more separated than in the Phone (1) to allow even more complex setups like intricate sync between ringtone, notifications, volume, and battery percentage.
Mute switch next to notification light (red)
The Glyph interface is still available in a single white color. We think this preserves the flagship status of the Phone (2) by sticking to a single color unlike its copycats, namely the Unihertz Luna with the RGB strips.
The glass has a slight curve at the edges in comparison to the Phone (1)’s flat body. The robust construction is still here, everything you touch is either metal or glass, and there’s no flex or creaks to be observed: overall, a solid device.
The transparent back glass creates a modular effect, which allows the user to see the internals of the device itself. The Nothing insignia as well as other writings are still visible, but not distracting at all. The wireless charging module and flex cable patterns can also be seen, creating a cyberpunk-esque vibe to it.
Also, from a rich black color and white last year, the Phone (2) is now available in a gray tone together with white.
The sides houses the following:
Left: Power button
Right: Volume rockers
Top: Microphone
Bottom: The other loudspeaker (the one located above the selfie cam), USB-C port, another microphone, and sim tray (dual SIM, no memory card expansion)
The back camera module is two separate lenses encircled by two Glyph strips and is proportioned. The LED flash sits right beside the cameras.
Check out that display
The display is a 1080p LTPO OLED with 120Hz refresh rate. The bezels are all equal in proportion, the punch-hole is minimal and is now on the center rather than last year’s Phone (1) on the left side. The display is very sharp and vibrant, and the complimentary Nothing OS installed on the Phone (2) helps in selling the whole “futuristic modularity” experience. Using this phone for watching YouTube videos, gaming or just scrolling through your favorite social media apps is a breeze as it supports HDR10+ and the snappy performance is adequate for whatever you throw at it.
It is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor– not the latest by any means, but a solid, reliable, and efficient chipset from last year that is perfect for the Phone (2)’s 4,700mAh capacity. It supports 45W wired charging and 15W wireless, but since no official Nothing charger is included in the box (literally nothing), any charging brick with Quick Charge 3.0 that has the same power output will be fine. If you want to top up your Nothing Ear (1), there’s a 5W reverse wireless as well.
Conclusion
Of course, there’s more to uncover with the Nothing Phone (2), since this is only a first impression/unboxing article. The video and full review are in the works and we will link it here and post it on our official Facebook page once it’s up, and we’ll make sure you’ll be the first to be notified about this.
What do you think about the Nothing Phone (2)? Is this the future of Android, or just a regular phone filled with gimmicks? Let us know in the comments.
