Nothing Phone 2a: The most eye-catching affordable phone of 2024 - destined to flop?

Now, judging by leaks, rumors, and photographic evidence, Nothing is ready for some backpedalling. The result? We expect this one to be called the “Nothing Phone 2a” - a trimmed-down, mid-range version of the flagship Nothing Phone 2, allegedly priced at around $400.

• Also read: Nothing Phone (2a) Plus review: why, though?

I don’t know about you but when I first saw the news I thought… “Exciting! A budget-friendly Nothing Phone, which is easier to recommend to more people!”

Nothing Phone 2a: Carl Pei is giving mid-range phones another try, but the Galaxy A55, Pixel 7a, and iPhone SE 4 suggest 2024 might be the wrong time to do that

For starters, here’s the specs list of Nothing Phone 2a... I’m sure some of you have their own opinion on what looks good/bad here - if you do, you can leave a comment.

• 120Hz OLED display
• MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC
• 50MP dual camera setup
• 128GB of storage, 8GB RAM
• Nothing OS 2.5 (based on Android 14) with 3 years of OS upgrades
• Revamped back design with only three Glyph lights
• Expected price of around $400
• Launch at MWC

Now, if you want my take on this spec sheet, what stands out might be the choice of SoC. And to put the Dimensity 7200 in context, I can tell you that one of MediaTek’s most affordable chips is comparable to the likes of the A12 Bionic (iPhone XS), and the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 from Qualcomm.

To get even more concrete, as far as the Nothing Phone 2a’s direct competitors are concerned, the Dimensity 7200 is slower than the:

• Exynos 1480 expected to power the upcoming Galaxy A55 (20% slower CPU - according to leaked Geekbench 6 scores)
• Tensor G2 powering the Pixel 7a (25% slower CPU, 50% slower in GPU)
• Dimensity 9000 powering the OnePlus Nord 3 (45% slower CPU, 90% slower GPU)
• A16 Bionic expected to power the iPhone SE 4 (130% slower in CPU, 130% slower in GPU)

While there’s nothing wrong with having a lower tier mid-range chip in your phone, you can see why the Nothing Phone 2a’s Dimensity 7200 SoC doesn’t quite stand out when seen in context - at least on paper. That being said, I’m not surprised by Nothing’s cost-cutting decisions.

Remember, the Nothing Phone 1 launched with an old Snapdragon 778+ SoC, and the “flagship” Nothing Phone 2 swapped Qualcomm’s 2023 flagship SoC for the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. So, there’s definitely a trend to Carl Pei’s SoC selection, which is why the newer Dimensity 8200 is making way for the nearly year-old 7200.

Carl Pei loves the idea of stealing Apple’s loyal users but the Nothing Phone 2a will need iMessage and a miracle to compete with the rumored iPhone SE 4

It’s no secret that as a young company run by a master visionary and marketeer like Carl Pei, Nothing’s short and long-term goal is to steal customers from the big players out there - especially Apple, with the most glaring example for that being Nothing’s (failed) attempt to port iMessage onto the Nothing Phone 2.

However, if that’s part of the reason the Nothing Phone 2a exists (and I’m not saying it is), 2024 might just be the wrong year to challenge Apple with a mid-range Android phone running on a low-tier chip, and that’s because (according to reports) Apple’s biannual iPhone SE is set to launch in the spring - right around the time the Phone 2a is expected to debut.

Without getting into a detailed discussion, and given the leaks/rumors I’ve come across, it’s very safe to assume that the only two (obvious) advantages the Nothing Phone 2a might have over the (heavily redesigned) iPhone SE 4 are the 120Hz display and the extra ultra-wide camera it has.

Apart from that, (as usual) Apple’s new SE model is expected to bring a flagship-grade package at around $500, and even if that’s $100 more than the Nothing Phone 2a, I think you’d agree that most people will be willing to pay the premium for Apple’s unparalleled brand promise, and the flagship-grade hardware in the iPhone SE.

Nothing Phone 2a might be an essential but forgettable addition to Nothing’s catalogue - is the unique design enough to challenge Samsung, Google, and Apple?

So, where is Nothing going with this then? Well… I see the Nothing Phone 2a as a way of reminding people Nothing exists before the launch of the Nothing Phone 3 in the second half of 2024.

Moreover, Nothing is a young brand, which doesn’t have many dishes on its menu, and an offering like the Nothing Phone 2a would be a nice starter to the heftier main course, which is the Nothing Phone 2.

That being said, I maintain my position from the beginning, which is that the Nothing Phone 2a might be a bit late to the mid-range party.

While I’m certainly glad it exists (or rather will exist) as an option, and I admire Nothing’s ingenuity in betting on phones with a unique design langue (I’m sure the Phone 2a will look cool), I don’t see how it can compete with the likes of the Pixel 7a, Galaxy A55 and even an older mid-range phone like the OnePlus Nord 3.

Furthermore, considering the fact that even the “flagship” Nothing Phone 2 isn’t a clear (value) winner when compared to something like a Pixel 7a or OnePlus Nord 3, this isn’t exactly shocking. But enough about my take on the Phone 2a (for now).