The best low-cost phones have a universal, uninteresting design. Because the manufacturers of these low-cost phones are trying to keep costs down, this is not a major focus. However, the Nothing Phone 2A proves that design comes first.
This futuristic Android smartphone was first shown to the public after the Nothing MWC party in 2024, with its gorgeous design on full display behind a glass barrier. Although the company hasn't announced a ** for the Nothing Phone 2A, it's really a testament and sets the benchmark for its class.
We expect that its** will be much lower than the Nothing Phone 2, which increases the likelihood that it will compete with other low-cost smartphones like the Apple iPhone SE (2022), Samsung Galaxy A54, and Google Pixel 7A. Companies need that momentum to kick off the new year.
Although the phone was teased at Mobile World Congress 2024, it looks like we'll have to wait until the phone is scheduled for an official launch on March 5. There isn't any news on MWC revealing the cost of its new phone, but it's likely that the Nothing Phone 2A will sell for less than $500 as the Nothing Phone 2 will cost $599.
As for the release date, we suspect it won't be too long before the official announcement in early March. However, another huge unknown is whether the Nothing Phone 2a will be released in the US – or will have to wait until a later date.
Even after the Nothing Phone 2A was shown at MWC, Nothing has yet to officially announce the specifications of the Nothing Phone 2A. Luckily, the rumors about the phone allowed us to add some details ahead of its official launch in March. Please note that these rumored specifications are subject to change.
Nothing's MWC launch lacked the ideal lighting to fully showcase the Nothing Phone 2A's design, but thanks to the way the LED strip on the rear spring works, the phone doesn't need much lighting. The Glyph interface adds some much-needed elegance to an otherwise inexpensive phone, even though it's a scaled-down version of the Nothing Phone 2 we know and love.
Two other notable features of the Nothing Phone 2A are the sleek interior and transparent back shell, which contribute to its appealing design, in addition to the way the light bar responds to various alarms.
No specs were revealed on MWC, including the display, which was not turned on behind the glass case. Rumor has it that it will be equipped with a 6The 7-inch AMOLED display, which is pretty much the same as what we see, also has a cutout for the front camera.
Another unanswered question in our initial experience with the Nothing Phone 2A is whether it will come with a 120Hz refresh rate. If so, this would be one of the few phones under $500 to come with this feature. Needless to say, a display that refreshes quickly will be a huge selling point, especially if the user intends to **mass**.
The Nothing Phone 2A is reportedly powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chip. We won't know for sure until next week's official announcement, but that's likely to be the case. Considering the way the Nothing Phone 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, this is a logical choice. We haven't officially tested any phones with this chipset, so it will be interesting to see how it handles more complex operations such as gaming.
Obviously, after we briefly browsed the Nothing Phone 2A, there are still a lot of problems. Luckily, we won't have to wait long for an answer, but the Nothing Phone 2A still has some challenges to overcome.
All the rumors point to sub-$500**, which could compete with other budget phones. However, in order to have the greatest impact, Nothing urgently needs to get the phone into the hands of American consumers. Nothing's phones are sold through various retailers like Amazon and Walmart, but it needs to somehow figure out how to get a device like the Nothing Phone 2A into the hands of US carriers, which is how most people buy phones in this country.